| Show F A 1 he was a famous man w who ho had lost 1 ira himself through fear but found courage cou raffe in an inspiring womans comans wo mans love mary roberts 0 b e r t s rinehart tells the story SIDNEY LEARNS SOME VERY PAINFUL TRUTHS AND FEAR ENTERS DOCTOR MAXS SOUL X mysterious stringer stranger K X le LeS Ioyne takes a room at the homo home presided over over by sidney ncy her mother anna ann a and her aunt harriot a fashionable dressmaker through the influence of ur dr alax wilson a brilliant young surgeon smitten itten with tier her charm sidney siano becomes a hospital nurse K loes joics her from a distance so does erratic joe drummond nn an old schoolmate at the hospital sidney makes the acquaint acquaintance ance of carlotta harrison who has been over intimate with ductor doctor max x and iho Is jealous or of the innocent newcomer Sid noys chum christine lorenz marries rainier palmer ilowe huwe a young society rake and they take rooms with the pages howe turns traitor to ills his bride ills his arm Is broken in a joyriding joy riding accident find johnny rosenfeld eld ills his chauffeur Is fatally hurt kidneys Sid mother dies doctor wilson discovers hat Is a I 1 famous doctor kd bd ani des living incognito ani and keeps the lie secret carlotta carlo tta harrison poison inq johnny a lint patient lent in the hospital and puts the blame on sidney cli christine ristine rist lne secretly ad K asks him to warn sidney against doctor wilson who slie she thinks would prove untrue to the ilia girl if lie ho married tier her when this installment opens K is trying to explain to colestine celestine why he cant Jinter interfere fere in max and sid affairs CHAPTER continued 14 1 I think you can understand said K rather wearily that if I 1 cared less christine it would be easier to interfere 11 after nil all christine had known this or surmised it for weeks but it hurt like a fresh stab la in an old wound it was ac X who spoke again after a pause the deadly liard hard jiing thing of course Is Is to sit by and see things happening that one that one would naturally try to prevent 1 I dont believe that you have always been of those who only stand and wait said christine sometime K when vilen you know me inetter and like me better I 1 want you to tell me about it it will youl theres very little to tell I 1 held a tru trust st when I 1 discovered that I 1 was unfit to hold that trust any longer I 1 quit all uis its tone of finality closed the discussion but christides Chri stines eyes were on him often that evening puzzled rather sad they talked of books of f music christine played well in a dashing way K X had brought her soft tender little things and had stood over her until her noisy dolsy touch became gentle she played for him a little while he sat back in the big chair with his hand screening ills eyes when at last he rose and picked up liis his cap it was nine ive taken your whole evening hs he said remorsefully why dont you tell me I 1 am a nuisance and send me ot off christine was still fit at the piano her hands on the keys she spoke without looking at him youre never a I 1 nuisance K and something in her tone caught his bis attention 1 I forgot to tell you slie she went on father has given palmer five thousand dollars lies hips going to buy a share in a business fine possibly I 1 dont believe much in halmers palmers Pal Pi mers liners business ventures her hat flat tone still held him underneath it he divined strain and repression 1 I hate to go and leave you alone he said at 1 last ast from the door have you tiny nuy idea when palmer will be back not the slightest K will ivill aou s ou como come here a moment stand behind me I 1 dont want to see you and I 1 want to tell you something ile he did as she bade him rather puzzled r here I 1 am ain 1 I think I 1 am a tool fool tor for saying this perhaps I 1 am spoiling the only chal chance ice 1 I have to get any happiness out of life but I 1 was terribly unhappy K and then you came into my life find and I 1 now ILOW I 1 listen for your step in tile the liall flail I 1 cant be a hypocrite any longer IV K when he stood behind tier her silent and not moving movin she turned slowly about and faced facea him ile he towered there chere in the little room grave eyes on hers its a long timo time since I 1 have had a woman friend christine lie said soberly your friendship lias has meant mean t a good deal in a good many ways ra id not rare can to look ahead it if it were not for you I 1 value our friendship so much lauch that I 1 11 that you dont want to spoil it she mie fini lied for him 1 I know roll lont dont care for me K not the way I 1 but I 1 wanted you to know it hurt a 1 good food man inan to know dueh a thing I anil nit it going to stop your coming coining here hc ro is it tit of course not said K heartily dut cut tomorrow when we are both ilear wo nye will talk this over fou ou are mistaken bout this thing chrisine hris ine I 1 am sure of that things have not been going well ind and just because caus e I 1 nin am always around andall that ill it hurt of tiling thing you think things that tha t arent really so im ilu only a reaction C christine hr istine lie ile tried to make tier lier smile up at him but just then she could not amile it if she had cried things filings might have too bd for everyone corper haps K would have taken her in ins his arms ile he was ivas heart hungry enough those days clays for anything and perhaps too being intuitive christine felt this but she had no mind to force him into a situation against his will it Is because you are good she said and holdout hel held dout out her land hand goodnight le cloyne took it and bent over and kissed it lightly there was in the kiss all that lie he could not say of respect of affection and understanding goodnight good night christine lie said and went into the hall and upstairs the inma was not lighted in his room but the street light glowed through the min windows dows once again the waving fronds of the al lanthus tree flung ghostly shadows on the walls there was a faint sweet odor of blossoms so soon to become rank and heavy CHAPTER sidney went into the operating room late in the spring ns as the result of a conversation between the younger wilson lind and the head when hen are you going to put my into the operating room asked wilson meeting miss gregg in a corridor one bright spring afternoon that usually comes in the second year doctor wilson lie ile smiled broiled down at her that a rule Is it not exactly miss page Is very young and of course there are other an 1 J 4 11 1 41 41 1 1 f i tr e I 1 tr I 1 A n n 1 I 1 cant be a hypocrite any longer K 11 girls eirls nho haie haic not yet had tile the experience but it if you make the hie request 1 I am going to have some good cases soon ill not make a request of course but it you see fit it would be good training for miss tage 11 hiss gregg ent on knowing perfectly that at fits next nest operation ciuc tor for wilgion would expect sidney page in the operating room the other doctors were not 60 exigent she would have liked to lave have all the stall old and settled like doctor allara or the older wilson these young men came in and tore things up sidney wont went into tile the operating 0 room that afternoon for her blue uniform kerchief and cap site she exchanged tile the hideous operating room gaib long straight alte gown with short sleeves and mob cap gray cray white from many sterilizations hut but the ugly costume castun le seemed to emphasize her beauty as the habit zif 0 i a nun often bria brings s out the placid s saintliness aint liness ss 0 of tier her face the relationship between sidney and max lax had re readied chad that point that occurs in all relationships between men inon and women when things must either cither go forward or go back but cannot remain as they are the condition had existed tor for the last three months it II the man elan As sa a matter of fact wilson could corid not go a head ahead the situation with cirlo C carlotta Cir irlo lotta tta had become tense irritating jia reit that she stood ready to block tiny any bovy lie made anade lie ile would not go back and lie darld dared not go forward if sidney was puzzled she kept it bravely to ln aselt in tier her little room at night with the door carefully locked she tried to think things out there were a few treasures that slie she looked over regularly a dried flower from the Chilst aln roses roes a label that lie he had pasted playfully on the back of tier land hand otie one lay day after the hie rush of surgical dressings was over and which said it take once and forever there was another piece of paper over which sidney spent much time it was a page torn out of tin nn order book and it read sigsbee roay may have light diet rosenfeld massage underneath was written very small you are the most beautiful person in the world two reasons had prompted wilson to request to have sidney la in the operating room lie ile wanted her with him and lie he wanted her to see him at work the age old instinct of the male to have ills his woman see him at his best the deepening and broadening of kidneys Sid character had bald been very noticeable tic ti in the last few months she had gained in decision without becoming hard bard had learned to see things as they are not through the rose mist of early girlhood and far from being daunted had developed a philosophy that had for its basis god in ills his heaven and all well with the world but her new theory of acceptance did not comprehend everything she was la III a state of wild revolt for instance as to johnny rosenfeld eld and more remotely but not less deeply concerned over grace irving rut put tier her revolt was to be for herself too on the day after her appointment to operating room her half holiday and when after a restless night she went to her new station it was to learn that wilson had been called out of the city in consultation and would not operate that day allara would take advantage of the free afternoon to run in some odds and ends of cyses cases the operating room made gauze that morning and small packets of tam pons absorbent cotton covered with sterilized gauze and fastened together twelve by careful count la in each bundle bliss grange who had been kind to td sidney in tier her probation months taught her the method used instead of sponges she explained pla ined it if you noticed yesterday they were counted before and after each operation ou ona of these missing Is worse than a bank clerk out a dollar at the end of the lay day theres no closing up until its found sidney eyed the small packet before her anxiously what a hideous responsibility she said from that time on she handled the small gauze sponges almost rei reverently brently erent ly the operating room all glass white enamel aud and shining nickel plate first fim t frightened theu then thrilled tier her it was as if having loved a great actor slie she now trod the enchanted boards on which he achieved ills his triumphs she was glad that it was tier her afternoon ore off and that she would not see some lesser star Ol allara lara to wit usurping ills his place lilt hut max had bad not sent seat tier her lilly any wort word that huit the operating room was a hive of industry and tongues kept pace with fl fingers agers what news of the world came in through ilia great doors was translated at once into hospital tenus what tile the city boigot fol ot the hospital re rd it took up life where the town left it at its gates and carried it on or saw it ended as the case might bo be so these young women know knew tile ending of inana stories the beginning of some but of notie did they know both the first lind and last the beginning wid mid the end BY many small kindnesses sidney had made herself popular and there was more to it than that slie she never shirked sh irked the other oilier gills had the respect for tier lier of one on e honest worker c I 1 for another alie episode that had caused tier her suspension seemed entire entirely y forgotten they showed tier her carefully what she was to do 10 and because slie she must know kilow tile the why NOW of everything they explained as best they could it was while slie she was standing by the great sterilizer that she heard through an all open door pait of a conversation that sent tier her through gh the day with tier lier world in revolt che talkers were ivere putting tile the anesthetizing room h in readiness esq for the afternoon sidney waiting for the time lo 10 to open the sterilizer was busy for the first time in tier her hurried morning b wit walli tier lier own thoughts because she it was as very human buman there was a little exultation in her mind what would these girls say when they learned of how things stood between tier anil and their hero not shameful this the honest pride of a woman in being chosen from many TIO the voices were very clear ashes rating eating tier her heart out do you think lie lias has really broken with tier eiert probably not slie she knows its coming nil sometimes I 1 lave wondered so have others she 0 U to be here of course but among so many there Is bound to be one now aud and then lien who who quite bulte she hesitated at a loss for a word did you did you ever think over tent trouble with page about the medicines that would have been easy and like fahe her she hates hales miss aage age of course but I 1 hardly think it if thaes true it was nearly murder there were two voices a young one full of soft southern orn inflections and an older voice a trine trifle hard as from di disillusion asil I 1 on were working althey tall talked ced sidney could hoar the cl clather atter of bottles on oil tile the truy tray the scraping of a moved table Il lie leivas was crazy about her last fall ailes page the younger voice with a ii thrill in it carlotta of course this is confidential dent ial I 1 surely 1 I saw tier her with him in his car one evening and on her vacation lust last summer P the voices dropped to a whisper sidney standing cold and white by the sterilizer put out a land hand to steady herself so that was it no wonder carlotta had hated tier her she was ivas steady enough in a moment cool unit and calm moving about her work with ice cold hands and slightly narrowed eyes to a sort of physical nausea was succeeding beeding anger a blind fury of injured lie ile had in love with car lotta and had tired of her he was bringing tier her his warmed over emotions she remembered the bitterness of her months exile and its probable cause mas had stood by her then well he be might it he suspected the truth for just a moment she had an illuminating flash of wilson as lie he really was selfish and self indulgent just a trifle too carefully dressed daring as to eye and speech with a carefully calculated daring frankly pleasure loving she put her hands over her eyes the voices in the next room bad risen above their whisper genius has privileges of course said the older voice ue ile Is a very great surgeon tomorrow he is to do the edwardes operation again I 1 am glad I 1 am to see him do it sidney still held her hands over her eyes ile he was a great surgeon in his hands he held the keys of life and death and perhaps he be had never cared for carlotta she might have thrown herself at him ue he was a man at the mercy of any scheming woman she tried to summon ills his image to her aid but a curious tiling thing happened she could not visualize him instead there came clear and distinct a picture of K X le lc moyne in the hall ball of the little house reaching one of his long arms to the chandelier over his head bead and looking ab up at her as she stood on the stairs CHAPTER but sidney im asking you to marry roe me I 1 1 I I 1 know that I 1 am asking you something else bias alax 1 I have never been in love with her 11 his voice was sulky lie ile had drawn the car close to a n bank and they were sitting in |
