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she said.' "When can Dr. Stevens
operate?"
"Now," answered the physician.
"In fact, the sooner the better. To
be frank with you, Mrs. Foulkes, I
brought him here foflhat purpose."
If he had been franker he would
have added that Doctor Stevens
would have been glad to operate for
nothing. It was an unusual case,
and much was to be learned from it.
As a matter of fact, he would have
paid two hundred dollars for the ex
perience. But of course Anna could
not know anything about that.
"Get the table scrubbed," con
tinued the physician. "And take
down the curtains. I have telephoned
to the hospital for a nurse."
An hour later the fumes of ether
began to permeate the cottage. The
white-robed doctor and nurse were
working busily inside the parlor. Out
side Anna prayed.
She thought of her life with Curtin,
of those miserable years, his drunk
enness, his dishonesty, the total
wreck of their happiness that they
had made. It was partly her fault;
Curtin had been an average sort of
man. But she had high ideals, and,
in fixing her gaze on them she had
forgotten to be tolerant of human
failings.
As she kneeled there it seemed to
her as though her single will were
fighting a lost battle against the will
of all these men, the united wills of
tradesmen, of the undertaker, of the
physician and surgeon, even. As in
a vision she saw the terrific' battle.
And there was one thing that all de
pended" on.
That was Charlie. His-will, added
to either side, would change the sit
uation. If he were against her, then
there was no hope.
A shadow fell across the floor. She
looked up, to see the white face of the
boy. An agonizing love rushed into
her heart. How like a little man he
was! And he had always known
about his' father, 'and never told her!
She arose and put her arms around
him.
"Charlie, dear, I want you to un-,
derstand," she said. "If your father '
dies, his insurance money will take
you to Grantwich and give you an
education. It will pay the bills of the
tradesmen and the doctors, too, and
the funeral expenses. But if he lives
why, my dear boy, there will be
no more school for you. It will be
just one long and dreadful battle for
the rest of our lives. You and I will
have to work as hard as we can work.
What do you want to happen,
Charlie?"
The boy's lips quivered. "I want
my father," he answered.
"In spite of all you must give up,
dear?"
"Yes, mother," he answered.
Then, in that instant, Anna Foulkes
felt a sudden uplifting of her heart.
The boy's will had turned the scale.
She felt it; she knew the devil's le
gions of tradesmen, doctors and all
the rabble rout were beaten.
Her heart went out to Curtin-with
all the love of old time. She would
make a man of him yet. Their lives
should begin again together, from
that day forward.
There was a stir within the operat
ing room. The surgeon came to the
door.
"Your husband will live, Mrs.
Foulkes," he said. "There is no
doubt of it"
The nurse and the physician were
wheeling the unconscious man into
the bedroom, on the table. Anna
Foulkes looked after him with eyes
that swam with tears. Her prayer
was answered.
(Copyright by W. G. Chapman.)
-o o
MIGHT HOLD STAKES
Girl You cad! Can it be that you
made a bet at your club that if you
proposed to me I would accept you?
Man Well, I've proposed. Will
you?
Girl How much did you bet?
1 Judge,
mamhiaimMumt
