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Show Miracle of Illumination :: By MYRA CURTIS LANE (. 1111, Wntin Nwppr Union.) ,J,HB Works monopolized him that husband of hers who had sworn to love and cherish and protect ber, thought Barbara bitterly. That was what came of marrying a man out of pique because one's sweetheart had gone away and left one. Barbara had been all but engaged to Richard Nevlns before she ever met Cy Hoadley. But they had quarreled, and Dick had gone away, and Mr. Hoadley had asked her again and That was three years ago, and Dick was back In town again. Cyrus didn't know that, but . then he knew and cared for nothing except ex-cept the Chemical Works. And Dick was standing In front of Barbara, pleading. "Barbara, It was all a ghastly mistake. mis-take. I never ceased to care for you. I was coming back to tell you so, when I heard you were married. Then I went West, and I'm rich now, Barbara." Bar-bara." She lifted her eyes coolly to his, amazed that he could not see how her heart was beating. It was astounding astound-ing that he could not bear that heavy hammering In her ears. "My sister wrote me that your marriage mar-riage had been a mistake, that you didn't care for him " That was Dick's first mistake. He had always been a little lacking In tact poor Dick. That had been at the root of their bitter quarrel. Some instinct had told Barbara that Dick was not quite thoroughbred. But then there was her love for him. That love he had denied. He did not see how she resented the fact of her unhapplness becoming the gossip of the town. Dick seised her hands. "Barbara, Tve come back to tell you that I still love you." "You you have no right to tell me, Dick," she faltered. Oh, how hard It was to resist him when all her heart went out In longing toward him. "Barbara I" Dick's face was very near her own. "I want you to come West with me and let us begin a new life together. Will you leave everything every-thing for love's sake, Barbara?" A sudden ringing of the telephone Interrupted them. Coolly Barbara detached de-tached her hands and went to the Instrument. In-strument. She took down the receiver. Next moment she had hung It up and was looking at Dick with a ghastly expression on her face. 'There's been an accident at the Works," she faltered. "My husband has been badly hurt You must go now." And even then he hadn't the tact to see that for the Immediate present his moment had passed. Presently the ambulance came up with Cyrus Hoadley. Hoad-ley. He bad been badly burned. The doctor held out no hope of life. There would be Intense suffering for a few days, then the end. That struggle was the hardest Barbara had ever endured. Sitting beside be-side the rich man, hearing her name mentioned In his delirium, tending hlro, fighting down her love for Dick. He came every day to Inquire, but It was on the day of the crisis that he spoke again: "Barbara, I bear Doctor Bentwlch has said that there's no chance of his recovery. I don't want to bother you, Barbara, but It's a miracle of luck nr When tt'i all over we " for us. When it s an over we Barbara never knew what Impulse made her turn on Dick so fiercely, and she listened to her voice as If it had come from strange lips. "Dick," she said, "when you leave me Immediately I want you never to enter this house again or attempt to speak to me. That's my ansWtr." An ugly sneer curved bis Hps. "So you've made a fool of me sgalnT "I'm true to my husband as long as he lives." "Well, he won't live, don't worry." Dick flung himself out of the house, and never to the last day of his life did he understand. But Barbara was sitting beside her husband end listening again to the delirious tale of his love for her. He had known there was snother, he had tried to forget by shutting himself up with bis business, but he loved her. Toward dawn the delirious man came slowly back to consciousness. He looked at her Incredulously. "You, Barbara? The the accident" acci-dent" . . She bent and kissed him. "Hush, dearest It's all right now, every-thing." every-thing." He seized her hand. "Barbara, I I thought" "I know, dear. That was a mistake too," she answered. She had never seen him smile so contentedly ss when be dropped off to sleep. She sat there till the doctor doc-tor entered. "Why. Mrs. Hoadley, you've worked a miracle," he exclaimed. "I believe he's got a chance now." Barbara only smiled. It was the miracle of Illumination. |