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Show I Back from the Breakers By Kenneth Coughlan LJ (Copyright. Ford Pub. Co.) uZU i one week of feverish anxiety; and fl noW the supreme moment arrived, ,,,e lassltudo of Utter wenrlncBB and iepfeslon ImU fallen upon them. rooking back upon thor flvo short 1 m 0f married llfo all the bitter- nMse. 'h9 henrt burnln88. tho Jcal- 0ule. 'he pettinesses woro forgotten a weck ago none but theBd had been H nmcnibered. She was seated beforo tho flro, ono foot resting lightly upon tho high steel hniet, her gloved hands crossed nerv- I ously uton ,iei' ,aP mA ,ler ,ac0 nlJ len from sight by tho brim of her hat, ffom beneath which strayed a iubbs of H deep chestnut curls. H "And are we not to meet again, then'" he asked. "No." She gave ono swift glanco up t his palo, set face, thon cast her no quickly down. "It will bo better r tht the break should bo final." He nodded mechanically nt hor de-I de-I cUlon, and stood for somo few mln- me looking down upon tho bowed fig- ure, his arm resting upon tho mantel, fl' "perhaps you aro right," ho said at tut, speaking very slowly and dis-I dis-I tlnctly, "and It will bo best, but you Till not mind what I am about to say, will you?" "How can I mind now?" fl' There was a slight catch In hor fl tolce as Bhe uttered tho last word, I tnd the uncrossed hor hands and bo- fl fin, imoothlng out tho folds of her I '''I am thinking," he said, "that you I will be quite nlono In tho world, that fl that you may havo troubles and Utf- fl Ccultlcs In which I might bo of somo utlatanco. I do not wish to lnterfero I with your courses of llfo. You will bo entirely your own mistress, but thero fl ' mr arise a tlmo fl "Xo such tlmo can arise for me," the Interrupted, a tlngo of scorn lu her voice. "Tho memory of tho past I' Ire years will drive nway any vain re-I re-I : (rets I might experience, and I would ' die a thousand deaths sooner than I. make a claim upon your your kind- fl He winced beneath tho lash of her words, and a gleam of anger flashed fl. In bis eyes; but ho mado no reply and fl a silence again fell upon them. It was fl (rowing dark. fl "What time docs your train go?" ho fl Hied, suddenly, nnd sho started at his W words, a great chill seizing her heart, fl "It must bo drawing near now." fl "Half past nine," she replied, wear- fl lly. "I must leave hero in" sho drew H tiny watch from her bosom and ' looked at Its face In the light of tho H Ire "In 20 minutes." fl , "Twenty minutest" , fl' There was dismay In his voice; but H' the did not seem to heed It. fl ' Ha moved from the Are, and walked once or twice, restlessly, tho length of fl' the room; then ho took up his old po-B po-B iltlon and stood looking down upon fl "Do you not think it would bo better B If you were to wait until tho morn- - lug!" he asked, gently. "It is late, fl and It will be nearly midnight when rou reach town." 9 She shook hor head. fl. "It will be best not to alter pur plans. Wo must part somo time, and the sooner It la over tho better." fl She consulted hor watch again. "Ten minutes and I must bo going," she murmured. "How soon it has cornel A week ngo, and thero seomed n ige beforo us looking back, our ' decision seemB not an hour old." "You will write, will you not, and tell me of your safe arrival?" "Yes, I will do that, I promise you; - md then " fl ', There was no need for words. Ho m understood that that was to bo tho last BJ , "wuaimlcatlon to pass between them. The minutes sped by in unbroken U lence, until, with a start, sho rose to ; her feet. ' "I must go now, or I shall loso tho flj ' lrIn. Oood-byl" Bhe held out a trombllng band to m. mo, and In another moment was gone. "e months Bped on, but beyond tho )' Jed letter to announce her ni- ,'n town no word reached him. HJ ,rIed. no ono but hlmsolf know ? earnestly, to discover hor where-m where-m "outs. NoW thnt Bh0 waa ,Q8t (0 n,m r,eyer' tne ol(l luve, trebly IntensI- ZrUrned' nnd no blamed, bitterly m r"CMrtraly," "&VeryTiarih word, fl : unkind action, which in tho ag. Je mado up tho sum of their I- in?n' WhlIe wafcl'lng in somo long, fl: Ik, , corner ot n cupboard, ho I Arm,d.llpon a " worn glovo. 1 Z?" 11 Bt' "ngorod that faint , her now-tho dying essence of r ,cent which had been her favor- ; bVlrf" u he nresod It to his hot, . ngaln a"d asaln, inn , ot I'assion, his memory harked I '' L I T of 11,8 br6ht, gone days ;. J; "e hai1 helped her on with tho ML 71 Blovo' Bnd 8ll had blamed ZTly t0T h,s clumsiness, and ; ?lm on cl,hf cheok as a token m " "r forgiveness. fl ltd0"" monl,,8 passed. Summer fl iZ.T. aBaln- nnJ autumn with Its M tZ , " sunset tllltB ot crimson fl 1 a,;1"1 " fast hushing llfo in Atrnni forost nnd S'ade, was ( TpuK th(J' rth to its winter sleep. fbw .u,omh8" he groanod; "eight fl , ;0,?lh8 ' dlro misery and never I tseIr??S paclne tho room In which (venin ,"?rteJ' nntl "'a shades of I hor. a , " and tIlo window onco m tht i. . the "'ousandth tlmo through fl lg.Ust weno. fl ierCannot carB rr e: she can I nJ l6 cared tor . or-" thought. "OPP0(1, cru8lllne back 1 i"', ,havo Iovcd mo" ,ie fl Ud L la 1 wns hllnd to her lovo, fl hi 2? f" t la too lato-I must '"bras- ' Klsl' m? darling my l!nine.lttt ,hal n8ht. planning and kisin ,the future. Ho must go w town. Ho had money, and every penny should be spent In the search. Ho enred not If ho sold overv possession ho had in tho world, for of what uso was llfo without her? Yes tomorrow-tomorrow-why not start now? Ho took out his watch. Yes, ho could catch tho-tho name train as she had taken. Tho thought unmanned him for tho moment; thon ho nerved hlmsolf to tho ordeal and busied him-uelf him-uelf In the hurried packing of a few necessaries, At Inst all wbb ready and ho stood nt tho open front door. Ono last look around ho might never sco tho place ngaln; nnd then a horror struck him nnd ho went sullenly back Into tho room and throw himself, spent and ox-hnusted, ox-hnusted, In a chair. Supposo shore-turned shore-turned In his absence! It was tho hundredth tlmo ho had enacted tho samo scene, evor to bo foiled as now. Morning, camo, and when ho descended de-scended a letter In a strange hand lay upon tho breakfast tablo. He plckod it up mechanically and toro tho envelope open. "Will you como to mo? I am very 111. Elslo." A great chill Belzed his heart and then ho gnvo almost a Bob of relief. Ho would see hor;, that was all ho cared now, and if ho scarce dared to framo tho thought if Bho wero to dlo, ho, too, could follow hor Into tho great unknown. It was a mean llttlo street to which tho address on tho letter led him, and ho staggered back as a woman in tho apparel of a nurse opened tho door. "Sho has been very ill;' Bho replied in answer to his Inquiry, "hut now" How he hung upon her words. "And now?" "Sho may recover, If" Tho woman regarded his face curiously cu-riously as he brushed hastily past hor. Up, up tho narrow stairs sho might yet bo saved and his heart beat so tumultuously against his breast that ho had to stop on tho landing nnd steady himself against tho wall. He was within tho room, at the bedside, bed-side, tho pale, thin hand of his wlfo clasped In his; then ho stopped, for Bho was Bleeping quietly, her faco turned nway front him toward tho wall. How wan nnd frail sho looked, her sfcln almost transparent in Its clearness, clear-ness, but the closed lids heavy and dark, as with long, sleepless nights and days ot helpless misery, Sho was moving now, and tho arm which was further removed from him seemed to tighten Involuntarily as though she was clasping somo loved object to her bosom. "Jack," sho murmured; "dear, dear Jack." . And tto eyes of the watcher filled, and be pressed tho llttlo whlto hand to his lips nnd played with tho thin, fragllo fingers, drawing them one by ono between his own. Long ho sat thero, silently praying thnt heaven In its mercy might grant him this cno poor llfo. It was not much ho asked. Only this ono only this ono. Tho ntternoon wns waning now, and at last sho awoke awoko with a long, tremulous sigh and a weary movement of tho head. Sho turnej, with tho slowness bred ot weakness nnd ap athy, tho tears already in hor eyes, and thon Sho .was In his arms, her head pillowed pil-lowed upon his breast, sobbing unrestrainedly unre-strainedly In very happiness, his band to her hot, dry lips. "Why did you not wrlto beforo?" ho nsked, smoothing iho hair back from her forehead with tonder hand. "Did you not know how I hungered for you? Ob, Elslo, my darling!" For reply sho nestled herself closer to him, placed an arm around his neck, and drew his faco down to hers. "You havo been very III." "To death," sho replied; "but I am better now, nnd I shall live. You wll. not lot me go again, Jack, will you?" Ho kissed passionately tho piteous llttlo faco. "Novor, darling," he murmured, "never. Nothing can part us now, except" ex-cept" Sho clung tighter to him. "Nothing can part us," she echoed, -for nun yuii aic-lieit1; aud-foi-yuur sake and" Sho covered her face with her hand. "Jack, I havo a great secret to tell you, ono I havo kept all these months ono that has upborne mo in all my misery." Sho drew back tho clothes, revoal-Ing revoal-Ing a tiny red face peeping out of a nest of whlto wraps; and as, In a passion pas-sion of lovo and happiness, ho lifted one of tho dimpled llttlo hands to his Hps, ho knew then that thero was a bond between them which nothing but death could sunder. |