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Show J the salt lake tribune, shot at morning, aughst iTHE STORY OF A MAN IN DEBT FOR HIS LIFE. AND. .1 HOW HE, PAID THE RECKONING. -- larger than the squirrel ui the oak tree mysteriously grew apples of pumpkin sis. He fait an enchanted a a child. It vu worth while to move Juat now. But soma day ha would atrateh cut an arm, turn the curtain round, and aaa more of that woo. droua forest. - Tbara wan a fragrance In hia nostrils. Ha wondered if it cam from the oak wood. Ha waa aura it waa, anyhow, a acant from far diatant years. Ha would not ba aurprlaad it tha woods had amalt Hke that In Robin Hood's days or parhapo when Shakespeare wrote of luscious woodbine and awoat musk reeea and tha clan tine where slept TMaala." ' It waa ha knew. Intensely English; of tha rich, atronc, proud English tree before tt had sent ho many branches and offshoots about tha world. Tea It was a amen of wood and of eld reeea and deep hearted things. . . . Bis glance ahifted again: a watching face: the gate of thoughtful, tender, ateady eyes, violet blue, aet In shadow upon ivory pallor; dark banded MJr. gray streaked. . , . Noth- Inf to ths least like that young, laughing, fruit tinted oountenahoe that had blessed his childhood. Nevertheless he wesaware that he who sat at tha and of hia bed waa there as a mother. Everything that grew upon hia mind, aa strength returned, charmed him; but nothing more subtly nor more exquisitely than tha maternal presence,' , From the glare and heat ef the exotic lands he M meet known, from tha oddly contrasted existence, half intense business mond out diamond for ketnness, serpent outlesp serpent for subtlety end halt ' basking relaxation, aven to cessation of thought, ha had bright a sensitive, fastidious soul. Here for the first time tt fslt at home. It waa not beeausa of ber goodness to him, not because she bad opened ber doors te tba stranger pursed and comforted and healed, not because he owed hia Ufa to Mr the bond between them was far subtler, compounded of elements beyond analysis, not burdened by the weight ef facta. Tba doctor and Mrs- - Clavaring stood, one on each aid of tha bed, and hath smiled at him. Tha doctor waa a broad, elderly man, reufh end countrified, and yet, as' ha had ' proved himself, able. Youve had an uncommon narrow shave, But youre out of tha young sir, sold be activity-dia- , wood now. Tha pattant smiled In hia turn, With the I weakness of a child Shout him bs thought, i1 in Innocent childish pleasure, that ha waa still to hia enchanted old English oak wood, out of which no doctor oould draw him yet. "If it Ka4 not been for her" the doctor podded across the bed at tha slender figure to black" youd not ba above ground. If your fins army sister had had her own way end ' Carted you off in her ambulance. Lord! Dont 1 knoy them, clanky, drafty things, rattling over the roads, full of mens groans, at forty miles an hour! Thera wouldnt have been i PERDITA waa fond bf bringing her convaleeeents about tha county. She declared It waa good for them. Perhaps she also thought It added to her own importance. Certainly ahe abona on theaa visita in a kind of refleoted glory, for nearly all her boys es aha called themhad aorae wonderful atory Of aehlavereent to account, for wounds, and even thoae who were merely recovering from a crash or illness had the glamour of heroic romance about them; were they not airmen? Many nationalities were In tha gay and halting company, for from tha beginning of the vt the imperial air eervlce bad drawn to Itself idventuroua spirits from all parte ef the globe. j Sifter Perdita waa a favorite. She waa aldariy and foolish, but she Was the ioul of good nature.- - Tha " boys " called her a jolly old bird; and if they laughed at her, if they were even wearied by er' Irritated with her Irrepressible vitality when their own waa at a lew ebb, they were always ready to recognise hef kind Intention. When, therefore, on thla bitter November day, with an oast wind blowing like lino knives and a death cold mist gathering across the moor, aba cams to Patar Montayne aa ba eat chwerlng over the fire In the atnoklng room and jld him huatle," because aha was going to motor him out to tea, deeply aa ho deprecated the suggestion, ha knew aha waa bent upon bis good. huatle to him because ha was , She said aa American and aha was arch. Ha waa tha only American who had come the way of tha hospital, and they thought a great deal of him. . f , Re area a silent, dark faced youth, with profile Uka that on a classic coin and a sweep of black hair brushed straight beak which gave him a kind of aegis look, Ha had collated (n tha imperial air service before his country had Joined In the great struggle for right , Most of his Ufa had been spent In Honolulu and ha had curious tropical experiences to add to tha Incredibla adventures of the war. Little waa known about bln In tha hospital little, that la to say, of hta Ufa and . Inner thoughts, of his homi, or hta, or friend-ships. But a great deal had become apparent of his serenity of tamper and at a certain somedeep rooted courtesy which' struck him how apart frvm the rest He sprang up now and fixed pleading brown ayaa upon Bister Perdita; It's awfully good of you, but Im feeling Just about cheap. I think PU stay in the warmth. If you don't mind." Tha Irish boy who was grinning add Jerking his limbs la a sort of pantomime mockery from tha other aide of tha bUllard tabls where ha was practicing cunning strokes by him. self, would not have troubled, had ba been In Montayne' shoes, to drag himself out of I this armchair, would not havs troubled even Ito remove the cigaret from between his lips. , slender lady In black, and of a soft voice, ' peaking to him as from a grejt distance.' with "Hook, Presently he found htnleelf on a chair, fnnyl" , a cup of tea in, his hand, and tha eup and Peter , saucer rattled because Of these ridiculous .ordered, shuddering. Ho thought he must have mad undor hie some falsa movement or have been sitting vote. awkwardly, for hs had, too, a strangely para-- , lysing pain In his side; it seemed to him as if all ths nightmare sensations of cold had concentrated into that pain. I must have given myself a rick, be decided. , , , His teeth clicked against ths rim of his cup, then hs saw that a dish was being held before him by an arm that. appeared to him to wander away, Uka tha voices, to extraor dlstanoes. ' 0, stow it. Perdita, dearf ha would have . djnary a bun, old chap. seiaoma ona "Have aid. ."You don't annex me today, if I from the sky. know it!" ' A bun! Hs had to press back an explosion Thla was Substantially what he did say was OFUherty. Only an That of anger. when tha now turned to him: - come, Capt. O'Flaherty, youre not going Irish fool would think of holding an object ao revolting within scent of his nostrils! to stew aU day indoors, not if I know it. As Mrs. Clavering interrupted her undertone ' toV you, Capt. Montayne, youve aimply got with Sister Perdita; her gaze, conversation to drive with me, fop Lhave arranged It all wandered several times from her visitor had to entirely for your. Im going to bring you to ths young airman Oil ths other aids of tha . manor hduat in Englittle most the heavenly hearth. Bha ndw put out her hand: ; land, a perfect Queen Anne gem. It belongs q One moment I dont think be is wall." to used Bha widow. Mrs. to a Clavering, a "He? Who? Which 0i them? Sister be a friend of peine. I only beard a few daya Perditas eyes rolled wildly round her continand ago that wa wars within a motor drive, of Invalids. They alt get a bit greet) I wrota to tell her Id bring you over, What's gent and then. It dont do to pay any atten-tlo- n pew that you say? Ah. thats right I see, Capt Montayne. Whata tha Pster Montayna waa murmuring, with his matter, Mter Peter? Gtet a stitch? invariable deferenoa where the other aex waa voice was strident Pster Montayne, Her waa always concerned, tbSt Bister Perdita his band on his aide, looked round vaguely; kindness Itself. Of course. If she had thought to pun himself together, and laughed, tried about him like that, why, he would ba vary was caught with auch a sub that involend disat not to her be altogether ungrateful ' untarily he doubled up over ths cushions of posal. Ha did feel shivery, headachy, unlike tha sofa. And now that ha bad hia head himself. But no doubt the fresh air would down on the euahlon ha did not feel aa If ha , ' blow It all away. , aver lift it again. , could j Ba ready liY half an hour then," comHa abut hl eyes and descended suddenly, manded the slater in charge triumphantly to but net altogether Uncomfortably Into Vast both; and. veil flying, hurried forth to Mat depths. Singular billowy substances, Uka up further victims. , clouds turned to feather beds, tote up all Youra a pretty ate! said Desmond 6Fle reund him. As ha fought through them and with herty, playfully threatening Montayna fell back again ha gat confused impressions bis cue. - For some not dearly defined reason of a ingentle touch upon hia wrtet and brow consent to own consider his he seemed and of other touches which he resented and volvsd by that of his cotnrada. Peter Montayna smiled on him rather rue- - from which ha strove to draw himself away. Then there was, It seemed, a curious confully as h stood with his back to ths fire. over hia bead. Bister perdita was talkflict Though hs put on his fur lined leather flyJ loud, and Insisting, as If aha wars very ing over his' coat down and pulled his cap ing oars and sat in front over tha cylinders, quits angry, about mlUtary regulations and an ambulance, and what was "folly nsvsr, he thought, had he felt to frozen he unnecessary fuse and "really hs? absolute who had known what U Is to fly through tho duty as sister In charge." And to t))l arguhailstorm, tha snow cloud. ment and clamor somebody else, with a voice to was find to ashamed Ha himself unable as soft aa a dove and hardly any words, was control hts shivering afhe followed Bister Perdita through the dark paneled hall Into opposing a barrier of invincible denial. 1 . Emerging momentarily from his feather the pieasant drawing room of Clavering 'Manor. Here he had hut a confused Impresbeds, Peter Montayne, without In the least sion of warmth and flower scents; of deep connecting ths Idea of tha ambulance with ' toned pictures on white waUof a email. himself, was glad to find that Bleter Perdita - . ( , -- waa worsted. Than he went back Into those muffling, enveloping, devouring elouda in which It was Increasingly hard to breathe, to find that they were lifting him up and walking away srith him,-- . if Hereafter followed a time of strange confusion for Peter Montayne. thought and sensation so curiously intermixed that be scarcely knew which waa which. The pain la Jiia aide became aa soma bugs problem which ha had to solve or die. Tha wandering of his ' . much left of you." one common with of a sense," grain "Any aid Mrs. Clavering, straightening as she spoke a crumple in the blanket, " would have . done aa I did." , "Well, and begging your pardon" tha . doctor began te button up hia grsatooa) and f feel about its pockets tor hia glow" there . la not Ona in a thousand would bays ba4 tba wits was inextricably connected with an cleverness and tha pluck. Bha 'fought tor absurd want of control over hia breathing. you, young man." Ha laughed suddenly. Into this nightmare world faces and voices " That Bister Miranda, Lucinda, or whatevo floated, and ha very often floated, too her ailly name may be, aha thought sbad terwhich, aa an airman, did not surprise hint, ? rify you, Mrs, Clavering, with Mr bogeys of He was muck disturbed by tha constant military discipline. Bha thought she had a reappearance of Bister Parditas smile. Her Foots! kind of gentle dove to deal with! teeth they were always prominent had unTheres no wind strong enough to drive a cannily grown; and really at 'times when be sitting bird from the nest. ' Aye, she fought d of that panting could sufficiently . for you. young man! And fought mora than machine that had got Into hia brain Itseerped flesh and blood; a pretty dread enemy tt was to bln; that they wars rsprshenslbly lrg he fought, eha aloneflV . t for any one in charge of Invalids. This fact to no The the bed had words. Ha boy . should be repretented at tha British war ' merely looked at her toho had been mother ' office. to him. How could any ona put tote the Hs was glad when suddenly she vanished grosaoees of speech what ba was feeling? and only ona toco remained. 'A vary sweat . . "Tea, night and day aha never left you, sad tender, pretty tees, with which bs pres-entlthat little woman. ' Last night wee the first associated a quiet, calming hand touch she slept; add then tt waa on that sofa there and a voice that nsvsr hurt bis head or his at the toot of your bed. Come, now, you know chest: that seemed, on the contrary, some" thats true, Mrs, Clavering. She has. ths how to calm them. ( strength of twenty whan it cOme to carryPster Montayna bed not known what It ing out her will. Bhe wouldnt 1st any ona was to have a tflether since he was A years to to you. , A pretty bad Infectious type else old-- . There had remained a dim vision on hts Influenza of tt was, my young friend. Theyre of a dark, lovely tape and brooding eyas; mind dropping down aU over tha camp srith it, I of pale colored muslin and arms that held heat, like flies. But youre lucky. You'D ha him close; a bfesst against which a little boy potting Hum again before tha month la out found comfort. This delicate Jumble of mem. ' Ha went to tha door, still eries he had always called' Mamma; and even laughing; hut Fetor had marked a gUnt to hia little ahrewd to manhood tt had given him a swelling heart eyes that looked uncommonly Uka an unshed and a tightening throat when soma turn ef tear. Ha wondered. And when aha came tha wheel of sensation brought this treasure back add took her own chair he saw that on of lost childhood back upon him. Now it r the worn, delicate face, for aU Its serenity, cams to him with certainty that this touch, there waa the stamp of an Immense sorrow. this voles, this fees were essential parts Of motherhood a motherhood miraculously for I hope, the said as she took up her nlt-- , i him. ' ting, " you do not mind his free and easy ways. ' He has known me alnce childhood It was aa infinite soothing. Hs let himself and has helped me through many a dark valrest upon tt went te sleep Upon it and woke a double a4 to ley." from drearrf, agony passing up Why," said Feter, tt seams he has helped pesos. to Pull toe out of tha Valley of tha Shadow. Hia heavy ayes roamed. Hs saw, at It would bs strange tt I wanted to complain through valla et mist tha firelight gleam of the roughness of hie grasp, though he upon dark panels that gave back tha refleo tion aa with a rich glow of their own. Ha ' paused, hesitated; hia ayaa became charged with what M found tt as Impossible te say aw tha pillars' of a four post bed rite to " there wa another He broke eft. spirals between him and space,' and they, Hip glanoc caught the Ivory finger new laid too, gleamed. on tho counterpane aa tt to Impose alienee. By a languid movement of ths eyes he "That hand," M went on, " was ever gentle, could Just sea ths lining of ths curtains about and yet tt held me. It alone. How did you hia head; tt vu a delicate Ulae, made ef infindo itesimal rings interlacing. A fold turned back She appwered him steadily: gave him also a glimpse of the outside. He " You were as a eon to me. There was no aw a fairy glade of oak trees, squirrels ea other way. She rose and beat over him. the branches, dear beneath the stag no ' 9 . -- , lay-hel- - y band. ltr , -- "Do not speak of that; do not Have you a mother?" "No. Eha ffisd when I was a tiny kid. I cover knew, I never had" her ha blushed to the roots of his hair, and added shyly--"till now." 4 , "I had ona aon, eha said.1 Bha sat down again and began to knit.' There Was not, a quiver upon ths cameo purity of her face. Her brows were serene; ber eyes unwet; her lips folded to perfect sweetness; and yet Peter knew he was look-to- g upon ths face of a woman whoa heart waa broken. After a long pause aha anJ swered tha question ha dared not put I do not know U hs te alive or dead." "Missing?" "Wounded and missing. It is Bins months sines the new came." Again there wag a of tragedy, as ths wind besting pause-f- un against ths casement was fuD of bleak winter. "He was not yet 1," she eald. "And ' wq two had only each other." Peters Illness had been as short as tt was violent He had narrowly escaped the worst features of that deadly form of seizure still dubbed influents tor want of better knowh edge, although to suddenness and virulence tt elosely resembled the "plague" of olden , days. On the afternoon which first saw him stretched on the eofa in the upstairs sitting room Mrs. Clavering had an air of triumph which to tha circumstances waa to biw mope touching even than her unremitting devotion to the hours of dap ger. Tha room waa next door to hia own. A -single look orJuni sufficed to ehow him that tt waa bar sanctuary. Here, aa Dban ever fqll cup, the wine of ber eorrow brimmed, steeped with fragrant and bitter herbs of memory. Ths asms fiscs looked at him from very table end shelf. Even out of the mellow canvas that held the chief panel, the young cavalier with the lovelocks falling about his lace collar, seemed to gase with tha eyes of tha young soldier all to his new khaki from the last photograph. Both Rupert Clavering, ahe told him. The cavgller had lost bis Ufa On Worcester field. " He was Just my boys age.-- Strange, we It not, that I should have called him Rupert?" Fetor contemplated the picture. It was a noble head. Instinct with youthful life, and Joy, and energy, and yet Indescribably stamped with ths melancholy of the fore- ' doomed. Its ona of our beet pictures, our VsBdyck. But I had tt brought up here, to keep fur myself afterward Its so atrangely Uke." "I guessed that," said Feter under tis breath. ", Tha same face everywhere. Round and , soft aa a cherubs, adorably mischievous to .babyhood; the sturdy child, rather defiant. . aa tt daring any one to keep him to the nursery; thinner, more serious, a little shy, of Schoolboy days: and, later, with a something ardent to tba brow and a tilt of tha Up that poke of development both to humor and T vtrUity; and then tha soldier. . . J Peter turned his thought to her who set here in tha shrine ef her bereavement, with her torn mothers heart rejoicing to the Ufa that was saved the Ufa ef tba passing stranger! Bha lifted her eyes and gave him ona of those Uttle smUte which always struck ' him as so piteous. , Bha had a way of guessing his thoughts: 1 " Ton wonder why I dont cry. Kind people, Uka my good old doctor, cant look at me without a tear springing. - But I O, no!" Bha shook her head. It la far beyond that " Hasnt tt made it worse tor you," hs said rather timidly, " my being Mrs, I mean? O, I cant help thinking tt is enough to drive . you mhd." t Bhe got up from tM tea table and came round to him, drawing a chair dose. " Im glad you touched on that," aha said. " Ive wanted to make you understand. You owe me no thanks. Bo gratitude. When you Came that afternoon I waa a woman turned ' to stone; dead, frosea Uke that garden over there. Withered. People said I waa plucky; they iittlO knew! I just went on an iron aky over my head and frost to my tout And then when I saw you fall against the cushl ions something awoke. Ebe paused. "Something Uke a bird flying into my .dead world. A pulse of Ufa. I said to myself: Theres . death upon him him at least I will save. I ' put you In my sons room. The doctor Was right; I did fight for you. aa toother fights far her eon. It seemed to me 0, without mson that somehow my boys Ufa wet woven in with yours; that in saving one I was saving tha other, A flush cams Into Mr pals fees, Uka tbd glow of a flame 1 taping in an alabaster lamp, ' Under tM Close waves of ber raven hair, gray streaked, her countenance waa fired with an extraordinary beauty a beauty that had . nothing of youth to It but tM majesty of her motherhood, Mr long suffering, and her pe ten. " Tou think me mad. ' "O no," he Cried. " Youre greet!" Well, I saved yeu. I puUtl you out tf tt the Jaws ef death with these haste, Ch vs of black hair yours." were, by that a taint, whimsical laugh. Evan if v even If It never was to mean anything but Yri ' Just you I shall Mvs given life ac-- n. wUl be elwayi sea of mins. i BM leaned forward, put bar two hr his shoulders, and kissed hia fore' k 1 Nster had any one been so Hs Md keen Uka one waniuri j li t' c circles Of the world; to i C. j ' .inhuman places. Now ki u n lr ; n vi Conguei on 1- -- |