Show afi e crippled esy OF it nka 77 17 oliver lit g cco C service CHAPTER XII continued 19 he be went to see gee V carla 11 fill soon afterward he had taken a great deal of pride in ID the clean nolte hite hospital he bad b ad built for the company and now I 1 be blessed it derwent told him what whale 1 ishad t bad meant for foi carlo caria they lind X rayed her and find bad mude made the lie nary discovery that nere inere was not a broken bone in her bod body Y but ame 1 thing bad bap happened penel to her bat back k and she was paralyzed from her waist down temporarily he believed knowing what baul out would have done under the circumstances he hail bud sent to quebec and hion montreal treal tor for e expert x pert assistance to consult with the company staff carla was propped up tip against a mass masa of pillows in tier snowy bed when paul arrived everything was white about her har except the rich bark dark ne ness qs of her hair the die room mom the bed he her r lacy gown her face like that with two silky braids streaming reaming qt over her shoulders she might have been a child one who had bad been a long ions time sick lck with ar ain exquisite fragile beauty about her lie ile had bad not expected to find her so like a lily illy pet a led flower whose soul a breath might carry away he seated himself beside her and she let her band creep over the cover lets let to him it was helplessly weak her fingers were only a feathery pressure sa about his bre P please ease dont scold me paul she said bald faintly trying ti tc smile sinne you see I 1 was right if the rocks had burled buried you I 1 could n have got you out and brought you borne bome could I 1 17 he did not answer but held her b hand an d so closely that a joyous little melody of content caine for a moment in her throat 1 I 1 an am ga kind ad I 1 was afraid you would be angi aenry ry with me now I 1 know I 1 shall P well mell quickly I 1 it seemed difficult tor for thern to find things to paul fighting fight ng with the grimly set lines of an indian in his bis face was holding back what be wa wanted anted to tell her a aria a kne knew w A little more and she would have ried cried e her own weakness letting down the thing which both were valiantly milk ins ing an effort to hold bold between them ue he told her about the specialists who were on their way and that their own staff bud bad no ni doubt but bur that she would very soon be on her feet again tie he tried to talk without a strain in his bis voice yet he could pel frel the file falseness and pretense of his effort when he wanted to take her ir in his urnia arms and kiss tier her pule sweet face carla knew this too at last when it wits time for him to I 1 leave eave her she said when are you yo ri going home 1 I dont know he replied it must be soon slie she urged 1 I 1 wont want it that way you must start to day or tomorrow only that will make me well claire wants you please ilease read this she gave him a crumpled yellow slip of paver it was a telegram crus crushed lied as if slie she had been holding it a long time before be come came tie he smoothed it out and read the words which his w wife fe had sent tier the message was iahost fil almost identical with the one he bad received 1 ece ived khing giving him tw thel impression t that hat i labre lo in the fliess of her emo tion had bad been able to find tand but a sin gle thought for them both 1 I am so happy it said send P paul aul to nie me as as you yon can only god knows how glad elud I 1 nm am she has hag faith in me said carla she asks me to and a nd you to her what a privilege that Is paul tor for one woman to give nn another otherl I 1 no matter how hardi bard 1 try I 1 can oever never be as wonderful as claire tile the world does not hold bold many women like her she loves you she wants you when will you go to herl her you said tomorrow yes tes tom tomorrow brrow he rose and stood looking down at her ber 1 11 I will go he be said but some time I 1 will come for you carla maybe not now not in this life but sometime ma I 1 continue to dream that it Is not a dream she said it la Is faith I 1 am giving zou sou up for a little while that to Is all sometime in another life these tests testa which god put but upon os ns will lefurn you to me when he looked back at tier her from the door she was ar smiling tallIng her eyes filled with tears he tried to readjust himself between the time of this last visit with carla carial aud and his bl departure depa iture tor for home bome ma ills effort was antionett ant an honest ionest one a struggle to qt fit himself to certain demands which he accepted as necessary and inevitable ne ile was sure of himself as he be returned to claire tt it was at most an exultant sureness which left upon him no sign of af spiritual or physical torment ne ile was possessed now by memories which blessed even as they burned it was as if somewhere in him balm were a little song a part which said 1 I have a swa on I 1 no one enters eaten save v L I 1 alone theresita There sits a memory on a throne there my life centers centera carla caria was tile the memory tie re ninde no DO effort to turn tura away from the truth or harden himself in his contemplation of it 11 some one line had mild that memory was a paradise from frion which vale fate could not drive one aali the room which had built Itself in his hie heart could oever cear be leveled or taken away frona from him it was indestructible like n R g soul 0 u 1 claire to in ciway a way became the it keeper e e v e ir at the door because been use of it her h he had closed it and bemuse because of her he would never open it except to himself he could conceive who one but claire in ID this sacred place A tons long time ago when tie he was as a boy there had been in ID hla his room a picture of an angel with snowy wings wines and golden hair slie she defined to be floating through clouds and he remembered that hut tits ills first ideas idea of heaven came from froin this angel and that she inspired hlin him to ask which his mother found difficult to answer tile the picture ilc ture had always remained n his mind it recurred to him blin to in thinking of claire it was impossible tor for him to feel re sent sentiment ment aj his rate fate or even een a desire to change it in going to her there were occaR occasional lonal women bome 13 U at wo breasts the world found its spiritual glory claire be knew was one of alm like the angel in his ro room im it was he who had been the misfit in their lives and this der defect et in n himself he was prepared to remedy if he could tie he read claires alres Cl telegram many times on oil the way south he tried to read between bel its lines tie ile tried to understand more clearly the change which had come over her derwent had told him how she had watched wat clied where the water roared ou out I 1 of the chasm whiter than de death as it 1 she would die unless you came out alive ho lind had said and carla she loves you she wants nants you and nw her n wn own words on the lie yellow paper in his hand entreating him to come to her as quickly as he could there was a st strange range singing in his near heart and a dull grief if she should love win him at last like thil that after years at al waiting and hoping and of yearning tor for a woman to be a part of him children a home he bud bad dreamed aniva of ue he folded the telegram for a last time and put it in his pocket ile ie was seeing the tears in carlas eyes CHAPTER XIII paul had told only claire that he was on his way to her at the station a familiar face came out of at tile hurrying streams of humanity to greet him it was jimmy ditle whose presence always gave gae him greater comfort than alinn that of any other man tie he had known for a long tinie time and claire bad grown up with him film like a sister jimmy had s seemed older than paul with a pr premature grayness ainess gr in his hair and a slight strop to in his thin sensitive body tits his affection aldei tinn for baui possessed possess pd tile the unchangeable quality of the marble mahle out or of he was slowly and per ns its a sculptor lor he had been working in ili the west awl caul had not seen him for a year had grown older la in that wile tie he tho u IM ills face ace was thinner his hair whiter over his temples his physical tone even less robust than when tic he had bud seen him last ile he had the hie some same quick nervous nerious alertness about him and it 11 did paul good to see the gladness in his face as they gripped hands ue he knew that claire unable to meet him herself bad sent jimmy in tier her place she Is like a child waltin g for for you said ennerdale Enne as they rode toward his home 1 I was there with mother last evening and she asked me to meet ion you slie she cried and laughed and Is damnably happy it if you dont mind id like to cume conie over when you two hove have settled fettled down and have bare you tell me about this monstrous happen ing may I 1 you know you dont need an invitation said paul come tomorrow 1 TO BE BB CONTINUED |