ase.

She slept on a cot at the foot of his bed, so sensitive to his waking
that almost before he came up to consciousness she was at his side. All
day she wore the little white shirt waists, a starchy one fresh each
morning, and at night scratchy little unlacy nightgowns with long
sleeves and high yokes. He liked to run his hand along the crispness of
the fabric.

"I love you in cool stuff, Hester. You're so cool yourself, I always
think of you in the little white waist and blue skirt. You remember,
dear--Finleys' annual?"

"I--I'm going to dress like that for you always, Gerald."

"I won't let you be going back to work for long, sweetheart. I've some
plans up my sleeve, I have."

"Yes! Yes!"

But when the end did come, it was with as much of a shock as if she had
not been for days expecting it. The doctor had just left, puncturing his
arm and squirting into his poor tired system a panacea for the pain. But
he would not react to it, fighting down the drowsiness.

"Hester," he said, suddenly, and a little weakly, "lean down,
sweetheart, and kiss me--long--long--"

She did, and it was with the pressure of her lips to his that he died.

* * * * *

It was about a week after the funeral that Wheeler came back. She was on
the _chaise-longue_ that had been dragged out into the parlor, in the
webbiest of white negligees, a little large-eyed, a little subdued, but
sweetening the smile she turned toward him by a trick she had of lifting
the brows.

"Hel-lo, Wheeler!" she said, raising her cheek to be kissed.

He trailed his lips, but did not seek her mouth, sitting down rather
awkwardly and in the spread-kneed fashion he had.

"Well, girl--you all right?"

"You helped," she said.

"It gave me a jolt, too. I made over twenty-five thousand to the Red
Cross on the strength of it."

"Thank you, Wheeler."

"Lord!" he said, rising and rubbing his hands together. "Give us a
couple of fingers to drink, honey; I'm cotton-mouthed."

She reached languidly for a blue-enameled bell, lying back, with her
arms dangling and her smile out. Then, as if realizing that the occasion
must be lifted, turned her face to him.

"Old bummer!" she said, using one of her terms of endearment for him and
two-thirds closing her eyes. Then did he stoop and kiss her roundly on
the lips.

* * * * *

For the remainder of this tale, I could wish for a pen supernally
dipped, o