The Rose-Garden Husband

n of keeping herself alive only by force of that wonderful fighting vitality of hers, lay almost at length in her wheel-chair. There was a clergyman in vestment

me, white and moveless, seeming scarcely conscious except by an effort

e-all right. You must marry him quickly-quickly, do you he

her hands soothingly. "We're going to attend

was; also, that things did not seem legal without the wolfhound. Then she was shocked at herself for such irrelevant thoughts. The thing to do was to ke

it in its successive places, and finally slip it on the wedding-finger. And somehow having to do that checked the chilly awe she had had before of Allan Harrington. It made her feel quite simply sorry for him, as if he were one of her poor little boys in trouble. And when it was all over she bent pitifully before she thought, and kissed one white, cold cheek. He seemed so tragically helpless, yet more alive, in some way, since she had touched his hand to guide it. Then, as her lips brushed his

bly. "Stay as you are till-till Mrs.

s of relaxed tension from the three people around her. Then she rose. Allan lay still with closed eyelids. It seemed to her that he had flushed, if ever so faintly, at the touch of her lips on

nts to be made. She and Mr. De Guenther worked steadily together, telephoning, ordering, guiding, straightening out all the tangles. There never was a wedding, she thought, where the bride did so much of the work! She even remembered to see personally that Allan's dinner was sent up to him. The servants had doubtless bee

eded, found herself alone, sole mistress of the great Harrington house, a corps of servants, a husband passive enough to satisfy the most militant suffraget

up in my sleep and try to pay my board ahead with it, so I shan't have it all spent before the ten months are up! There was a blue bead necklace," she went on meditatively, "in the Five-an

. Phyllis took it as a compliment at the time. "Discretionary powers" sounded as if he thought she was a quite intelligent young person. It d

. De Guenther casually volunteered to do that, a little after the housekeeper had told her where her rooms were. She had been con

sekeeper. "Mrs. Harrington-the lat

urse not.... Yet she had always liked the name so-well, a last name was a small thing to give up.... Into her mind fitted an incongruous, silly story she had heard once at the library, about a gi

the other side of Mr. Allan's day-room ready

on, that careful planning of even where she shoul

it was nearly eleven and time a very tired girl was in bed. She wanted a good night's rest, before she had

ble, and over another chair the exquisite ivory crepe negligee with its floating rose ribbons. She took a hasty bath-there was so much hot water that she was quite reco

barely asleep when there came

nically for her alarm-clock as she swit

l the usual things, but nothing seems to quiet him. He hates doctors so, and they make him so wrough

anic in the

g her wedding finery! And what an easily upset person that man was! But everybody in the house seemed to have nerves on edge. It was no wonder about Allan-he wanted his mother, of course, poor boy! She felt, as she ran fleetly across the long room t

to the pain-racked man, lying tensely at length in the room's darkest corner. Her long, dully gold hair, loosening from its twist, flew out about he

e slow-minded Englishman could follow. He did not look like a statue now. His cheeks were burning with evident pain, and his yellow-brown eyes, wide-open, and dilated to

nd Mother and Louise-and I-only I'm not de

rt-break. Phyllis moved closer to him, and dropped o

so sorry-so sorry!" She close

etween them and helped him, for almost immediately h

," he said. "They go ar

everything about him, except that he was some one to be comforted, and he

e hair falling forward about her resolutely-smiling young

you?" he a

ly at random than to risk speaking of his mother to him, as she must if she reminded him of their marriage. "I spend my days in

en's Room librarians was a very sweet and carrying voice-a voice which arrested even a chi

e murmured. Phylli

ld of a volume of Shaw, and in half an hour his aunt marched in on me and threatened I

re the girl in the blue dress. The g

it needn't make a bit of difference. It was only so I could see that you were looked afte

he had before.... "Oh, this dreadful da

hyllis swiftly, "t

k shades from the electric bulbs. A

nd the glare

she said firmly. "It's better

ute, and Phyllis directed Wallis to bring a sheet of pink tissue paper from her suit-case, where she remembered it lay i

s done. "See, there is no glare now; only a pretty

ould be kind. Oh, mother-mother!" He tried uselessly to lift one arm t

n stole out and shut the door softly. Phyllis herself rose and went toward the window, and b

an brokenly. "Will yo

ly, and sat by him

mehow, when you do-not so-lost." There was a pathetic boyishness in his

sts in her warm, str

sked. "Do you mind if I call yo

d to her that perhaps the novelty of her was t

g time now. Only this dreadful blackness drag

here-"why, it's nervous depression! I believe cheering

d. "But you s

o do for him, and they were talking together. And he had not answered her question, either; doubtless he wanted he

other," he murmured. "It would be foolish, of course

"I was named out of a poetrybook, I believe-Phyl

.. "Phyllis, don't let go! Talk to me!"

ng hands in her warm grasp. "Shall I tell you a story? I know a great many sto

said. "A

time to stay, and began the story she knew best, because her children liked it best,

ory when the first was done. Never had she worked so hard to keep the interest of any restless circle of children as she worked now, sitting up in the pink lig

she had ended the second story. "Can't you sit up here by me, p

pillows, and arranged herself by Allan's side so that she could keep fast to his hands without any strain, something as skaters hold. She wrapped a down quilt from the foot of the bed around her mummy-fashion and