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Show f CARKKKS" FAILED. -Tour cab la walling, Mr. HUkea-let." HUkea-let." Then I muit go, I auppote " "Vet. I auppoae ao That aa your Intention, I Irtlleve " "I believe It was There doesn't seem to be any particular reason why I ahould stay around here any longer." lon-ger." Here he glanced al her a trifle expectantly. ex-pectantly. "No," she replied, absently, smoothing a tiny wrinkle In the covering cover-ing of the hard little hoipltal bed. "Oh, you don't think there It'" be demanded, fiercely, atopplng In hla Utk of buckling the atrapt ot hit army blanket. "Well, the doctors say there Itn't." he said, and then commenced atralghtcnlng the bottles on the little stand with rather nervoua flngera. "Confound the doctoral" He gae a vlcloua and final tug to the tlropt, and then added- ' They're a precloua aet the doctora," "Why, one would think you hadn't been well treated here," ahe aald, with rather an unateady laugh "Oh," exclaimed the young officer, "you've treated me well enough Jutt at well aa you would anybody elae, I suppose" A shadow of a smile crotted her llpa, but there were teara In her eyes he did not aeo "I don't complain," he ent on bitterly, bit-terly, watching the graceful lines of the little figure In the blue and white atrlped dresa, aa It moved to nnd fro. "Tomorrow they'll trlng some other poor fellow In here and you'll take just aa good care of him aa you did me, and let him go with Juit aa much cheerfulnett, too. Poor devil." And Ibe young lieutenant went to the window win-dow and drummed on the glass with Impatient flngera aa he atared gloomily at the little patch of gray January aky vlilble above the high roof of tht church next door. Through many weeka of pain nnd weakneaa and weariness Indescribable he had watched that little acrap of gray aa he lay helplett In the gratpot that terrible fever the Insidious, treaeheroua, deadly fever of the tropics trop-ics that had crept Into hla velna from the trenchea of Santiago. At flrtt It had meant nothing to him but bo much blank apace, that patch of aky. Then It began lo take on a new meaning, aa he noticed that It waa aHilP'S' mmmfM "AND Wli'IlU ALWAYS INTKRRST- UD TO KNOW WHAT TIII3 THIS PATIKNTS DO AFTKH THUY LEAVU US." often the backgrounl for a picture a charming silhouette of a glrllah face, with a little tip-tilted note and tender curvea ot cheek and chin and waving msssea ot hair aurmounted by a tiny, atlff cap of diaphanous whtto. He came lo watch for thla dainty vltton, nnd aometlmea In hla fevered dreama be would ace It when It waa not there, always bending townrd him wim a imnc or aivine pity on the aweet lips. He could see It now, though hit back waa turned to the girl buiy at the table, and lie gave an Inward groan aa he I Timbered that toon ha would teo It no more, except In dreama. No one knew what that face had grown to be to him In the paal few weeka. No one ahould ever know, he rcaolved, with a little lightening of the llpa, aa he turned from the window. Bbe did not care for hla going that waa evident "We take good care of everyone, I kope," ahe waa eaylng eamewhnt coldly, cold-ly, "Aa for our being glad to are them go that la nontenae. We are very sorry to lose you, Mr. Illakeslce " A groan burst from his lips. "Oh, spare me that, I beg." he exclaimed, ex-claimed, wrenching hlmaelf Into hla blue cape-overcoat "And we're always Intensted to know what the the patients do after they leave us." she proceeded, hesitatingly. hesitat-ingly. "Bhall you return to the array. Mr. Dlakealee!" "I auppoae so." ho replied, "I'll gu out to Manila and get shot, It they'll wasto the powder and ball on me." "How cowardly that sounds!" she cried, Indignantly, and the little woman wom-an of S feet 1 surveyed the big soldier with curling Up and dark, ccorntul eyes. "It would bo braver, perhapi, to stay at home and face death In the ahapo of a diphtheria microbe or a mettlesome horacleea cnb," he said with rather unaucceaaful aarcaam. "It'a braver to face life than death, aometlmea," was her reply. "Why shouldn't you want to live!" He crossed the room auddenly and stood close to her, looklnr down Into tho flashing cyea. "I wonder If you know how pretty you aret" l -I wonder If you kno how rude you re?' she retorted .? rnU '"PPos'e lf eatf t r goodby to , gM wUh , f.ce like youraT he went on retklewlf. Uklne: her hands-the poor mile "1nd' reddened and roughened by hoipltal "Then It'a only my face that makes '' harf' You natter ne, Hr" -She had withdrawn her handa promptly fia.ni hi, Mg,r c, Oh, well, It mKht DB , utile easier f you were crotteyed or looked like-like like-like Lydla I'lnkham" be admitted. And they both laughed After all, they were n young "And you expect me to to away after all theae weeka with you and pretend not lo caret" "You have no rlaht to care," ahe cried, drawing heraelf up proudly. "Ah, give me the riant." he aald. "I cannot go away without you, and leave you hero to do thla tort ot work. Thla hospital life Is unnt for you-lt Is wearing you out" "Mr. Illakrslee. mu do not know what you are asking I've taken up thla work agalntt the advice and wishes of my family and frlendt. To give It up now would be to acknowledge my fall-ure. fall-ure. It would bo ton humiliating. You mutt not aak me to And then your own career. You have mad a glorious record so far you muit not think of anything elit for yeara to come. And your country ntedi you" "No one elte doei. evidently," he aald, bitterly. "Well, goodby, llttlo girl, and Ood bleta you." And without another an-other word he left the room. Tho young officer strode along the echoing corridors with htiity atepa. Hla heart waa hot within him and he waa ashamed to find teara In hla eyca. Hut when he reached the great doorway he bealtatcd. Once outside and he bad led ber behind be-hind him forerer. He could not leave her thla way. Without a word ot thanka for the lend, juralng ahe had given him. She muit not think blm ungrateful. Swiftly ht turned and retraced hla atepa. The door of the little room where he had lain so long as partly closed when he reached It. What If ahe bad gono. With a beating heart he puihed the door open uttly and went In. And there the waa tho atout-hearted young woman who had ao bravely sent him forth to hit duty nnd so tturdlly kept to heri, with her head on the pillow pil-low hla pillow crying her heart out, Jutt like any other unhappy girl. A moment he ttood Irnnsllxed. Then In one bound he crossed the narrow room and took her In bis arms, and aa their lips met two careers ca-reers that might have been melted Into thin nlr and dluppearod forever. Edgar Ed-gar Temple Field. |
