Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 19, 1924 — page 75: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

LINDA. All eyes turned to her. “We went to it on our wedding-trip. It was at the Madison Square Gardens, and I wore a brown bombazine, and a bonnet with buttercups. “Iwas that made me get these, because he liked them. I was frightened at the riders and the trapeze things, so he held my hand. There was an old couple in front, and they were holdin’ hands too. Amos whispered somethin’ about our bein’ like them when we got old! Near the end —a girl all in pink tarlatan—she had brown eyes like mine, he said—began to climb up Amos seemed to be listening without see- ing, as if to a hidden incantation. “Then Amos said somethin’ about her bein’ like our happiness, goin’ up higher and higher. She walked a tight-rope, way up under the roof. And Amos got more fanciful still, and said it was like our happi- ness goin’ down the years, spinnin’ a silken thread between our youth and our old age; and he motioned to the couple in front. I’ve thought of it again and again since this happened to him, because of what happened to her. She slipped and fell! JI hid my head and screamed. When I peeked up, I saw Amos was white and faint. A crowd had gathered round her down below, and we never knew the rest. Amos said he felt sick, and wanted to get out. And we went. ‘“ Out in the elephant quarters, we noticed the old couple had come, too. I remember how she had gray dancing curls all round under her bonnet, and he had a yellow waistcoat and side whiskers. They came straight over to us, and the old man took Amos by the hand, and said how they couldn’t help hearin’ what he’d said—that part about the happiness—and they could- n’t bear it that the accident happened just after he’d said that. Then the old lady piped up, ‘ We felt as if you young people were ourselves—young all over again!’ The old man was real comfortin’. Amos and 1 often spoke about it and tried to remember just his words: ‘You young people must forget that she fell! You must only re- member that happiness is not an outward thing. It is here in the heart. For me, it is in my wife’s eyes.’ And when he O45 spoke those words Amos just said now, ‘ Neither death nor life can separate me from—’ ” “Linda,” away. ‘I had forgotten it was her name!” Ma- ria whispered. 3 The fly, grown bolder, beat his head furiously against the warm window-pane. Amos, wrapped in communion with Lin- da, and Maria wrapped in memories, did not heed the low-toned discussion. Only one sentence of Dr. Peck’s penetrated to Maria’s ears. It was enough. ‘“ An inter- esting association of ideas! The spirit of his wife’s youth has brought him peace in his old age!” When Maria Hodge wound her way back down the hospital driveway, that thumping repeated Amos softly—far thing inside her was resting tranquilly—a - warm and vibrant heart. And she held her head high, as if it wore a crown, instead of a ludicrous hat. She even found herself hoping that she’d see those children again, as she rounded the curve by the doctor’s house. And, sure enough, there was Binny in the field, near the road. Maria stepped over a broken place in the wall. Binny came running. “I’ve wroted a letter to the bunny to tell him to leave his biggest pink egg by this reck!”’ ‘* Perhaps he’ll leave you somethin’, child, even if it isn’t an egg!” An idea came to her. “I wish *twould be one of those cookies you gave me!” Binny’s credulity in bunnies ‘was. abundant. ‘““T’ve learned the long prayer for Eas- ter!” she announced. In Paddy’s absence it was her great opportunity! ‘Our Father *chart in heaven,” she chanted, feet planted firmly apart, hands plunged into sweater pockets, a shrill voice getting shriller and shriller, “hello be my name. My kingdom come; I will be done on earth, as—” “There, there child, that’s fine, you know it. But I kinder think you ought not to be yellin’ it outdoors like this. Wait till you go to bed!” “N’ then J’ll say, ‘God bless you,’ after my mamma and my daddy! What’s your name?” Eomichbooks (S@)