| Show K I 1 john gets his last last chance a by wl WINIFRED DUNBAR rj N Q copyright 1921 western newspaper union the telephone was jingling discordantly and cleave was conscious of an acute presentiment of disaster as he took down the receiver you wife accident lie ho heard a voice saying thrown from the buggy bend in the road unconscious and grave tears fears come home at once cleave hung lung the receiver up and sat staring moodily at the papers upon his desk it seemed like fate this accident for lie he had not expected to see mary again for months if ever they had been married two years and had ad no 0 child it if one had come bilings t th might have been different they might not have quarreled so perpetually how she had loved him before their marriage thought cleave as he be sat at his desk then she bhe had striven at first to make him happy and he too had tried hard to ile ie good to her for mary was very ery lovable and sweet but at last they had both giyen given up in despair cleave would always remember the words she had said to him that night three months before 1 I can forgive you john and love you but the memory of these two unhappy years must always be with me it caff can never be quite the same again and after that eiery everything thing had bad seemed hopek ss things had gone from bad to worse and add finally they had decided that mary should go back bach to her mother to spend the summer with tier her there was to be no scandal mary had bad been on her way to the station when the accident happened suddenly there swept over him a I 1 fuller realization than had ever before come to him of his selfishness it if he could only have one chance more inore an hours run and he was treading the streets of the country village lit in which lie lived lie ile saw ills his home an all automobile was standing before fill luor door ile he rushed in ili the doctor at anil 1 I 1 nurse hastily summoned were in ili the hall when the doctor had bad finished speaking peaking and the nurse had sped up the stairs lie turned to him your wife has had a very serious accident ident mr cleave he said shu she was thrown out of the buggy when tin the horse swerved and sustained a fracture of the skull there Is no immediate danger I 1 ani am happy to say she may recover consciousness at any ally time but we m e fear some brain injury all through that afternoon john cleave sat at ills his cifes bedside staring into the wide open eyes that saw nothing she lay in a stupor it was not dot until the third afternoon that consciousness returned it was about three in the afternoon when nhen she stirred and spoke she smiled at him and the smile was like that which aich she had worn upon their wedding morning dearest where am I 1 she asked at home said john thrilling nt lit the faint clasp of her fingers at home never to go away again she spoke to you you say in quiren the doctor of john that eve ding she knew you lind and spoke arld and seemed rational absolutely I 1 rational at ional aw answered inhered john cleave and turned away he went into his room find and on ills his knees thanked god for the chance that was to bi bf his ills prayer was answered how long have we been married rIed john mary asked next day 1 ic I I 1 seems such a long time somehow all ami yet I 1 know that it cant really be an entire year us as that calendar on tin the wall seems to SIAW john looked at the calendar it wa vu an old one of the preceding year it Is june said mary 11 and wr we were married in june Is it a whole year dearest john dared not tell her that it was two years dearest she whispered presently rut put your our arnis arms round roe me and let me tell you something do you know uli itlo the cimei was nus lying here this worn morn ing I 1 have hane been thinking how unkind I 1 have been to you and how un hapli I 1 have made you I 1 want you to for glie give me jolin john and I 1 believe you cin forgive we me because the memories of this year of our marriage have been so dear it Is you who must forgive me dearest said gald john humbly that night the lie doctor explained the ali situation to him your wife he said bild is on the high road to recovery her mind Is as sound as it tiis diab vier been the brain trouble which I 1 anticipated amounts simply to tills this the whole of the past year has slipped out of her membry mei Airy has she had any great trouble that could account for tills this yes answered john humbly and the doctor shot it a keen glance at him then that is the explanation lie said her mind was troubled slie she wishes to forget the episode whatever it was it Is necessary for her to forget it in order that she may get well are you prepared to let tier her go through life nath no memory of that one year indeed I 1 am said cleave especially since you think it Is for the best you have a very cli charming arming wife sir mr cleave he be added guard her and care for her ber and let the past bury its dead and john li kneeling neeling at INI marys arys bedside thanked chanice god that als ch cliance ance had come and renewed his bis vows neer more to be broken |
