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L sS Ma i. i an CHAPTER Too Great a Strain Then Thi-n there thero came carne a a. day when I 1 could not rise froth m my b bed il though I tried until I fainted Mother came cam e up to see sec why h I had not come down dote downto n to breakfast krast and find found me lying on the tho floor Sho and Norah Koran orah revived revive d me then she sent for the tho doctor There seems to be bc nothing particular particular par par- particular the matter he ha told mother after nn an extensive o examination I Iguess Iguess 1 guess uess It Is Js Just a nervous breakdown Rest Hest and nourishing food will brin bring g her out all right and patting meon rno me on tho the hand In his fatherly way my he h hand e and mOl mother her left mo with Koran orah I had known tho ho old doctor all m my lICe life and In a way his friendly little pat comforted mo I Shall I write Tom you rou arc are Ill III 7 mother asked when she camo came back I Ko Xo Indeed Just let et me lie quietly a n few days dars Ill I'll b bo be all right and ancl I turne turned my mr face awn away that she might not see the ten tears of ut weakness Very er well dear It t shall be Just Justas as you say m But Hut If It you OU want him ten tell m me wont won't you jou ou Yes I answered J If I wanted hIm God alone knew how I wanted him But Dut I 1 had come como to the tho point where I believed that he ho never ne would take me back Jack I had completely lost hope hOlO that ho would forgive me and as time had pa passed lcd I had realized realized real real- to a certain extent the heinousness heInousness heinousness heinous- heinous ness of ot my actions e especially that of or orm m my relations with Carol Blacklock And while I knew m myself self Innocent of or nn any unfaithfulness o I saw how it must look to tu Tom k or r to anyone who knew what I had done UNAVAILING REGRETS I hated my clothes man many of ot which had been paid for tor with Carol Blacklock's Blacklock's Black- Black locks lock's mone money And until I was to taken ken kensIck sick 1 I wore tho the simplest things I 1 had Some Some- of tho the extravagant ant things I had not Hot even e unpacked ed I was ashamed to let et mother see them So SoI I 1 wore only tho the clothes that Tom might well afford to gUe I e me Instead of oC the ones for which I had lost my home and my husband Perhaps there are aro people who will not understand how I can say Bay such sucha a thing How Ilow It can cnn be possible for fora a woman to lose loso her home and amI husband husband hus- hus band because o of ot her love lovo for finery But thero there are aro man many others who WILL ILL understand who either havo o lost their husbands husband's love Jove 0 or orr who i dave hae ave c certainly made him miserable and ruined his business career b by their desire to wear expensive and beautiful clothes the they could not af afford afford atford at- at ford Day after Arter da day as I lay ay In fn bed growing growing grow grow- O ing InS weaker and weaker I thou thought ht of or these things Day after da day I fretted I for Tom for the feel of oC his arms around me his kisses on my lips I And when each nl night ht closed mo Inand In Inand Inand and he had not come I f lay n. n staring atthe at atthe atthe the telling ceiling hopeless almost praying to die dio Yet not quite desiring to go So because of at the children But I had grown so weak that the they seemed far off ocr and unreal Only the loss of ot m my husband was real Only Tom seemed to matter MRS WERNER PLEADS There came days das when for Cor hours I seemed to drift away awny from everyone When hen I would come como back with a sort of start to find mother bending over o me her eyes ces filled with tears Let mo me send for tor Tom Tom she pleaded No Xo lie ho wouldn't come Let Ld L it me try 7 sho ho coaxed I 1 must do something Sue The doctor says there Is Js nothing the matter with you ou save something he cannot help help That you ou are worrying yourself yourself yourself your your- self to death Do let mo send for your our husband No Ko matter what has bas separated you OU his place J Is here now But I was stubborn and still refused re- re fused the permission sion she sou sought ht She lad had ha given si her promise never ne to send f or COl or him without m my consent and I knew she would keep It at it-at at least I Ibell believed bell end she would I had not seen the children for tor days Mother lother was waa the only one who now camo Into my room Then I IdId Idid did not remember her They Thoy told mo afterward that for Cor days das I lay either unconscious or quietly whispering whispering whis whis- of oC my love lo for tor Tom and my desire lIc that tha t he forgive org c me Then one day I opened my any eyes to find Tom Toni stand standing In by the bed bell I t thought hought It an Rn hallucination and yet yett et etI I t stretched out my hands to him Tom dear Tom I 1 a ahe ahe as a ashe r he took them In his firm grasp an anthen anti and d then leaned over o and kissed me while Whilo I felt tell something wet and warm w drop on my face tac Have 13 you OU come corne t tsee to o see Bce mo me die Im I'm glad Tom please pleas e dont don't leave leav en i mo again Xo No o dear clear Ill I'll never leave 1 yo you OU u again ho replied then tho the old doctor doctor doc doe tor for held hd a glass glass' to my lips and after Tom rom still 1111 holding m my hand hands I drifted 1 of off to sleep When hen I awoke Tom was still beside me Afterward mother molher told me thaI that tha t I had slept for Cor hours but that h ho ha e would not move mo from his Iris crampe cramped position for tor fear tear ho hI would disturb me Do you Imo know me mc Sue Suc ho asked again again bending bending over me It it Is Tom I replied then again agai n fell asleep Continued tomorrow |