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THE OSHAWA DAILY TIMES, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1928 PAGE SEVEN RARBERRY BUSH One Girl's Marriage Problems By KATHLEEN NORRIS The story thus far: Barbara Bush Atherton lives with her father and sister Amy in a modest little b low in Cot- tonwood, Cal. Lincoln Mackenzie, the richest boy in town and one of the nicest, is interested in Barbara, but she, much to Amy's disgust, shows a preference for Barry Ju Spain, poet and dream- er arianne Scott, pretty and | PTY) sad to +8. wood to visit her cousin, Inez Wilson. Link's wealth attracts her and she uses her wiles to bring him to her feet. Almost against his will he falls in love with her. And at the thought of Marianne Scott becoming Mrs. Lincoln Mackenzie Barbara finds herself tably distressed On an impulse Barry and Barbara marry and go to his old ranch to live. Resolutely Barbara adapts herself to .the hardships of her new life and to the varying moods of her irr sible hushand Link's wedding is deferred, as Marianne has revealed the exis tence of a husband from whom she is getting a divorce, Finally Link, realizing that it is his money she wants, breaks their engagement. Two years have elapsed since Barbara's mar- riage. She is now a tired, over-worked mother. And the restless Barry, with increasing freq , seeks t away from home. A rich old woman in San Francisco has offered to send Barry to New York and pay his expenses there while he is getting his start as a playwright, Barbara tries to make him realize that his family needs his sup- port, but he deserts, nevertheless, and Mackenzie arrives just in from a des- time to rescue her perate situation. INSTALMENT 23. Consciousness was a red spark of agony, in a whirl of hot darkness. In the infinite blackness there was peace, Something existed, twisted and tor- tured and bewildered--something struggling not to exist. Something wet and writhing and nauseated and moaning; through the blackness shot with showers and showers of sparks there was a frightened screaming going on. "No-no-no!" And then darkness, heavenly dark- ness again, and the pressure--what- ever it was, subsiding, subsiding. . . Time was not, space was not. But after awhile a troubled sense of place and being began to pain, an added ain to the fearful and familiar one in someone's head, "Yesterday, yes- terday," said a whispering voice. "She heard you--" There was a sense of movement, waves of soft movement, like the sca, She was somebody, listening. Voices were horribly loud and jar- ring, and to open her eyes would mean that something split---hideously --into fragments. But she could lis- ten. "Pd try it." Why should people shout so, especially when their shout- ing was inside of one--a part of one --a hurtful part of one, not to be torn loose. . . . Showers and showers and showers of red sparks, wheeling over the pit of the dark. It was agony to be only a spark. . .» She was that frightful thing, the largest spark, forcing her way, shrieking and screaming, through the thers. "Back--" She wanted to go back, not to be a spark any more, "Babs--my dearest--" This meant nothing at all, merely vaguely distressing. "Dearest, dont you know Amy? Babs--" She must open her eyes, The jagged lightning tore through them and through her, and then came the familiar slipping--the delicious plunge back into the dark, "Life is all one," she heard a voice say thickly and loudly, But this caused such a raw dragging pain in somebody's throat that it stopped abruptly. "She was trying to speak Doctor." Who was? Somebody named Bar- bara, They were all murmuring and brushing about in a light place, talk- ing about Barbara. "Did she know you?" "No, buit she was conscious there for a second, Miss Ryan thinks," "She'll know you when she wakes up again." Whoever she was, she hadn't known Amy. She might know Kate, Perhaps she would like to see Kate, perhaps she would know Kate, Ward, Amy, Kate. "Babs, dearest --dearest--this is Amy, Won't you look at Kate?" Whoever Babs was she evidently didn't look at Kate--whoever Kate was, For whoever Amy was, Amy began to cry. Silly to cry. It only made Barry mad. "Barry--you can't go awa, Whispering, this was, He ached, Poor Barbara Atherton; it was boiling hot in the kitchen--she had to hurry, hurry, hurry--get the wood in--feed the chickens--pin out that wash--or the man would be kept waiting. Hot--hot--hot--nothing to breathe anywhere, and one was go- It was then, now--" r head ing to be {rightfully Sick, +» +» She was crying weakly with pity for whoever was so sick. "And he did hit my head---" "Her head aches, doctor, She keeps trying to move it," "What did she say then?" These were not whispers; mere breaths of clear voices. "I couldn't get it. about her head." Fingers were quietly holding hers. For a long time she could not think what that warm, steady, soft pres- sure was. Then she remembered, fingers. Suck-slap-suck-slap. That must be a window shade sucking and slapping gently, like a sail, on 'an opened window sash. "No headache," she said it distinct- ly, faintly, without opening her eyes. An instant, fragrant stir near her. A voice, rich with tenderness. "No headache, my darling? a relief?" "It's--heavenly |" ' Then, after a long silence; "Amy?" "Yes, my dearest!" But why was Amy crying so hard? Her voice was thick and shaken with tears, Then Ward Duffy's voice. Where could they all be, anyway, that Ward Duffy should be here? "Amy--you mustn't, dear. You ought to be laughing, now." And then clearly, after a space of silence: "Bad for your darling baby, Amy[" Somchow one knew one must say that. But why? Did it matter? Yet now that her head head stopped ach- ing she liked to speak, in this heavy, droning voice, * 1ICK-- Something Is it * She heard the flurry among them, felt the nurse's clever fingers at her MEDAL wrist, Her eyes opened wide, and a shock of fiightful pain went through her temples, and was gone, And - then suddenly memory and understanding, And: those = who watched® her saw the intelligence come hack into the violet-ringed blue eyes, and with intelligence, fear, Barry--Slinder--the fog--the ranch kitchen, and the little figure in the draggled double gown-- "Amy! Kate--?" "Lie down. Kate's fine. She's at our house with Ward's mother." Barbara sank back on the pillows, panting, her eyes shut again. When she opened them Amy was still there, watching her with a tender, loving look. "Is there another baby, Amy?" Amy slipped to her knees beside the bed, put her lips against Bar- bara's languid hand. And Barbara felt her sister's cheek wet. She did not open her eyes. But those who watched her saw tears slip down from the shadow of the dark, lowered lashes on her ivory white checks. ; "No--no litile brother in June?" she whispered, tasting salt. "If you knew how proud we are to have gotten you out of it so beau- tifully, Mrs, du Spain, you'd feel fortunate!" This was the nurse. Barbara open- ed her cves and Amy, in tears her. sclf, gently dried them with a hand- kerchief. "You had a close said Amy. "I suppose so," Barbara lay think- ing, her hand in her sister's. "And you have Kate, the most de- licious baby I ever saw, every one is call, darling," wild about her!" Amy added, more cheerfully. "The darling!" Barbara smiled weakly, "Could I see her?" she asked, her eyes filling again, but more from the effort of speech than from any conscious emotion, ed her warmly, The invalid smiled weakly again; it was something to look forward to, that first glimpse of Kate, "Is Barry here now, Amy?" "No, he was on his way east, you know. We sent him messages, but, of course, when you're away," Amy began 'to explain carefully, "you don't realize what people are going through at home." Barbara's eyes moved to her sis- ter's thoughtfully; she slightly bit lip, wrinkling her brow, But she made no comment, : "I suppose I'll be well again, some day, Amy?" This was later, 'Suppose, Barberry? Why, my darling, the whole - town's talking about the rapidity with which you're getting well. Peritonitis, or some- thing awfully near it." "I remember Link arriving at the ranch, Christmas eve--" "Don't think about that, Babs." "Oh, I can think about anything, now. Lying here, Just loafing an dreaming, with no chickens and cow and lamps and dishes and laundry to worry about, and just enchant. ing trays and Jowers--" Amy was in the rocker with Kate, sound asleep, in her arms, Sweet Januar sunshine was filtering through the spotless curtains and, with the warmth from the radiators, giving an illusion of summer to the peaceful, orderly room, J "But I can't remember getting sick," Barbara mused, 3 "It was that very night, the night Link and Joe Miller went down, it was while you-were driving home in the car with Link that you had a sort of chill." "I don't remember it at alll" "Well, anyway, it was probably Mr, Miller who saved your life. - Link was going to take you to his house-- that would have been exciting, and confusing, naturally, Selling his father all ahout it, sitting up half the night. But Mr. Miller--and it was a funny thing for him to do, too, for he's such a quiet old fellow! Mr, Miller told Link that he didn't like the chill at all, Much better to get you right into fool care. It was only about 10 o'clock, you know, Christmas eve. So Link took you to the hospital, and then went for Dr. Bonner and told him you'd had a shock and a chill. Amy shook her head, shuddering. "By that time, I imagine, you were all off," she resumed, turning a little pale. "Link says you called him 'Barry,' and seemed to think that you were going to New York, Just fev- erish, maybe. But the minute they got you in here they put you into bed, and Dr. Bonner came, and Ward." "Ward? Was he here?" . "That was a part of the whole mix- up, Babs, Ward and I had come up that very day to surprise his family and spend Christmas with them. We were going down to see you on Christmas day. Ward's to be here, now, with Dr. Bonner. I wrote you all that." "They got you up to the surgery that night," Amy added, after a sil- ence, in which she had smiled down at Kate, and Barbara, lying weak, sweet, and utterly at ease among her pillows, had smiled at both. "And then, on the twenty-ninth some- thing went wrong and they had to operate again. nd that--" = Amy finished with a great breath, and a desperate glance heavenward--" that was the time we thought it was all up!" "I haven't the faintest recollection of it," Barbara said, frwning faintly, narrowing her eyes, trying to re- member it. "Don't think about it, Barberry Bush!" Amy pleaded, watching her ---- "Big of up-to-date homes. been suggested. This oval Porcelain Base (Modei 0) im Mottled Green, Blue, Mahogany or Combi- mation of Pastel Shades swith Parker $2.75 Pen, $6.75. With Par- ker Pastel or *" Three- ** Pen, $7.50. ith $0. $6.75 10 $100.00. Time-Saving Convenient The Really Up-to-Date Christmas Gift! Business," banks, hotels have adopted Parker Duofold Fountain Pen Desk Sets, and so have thousands Pen always convenient to your hand, standing at angle you choose, or lying flat. Point Ba. Ew ready towriteimmediately -- efficiency atyour finger-tips. And remember --in a desk set the Pen is Paramount, In these sets it'sa Parker Duofold, Touch, Non-Breakable Barrel, Colours, and a *Guarantee Against All For "His" desk down town, for "Hers" at home --no smarter, more acceptable Christmas Present has ever of Five Flashing Defects. THE PARKER FOUNTAIN PEN COMPANY, LIMITED, TORONTO 3, ONTARIO USE PARKER DUOFOLD INK-- FOR FOUNTAIN PENS AND ALL GENERAL USES ly. 'Not for a while" she agreed, shutting her eyes. And after a while Amy was gone--and day was gone-- and night was gone--and the queer circle recommenced again. Presently she began to feel anch- ors beneath her, to talk with her nurses, to smile appreciatively at her trays. One day Link Mackenzie came in with 2 box of white violets from the Mackenzie garden--no other gar- den in town had quite such violets. "They feel like the spring, Link." "Well, spring's due in a few weeks "I can't believe it. Any mustard yet?" "Mustard all over everywhere. And acacia in bud down our drive, and iris commencing--all out the Moun- tain Charlie road the place is blue with iris." ia "I always fove this time" But he saw a shadow back of the beautiful eyes that grew so dreamy. "Link dear," she said, clear and tender jin the silence, "some day I'm going to--to thank you. But it makes me cry now." "That'd be silly." "I know. I cry so easily now! "That's just weakness," Link said iy. "I know, But I seem to stay weak so long! That birthday. "Link, would he have killed us? Slinder, I mean?" "No, I don't think so. You're so that even if he had- "No woman," she said thoughtiully, "ever thinks she's a match ae: man. "Yes, but you would have done it TEL rlegeihy Any time now!" the nurse assur- | tails of bright wire against her white forehead. Link looked at her for a long time; he imagined the mouth smiling, speaking, the eyes looking at him, ¢ watched her breast rise and fall evenly, with the quiet beating of her heart. Once she opened her eyes quite 'widely in faint alarm and looked anxiously about her. But immedi- ately she saw Link, patiently sitting beside her, and with a child's con- fident look she dropped her shadow ed, blue-veined lids again, "What a good sport she isl" Link thought affectionately. ' She had had a hard fight and she was winning. He liked to think that he had been im- portant to the victory, Barbara had come back to life with one fixed conviction, and it was one he naturally shared, and one that all Cottonwood shared, Barbara Ather- ton had had an awfully close call down there on that God-forsaken ranch of the Du Spains, and if it had not been for Link Mackenzie's providential arrival at the critical moment she might not be alive to- day, The entire town was praising Link, Link had brought her up ta the hos- pital, Link had summoned: the doc- tors, Link had magnificently made himself responsible for everything. "Heavens, what a friend!" said nurses and ' doctors, smiling and shaking admiring heads, "Well, I guess this girl owes you her life, Link," said the doctor. Amy carried on the chorus. "Barbara, you'd die at Link Mac- kenzie! He's simply determined that you're going to get well and that you're not to worry." "He's perfectly wonderful, But that's Link; he does everything like that," Barbara said languidly, smil- ing. Her first outings were in Link's roadster. Carefully bundled, she sat beside him on the low front seat and cried for joy because the bridal wreath and mock orange were be ginning to bloom. Her first dreamy inquiries into ways and means were The Snowdrift Fairy, with Snow Suis ur: oe, i her magic touch, and Biscuits made with Snowdrift Flour, touched the baking with a magic bg HIGH-GRADE MANITOBA PATENT MILLING CO,, OF CANADA , PT Sa ! SNOWORIFT PLOY. STANDARD 14 CELINA ST. Sold in Oshawa by COOPER-SMITH CO. only comes to users of tness, whiteness, and deliciousness of Bread are as if a Fairy's wand had 'PHONE 8 answered once and for all by Link, "Barbara, I'll tell you what I've done, I've paid everything on the nail and kept a most careful account "You have kept an account?" she interrupted, raising blue eyes and tightening the fingers that lay in his, "Every cent." "You're a wonderful brother to have, Link." She quite innocently thought of him so; she could not praise. him enough, talk about him enough, "I've always known that Link was the kindest person alive," she told Marianne upon the occasion of Marianne's first call, "but you have to be in trouble to know exactly how important kindness is!" "Don't you?" said Marianne, "And Link has a sort of complex now, upon leaving no stone unturned in the mat- ter of your getting well," she added, "He wants to talk to everybody about transfusions and anaesthetics." "I suppose so!" Barbara said, with an indulgent smile. "I don't know how Barry and I can ever repay him!" she went on simply, Barry! Cottonwood had small faith in anything he was going to do, But Marianne couldn't tell Bar- bara that. (Copyright, 1928, by the Bell Syndi- cate, Inc.) (To be continued.) ORDERS SCHOOLS CLOSED Brantford, Dec. 20.--Dr, W. L. Hutton, Medical Officer of Health, after consulting with the public school inspector today, ordered public schools here closed at noén tomorrow, There are 665 absen- tees out of 4300 pupils, most. of them because of "flu." WERE BOBBED HEADS IN FAVOR IN 1860? Ottawa, Dec. 20--Is there still another argument in favor of boh- bed heads in this funny little bit which appeared in the Almonte Gaz- ette in the year 18607 --While a young lady in the employ of Messrs, B., and W, Rosamond Company and who attends to a carding machine in one of their mills was about her duties one day last w2ek sh- nad occasion to place her head unaer th revolving cards and her chignon which must have bean loca'ed at the "height cf fasion," coming in rather close proximity therewitn, was snatched from the hea: of the fair owned ann "cardzd up' in an unmerciful manner "WHERE QUALITY COUNTS" q Merry Christmas to lI ¥ Largest petal] Large Assortment Pops .....00004, Euddings Why not give a box of groceries your ~election. 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