The evening world. Newspaper, December 25, 1905, Page 16

Sy IS Oo * )MI86 NIXOLA GREELEY-SMITH. ARRINGTON swung out of the clubhouse, suit-caso in ‘hand, and very leisarely took the di- of the Grand Central Station. ie bed not fully made up his mind here he was going to spend Christ- He knew that he should consider the brilliant certainty of Joining Jimmie Madison's house party Ardsley, where a modern little Marigold, 9 millionaire lass with short pedigree, was waiting to say ‘to him. Yot why had that fiendishly allur- we little gir) out in Jersey written. that she wanted him to use his to get her on tho stage? Bhe knew he wouldn't like that. Whongh he had avoided seeing her ‘two years, she must realize the hold she had taken on his Why, he had to have the ims in his sitting-room reduced to 80 a8 to quit thinking how she | look in the other, She had his after-dinner cigar would Wreath iteelf into so many halos S MAR ESTPRIAS ‘above her absent face or into mock-/ oft serving tables and packing boxes, Through the welcoming head waiter ing symbols of the ring that every ason of worldly prudence suggested | Farrington secured a packing box in, So Miss Mart-|a remote corner and for fifteen min-| he b Ww elsewhere, gold it 8 to be, The snit-case gripped in his firm left hand contained what he thought would be a very pleasing Christmas offering to her—a tiny Christmas tree he had bought In a toy shop and hung with tiny toys, chickens and ducks, dolls, glass balls and tinsel, All because she had told him on the she bade him join her a Madison's that sho hadn't had a Christmas tree since she was twelve yéars old. He was little more than two blocks from the Grand Central Station when he was startled by the violent impact of a human being rushing in the same direction and pausing not for apology. Farrington caught one glimpse of her face, against which dark, damp wisps of halr wers blowing, It was at once so sad and so dis- tracted, and withal 8o resolute to the laccomplishment of some fell purpose that in a lightning flash of {ntuition it came to him that he beheld a hu- man being on the verge of suicide, The impression was so strong that the quickened his pace and after some seconds was again abreast of her, “I beg your pardon, but can I be of any assistance to you?” he eaid, The woman whirled, f "Yes," she said quickly, desper- lately, “Yes. And then her voice quivered and broke, “I'm starving,” |she said, scarcely above a whisper, “and I'm desperate and I must talk to some one, I've walked and walked and walked because 1 could not go back to my room and--and to my |baby, who's lying awake walting for Santa Claus to bring the answer to |his letter.” | “You poor child!” said Farrington. “You're cold and wet, and I’m sure you're hungry. Won't you come let me see?” His eye fell on the brill- jantly lighted cafe of a studio build- ing just in front of them, here,” he said; “the head waiter knows me, It will be all right.” “But 1 can’t,” she protested. “What must you think of me?” “Come in *T don’t think of you at all,” satd taken the joy out of smoking | Farrington. “IT want to help you,” little fuzay) | The cafe was crowded as always on ‘Christmas Bye, People were supping ‘utes devoted himself to watching his | companion, “It does me good to see,you eat,”| {he said at last, “But how did you come to be so hungry and where were you goliug?” “IT don't know,” said the girl slow- ly, "I don't know, To the river, I think. I livd out in Marietta, 0, My folks were poor and I wanted to help them out. The manager of a show ked my looks and took me as a chorus girl, Six months after I left home I married, He was nobody—a |chorus man as poor as myself. He jdrank and beat me, I left him, I jdon’t know where he {s, I don’t care, IT went out with a show four weeks |ago, got stranded in Utica and tt took jevery cent I had to get back to New | York. I've pawned everything I had and I just couldn't stand hearing that little kid say, ‘Mamma, when is Santy Claus coming?’ So I went out, I couldn’t help it, I didn’t know what I was going to do. And you spoke to me, That's my story. I suppose you don’t believe a word of It,” she ended; | She looked, straight tnto Warring- ton’s eyes, but for the moment he did not see her, His mind had gone back to the girl in Jersey, who aiso had brown eyes, and the letter from her that was in his coat pocket was like a dead weight upon his heart, | A waiter with a trayful of brilliant {favors hovered over the table and dropped a gaudy black and gold but- terfly at the girl’s plate, “Oh,” she said, “I can go home now. I've got something to take to Jack, Santa Claus hasn't forgotten |him after all.” } “No,” sald Farrington slowly, “he hasn't. But, you know, Jack should have « Christmas tree. And by re- markable good luck I've got one—the prettiest little one you ever saw— right here in my suit-<ase, I bought it for some one else, but she won't need ft, My name's Richard Farring- ton, A, line will reach me at the Knickerbocker, 1 say that because you've got ¢o let me lend you money enough to tide you over. Yes, you'll do it, Not for me, but for the little girl in Jersey that I'm going to now and that T hope {8 to be my wife.” WALTER A, SINCLAIR. “th three of us-and Murphy, the manager, sending wp rockets for help. “As mentioned, I was draping the upholstery, when a coy gent of some thirty summers and sddicted to a sirupy volce, asked me if he might have a word with me. I told him I'd lepltt a word with him {f ft sulted, | jand in answer to his wireless looks {we adjourned to the attic pigeon-hole | reserved for troupers, | “When we had surrounded our} \selves with secrecy he sald he didn't }want any good people to see him talking with an actor. ‘Cheer up,’ I |says, ‘no one ever accused me of be- ing one,’ | “Then he put me wise, He said he |was the superintendent of the local Sunday-school and the popular choice for the Santa Olaus annual specialty at the tree-prnning in the Sunday- school hall that night. He had hired the suit and the snowy Belshazzars, |but he meeded a recount on the ar- (istic temperament, Aes a platform monologist ha was a total faflura, with no assets. He was grieved with fol for it easy, “That night he sent me up the alley from his house to the sky pilot-| house half a block’ away. It was all framed for him to slide through an unlocked widow into the ante-room where they kept the banner-class banner. I jingled the sleigh bells on my belt and our dear pastor gave the cue, ‘Here he comes now!’ “Was Ia hit? Well. with having jthe way paved by Willie Jones, aged jten, in ‘The Night Before,’ and Miss Hetty Brown in “The Gambler's | Wife,’ the situation was ripe—for one jbest laugh. The real refined goods! I went on with a funny Dutch stom- ‘ach fall, a good, strong song-and+ \dance, ten minutes’ rapid fire only a year old, with Insurance réferences, ending with ‘Everybody Works but \the getaway, “The kids and young folks were jinhaling it with joy, but a draft seemed to tell me the deacons and deaconesses were buzzing, “As I slid out Into the ante-room I Got the shock of my lif. A shemale volce spoke up in the semi-dark and sald, ‘Oh, George! Mr, Poters, why jfld you dance that awful dances and sing those songs?’ I oould see times ahead for the deak, “They are shocked,’ she says, ‘but you did splen- Pa,’ with special Xmas verse. And) MISS ALICE ROWE. HE man who was telltng the story put his glass on the table and glanced half-apolo- gotioally at his companions, “It’s the first time I've ever asked anybody to eat Freddy's Christmas dinner, but somehow when I saw you to-night there was a look in your eyes that made me think of her, and T aald to myself, ‘Bill, old boy, may- be the ladies and the gentleman will humor lonesome old bachelor and come over and eat a Christmas din- ner with him,’” “There's nothin’ too good for you, and the place is yours.” The woman with the big brown eyes and yellow hair dropped her heavy lashes as the speaker looked at her. The Titian-haired beauty op- posite smiled behind au Oriental per- fumed handkerchief, and the other man in the party endeavored to con- coal the bored look that was creep- ing Into his world-worn eyes, “Frederica was her real name,” said the host, as he brushed a crumb from the sleeve of his evening coat, whose newness was as apparent as | the sequiaition of his money. kerchiet to her lips, and her jewelled erica Delo, but we called her Freddy | for short. years ago, Gee, what a winter! had staked all my hopes on makin’ | they're different, and then Freddy's a haul on the Camp Lil mine when &| hair was black, and yours is as yel- confounded explosion comes wp and nearly sends me over the Great Di- vide for good. “They hustled me down to Durango as quick as they could move my car- cass, and they put me in the Widow Kent's hotel, where the doctor was handy. I ley there cursin’ and sayin’ awful things that would make you ladies shiver, There was one thing 1 made up my mind to do, and that was to get rid of my bad luck that night. T was goin’ to do |it with a pocket-knife when the doc- tor had gone and the Widow Kent was sound asleep In the parlor. “C was thinkin’ a whole lot of wicked things about Merry Christ- | if #6 § PUTEEN-MINUTE turn as an ingrowing yoice when he tried toldia and 'T will stand by you.’ \ Santa Clave tn full comic hand out his fifteen-minute mirthful| “ ‘Noble girl,’ I says, squeezing her| eS whiskers, with neat songs melange—and, say, the wheezes he|mitt in the dark, find dances and a few refined funny Malls to catch the vagrant laugh } Wou'd think that that was the mak- asee a one-night stand ever Pigs of the merriest of merry Christ- had collected beneath the shedding \chestnut tree were sobby! | ‘He wanted me to teach him act~ Ing in one easy lesson. I wrestled é-(with him an hour, and then from the Mulged in, instead of leaving an at-|nenrt 1 spoke It. “She squom back! A regular farce (situation. I cowldn’t pass ft up. | “Here's where I make the deak |strong, I thinks, and brushed that |bunch of facial @xcelsior over her comploxton by squeaked, and Htableau one second later when the that’s the | | mosphere of shocked surprise, a ripe| @candal and copious opinions of the | t- Told -You-So Committee, Hark! Pose Christmas bells!” Having delivered this overture, Jim ey, vaudevillain at leisure, one car with his hand in ap- style, and after listening for Inery bells, continued: “*Baturday morning, Curtain dis- : Ritbe scone, Me ornamenting depyty assistant chair of the Ho- Grand in Squiffyyille, N, J., with- the slightest hope of giving my, b to the move-on squad vets 18 yuletide had passed tn- Manager made connections} fh tho ‘you were cast; deacons and deputy deake butted roe 4 he door and let In the light to play the invisible silence in the! Pen the do ight. + wane! , One flash at her I took--and, oh! | mob scene, Never for yours! Your}on! police! | | i | spiel isto be dead honest—punk!| ‘Me, taking it through the window Your voice annoys you and your|and cross lots to Bro’ Peters, He was Saiae Areve Stk cn eror From | Waiting to slide mo out of the get-ap on wrong, From) and hustle back to cull the glory, where I sat your turn $$ about a8) ‘Stand for it and loot wise and “Deacon, I says snappy and entertaining as the comic) you have the rep of a star,’ I says, column of the Undertaker’s Gazette. |taking i five a stabbing my suit-| fae Perf MN do’ yicese “They think you're a seoond Now, Tl tell you what I'll do.’ Il nadie Foy now.’ says, ‘I'll don those chinchillas and) “‘ hope you made it mild,’ he! ithe riotous togs and go on {n your| sald. place, give them a patter that Wil ae ty "ide et over’ 1 bring ‘em up hollering and get away |,)., statagberet you have ‘em in With it, and nobody but you willever) “So saying, foxy me to the depot, know that ft wasn't you, and I'll/and boarding the only night train do it for the V-spot that you offer hat hesitated there, 7 “That's my story, st a me to wallop you into shape, You'll copt that I see by Lily preelons hog be the local hit, Are you adjacent?’|per that there is an awful scandal in IT arka, the Sunday-school. Brother Pete is “ _|ealled a Jekyl-Hyde and a breach of It got him. In the sult and whisk promise sult is mentioned, 1 guoss ere nobory could tell the aiff, Lcould the euper found nothing in his stock- his yolee to @ brown Ho inge to-day but cold feet" @nys, | BARTON W. CURRIE. ILBOA PETDR, the sea-rounder, pushed the briming bowl of nuts and the empty wine gob- let from him. He sald: “Probably, mates, It has never been and broke upon my head affording sufficient landward {mpetus, “At last I was washed bigh and dry upon a shingly beach and saw in an instant that I was not to be igen. A reception committee, head- ed by the king, a full hand of queens and a royal group of princes and princesses was hard alee on the fod. So was the king's chef, who stepped forward with a sprightly gait and regarded me with the calm eye of an expert, “What ciinks cook?’—1 translate freely the king’s tongue, for in my situation one did not need anto-sug- gestion to understand the quaint phrases that were so poignantly per- sonal, ‘What thinks cook?’ he re+ Peated with significent emphasis, ‘Will this do? “Very nicely,’ responded the chef, jsmiling unpleasantly, ‘with a little {kneading and parboiling it will do excellently well. Tt {s convenient that he has come ashore crated so fully.’ Thereupon my pen and f'tn it were carried upon the shoulders of six court scullions to the chef's prov ing ground, adjoining a wing of the royal hut. “Tree from the crate I was set at liberty In'a rather commodious en- you lot to be cast in the role of tur- key at a Christmas barbeoue. Such was my fate once, and, though my fondness for the bird has not dimin- ished, “When I was considerably younger and some plumper than I am to-day, I was shipwrecked in the South Pa- cific Ocean on the day before Christ- mas, “Throughout the night before Christmas I floated on the still fret- ful DMillows, and with some degree of jcomfort; for I had adroitly managed to ensconce myself within the lattice work of the pig-pen, and ‘only at occasional intervals was I complete- ly swhmerged, Christmas Day dawn- ed brilliantly and I noticed as 1 stretched my neck up above my coop that I was within a mile or two of 4 bright, emengd island, Gently but surely I was’ floated the Dae closure (a sort of stockade, upon the top timbers of which sat a row of a dozen or more silk hats, distinctly clerical in cut), The chef informed me in @ somewhat fronical tone that he regretted that I had come ashore bareheaded, as he took some pride !n big collection. I am able to state truthfully that the merry epirit of Yuletide did ‘not thrill me at that moment. Nor did joy stir the cockles of my heart when two husky young princes approached and felt of my arms and logs approvingly, nodding to the chef and exclaiming: ‘See that you make a rich brown gravy, and serve the the dish a tasty look.’ ‘My palor evidently displeased the chef, and to cheer me up he led me to his den back of the Ii , where’ he had quite a collection of souven- irs of his earlier culinery thumpha, He offered for my cover of a tract ston Mak | lutten of yang Bewty IRVIN &. COBB. EC. 1—Fine billiards, First of D the month and no bill-col- lector snooping. around. Noth- ing doing {n the Christmas gift line this year either, I reckon, Dopart- ment stores all flooded, Sometimes flood. , | Deo, 8.—-Stuft off, Wite announced at dinner table thi would be Christmas tree and\ general celebrar tion on board the Margie F., that being wife's fool name Yor ark. Tried to talk her out of {t. No use, Never is, Eyer ince old lady got bitten by this new woman bug life‘on the old tub Las been’ exceedingly various for your Uncle Noah. Dec, 6.—Wife kept me awake halt the night talking Christmas, Told me—with customary trimmings— ought to be ashamed of myself! for some way to make the little ones happy. I’m thinkigg all right. Red ants already have interesting family ot two thousahd (22,000) little shins with palm leaves, as that gives/ones, apd Chrigtmas etill three (3) |Water, | to the end.’ I toe! like giving three cheere foe the eet ( | » ae) , \ air he oF tho \ cae WTR 4 ae EVENING WORLD STATES mas when I heard Y) 8 ¥ { low just outside iy Ala Lg “Janie, T want all you have to give; | wind and trousers amedhr t y a pretty volce singin’ something ‘but if you aren't willing, all right. 1|his long legs and ewkwand, |about “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” won't bother you any more, Good- | boots, T wasn’t feelin’ in an angelic mood, by.” And he kiesed her hand in the| But he had @ charmingly but I called out and asked who was reverential manner most befitting the | thetic way of looking over | | thera, occasion and left her. ebout ninety-nine times & “I wish you could have seen the Surreptitiously from behind the |course she couldn’t be sure be face that peeked around the door, curtains Janet watched him cross the | was looking : It was an angel's face; not the kind street to the club, 4 string of ish white you see on Christmas cards with “Phil makes a nice rejected suitor,” | whiskers nearly eclipsed hip china blue eyes and golden curls. she thought, “I wonder what time| But Janet felt that bis eyes “I ain't much on sentiment, ladies, he'll be back this evening,” kind had read her but I never had such feelings as She eat until quite late that night; “And may be he has a sortow when that Imhocent child with the big reading in a big chair in the library. | {t in is own poor heart,” dhe ‘brown eyes and the wavy black hair Tt was & most becoming chair, The | muse, and then élip out of the came Into the room and sat on the dark leather set off her shoulders ye-| and over the way to choor him foot of my bed to talk to me, markably well, Tho lamp glow | generous ill for his chimney, “You poor man,’ she sald, ‘Tt turned her hair to brighter gold be-| Or ft might be that she want t | won't be a very) Merry Christmas for neath Phil's orchids, and her gown | hear him ory out to the = you, will {t, all tied up here in ‘was one he loved. But Philip Jor- | they went by: “I want-all ; a bed?" an, esq., did not come to see, Med ‘ “When she went away that night ‘The next day went without a wort| He sald it sofke Phil, } she came up an loaned ed xg from ae and the next Janet . . . e * « bed, and before I knew it 6 laughed. It was Christmas Hive. Kissed me good-night right on the Anothér day and she began to play | the big holly-hung Mbrary,and : i mouth, ‘That's what I always did] 749% Sister Ann at the window. But /aadly into the fire, to daddy before he died,’ she said,|_ strangely enough she never saw the} “And a month ago he me a Iittle eiee iy aot bie MISS RUTH BARLE, op deen either going in or out} old me for a Chejetasae gift,” en she crept away real soft, an of the clu “This was left far you, mias* lay there thinkin’ about my Christ- QUARREL over a Christmas) After a week Janet grew uneasy. |a maid, handing her a note, by i mas angel till I fell asleep. gift began {t—or ended it. She called up 9905 Cortlandt, “It's from Phil,” she cried, “wa “The next morning I'd forgotten A week after they ha@ar-| “Mr. Jordan?” sald the voice on the] on something warm and meetthaka all about killin’ myself, for when T/o1¢0q their destinies for the tenth| i “Why, he left town ® week |Clav on, the corner,’” opened my eyes there was @ lot of] ng to be “fast pals," | O42,00,8 long leave of absence.” She drew on @ coat and farsandte silly Christman stuff at the foot of] me, agreeing pals." "Oh!" aald Janet very faintly. herself out of the street door, my bed, and there came my angel] They were having tea in the King-/ In nervous haste she rang for 9800| ‘There was Santa Claus through the door draggin’ @ braneh| don drawing-room, when Janet cried, | Plaza, his chimney and a messenger boy of fir tree all trimmed with red pop- ap of nothing: “I wish I knew “Mr. Jordan hasn't been at the club/a cab. As she came up he pulled corn. ‘ , ay to give you for Chitetmnan!” for two weeks, Volunteered {n,some | his whiskers, and Janet nearly Freddy,’ 1 sald, ‘do you know) W! gave:7' mi relief expedition, Ordered his things | ed in his arms for the simple you're the only person in the world| “Shall I tell you?” asked Pht), quite} packed up and put away.” you have already guessed that he waa who's ever thought about me on Janet dropped the receiver, ( no other than Phil. o rere cise yee ary Daten Lager Ciao she gasped. “And We Jump in here,” be sd, t) | . . it a Wo. me!” ing her into another Now, little girl, I'm goin’ to get “Your sweet yourself,” mild he! ‘And, somehow or other, Janot/‘Ty the church around the pre well, and eome day we'll eat ajboldly, There was a pause while! sobbed. East Twenty-ninth street,” be Christmas dinner together that. will) Janet's eyes sparkled with a rare Oye eee Ou ey ie to the driver and, slamming the doer rege fl Gere of the United) onoleric fire, a bad wast Laeah 9 Se sinner! to, pulled on bs oe oa . * ’ and a pal jen on the house of| “How could you me su | "Well, a month after that I started “You broke the pact!” she crled. | icinedom, No one noticed !! mach. |trick?” asked Janet, bat the fen Ko elle oe a i iar made me,” pleaded Phil | Kingdon pere had too hy interests with delight. 0 “How? outside the tock mar! care} ought to leave last, except a gold dollar I found in! «you asked me what I wanted for ja pat ll ee daughter Janet were igen nore Bo ess pega my vest pocket where she had hid- Christmas.” happy or sad. had to find out somehow éf you den it, “Phiie 3 ” Perhaps the servants observed that | Do you mind being my T feel, though, that somewhere Ip Jordan, you're tncorri,tble, | their mistress had turned into a little |after all?” , there is an innocent-faced little girl! and you don’t fight fairly.” |recluse, denying herself to every one;| “But not in these clothes/* pre expectin’ to hear from mo; but I've! ‘That was the beginning of the dis-|that she spent hours in hiding be | tested Janet. ’ never been able to trace her, \jagreement, Philip insisted @hat as) hind the curtains and gazing out at/ “TI think white fox a heap The woman with the brown eyes'|man it was hig inalienable right to|the club-house over the way; that|than a mere wedding and and the yellow hair put her hand-| persist in demanding the hand of his |she shrank from the mere mention of | guess some mistletoe will do for “Pred: | lady love, Janet disputed his-claim,| Christmas. If they did see these |ange blossoms. | hand trembled, saying that battles once fovght|things it was their business not to,} Some time that evening King You see, it wan fifteen tikes ear ane he paleo wares worth waging again. ? that was all, except in the servants’ don poe set sree from deem 1 Mina the she oa nee ut we're never bh anything | quarters, slum! 6 following wire. was telling ry; more than a skirmish,” Phil argued.| Janet knew there was no one to Married Phil to-night, Safl “Then this shall be decisive.” understand her trouble except thé big) the (Atlantic to-morrow, . A “Very well,” sald he, ‘if you wish| Santa Claus over the way. He was\care of Benoit Freres, Rue low as Klondike ai it.” And he rose very quietly, look-|an absurd looking in comically| Paris. Merry Christmas. Wi Bade yet th | neds acetal bed ing hurt and sad as a/lover ehould.!short costume filp-fiapping in the TANOT, | red lips trembled, and she shivered as though she had been struck by Jan toy blast. | "You hi orm se a delightful u Christmas dinner,” she sald, with a i jaan hg free ©, Aft My rs PROM jhead aches, and {f you take me * — to a cab I will go home alone,” OAR 8 DIAM ) She held out her jewelled hand to ‘i \ - Ae the man who had fold the story. | 5 EYINVOY S. coms “T hope you will never lose your nr, | Ideal,” she sald, with a tired smile SP VININGS STATE, | rch) | on her curving red lips. | “God bless you and your lost | Freddy.” weeks off, Bet Roosevelt would DROP to drink!” think mighty well of that outft.|_ Dec. 26-8 A. hail 3 leagteh a Double sextets are nothing to Mr®.|0an seo Getting up for ristmas Florofora Red Ant, tree at 4.30 A. M. puts mein mind of 4 Deo, 7.—Whole bunch catching the|that line you always find in the ac- Christmas disease. Talking to Ham |90unt of & hanging: | The eon this morning remarked that I didn't Dregktust, after Which he said be Wad.» see how I was going to tide over tojready for the worst.” * bol New oS with ne business com- es yor boy tor” wire ae ing right on top of other expenee. | choerfu’ 80 far, broke Brunette {diet promptly came back|out in Shem’s cotton-batting whis- with this: “Don’t you worry, dad,|kere—Shem playing Santa Claue and ‘Yuletide over all right.” That gag’s | sae for festal occasion. ; two hundred years old if { min-| Every time 1 think of Shem eating ute, his turkey through a poultice I hai Dec. 11—Alaa! Also alackaday! |to go out on the kitchen steps of Cruising off Twenty-third street to-/@rk and Jnugh, } day struck department, store with! 11 A, M.—Still orthodox in all te- two top fi still above high tide|spects, Everybody going around tel and doing a of business in holi-}ing everybody else that their day goods slightly damaged by water.}was perfectly. lovely, just ' All the woiren members promptly | what thoy warited, and all the ae drow on pava and went over. I sure/of the dribble and sugar-coated ly! am glad wo hit this store, (Note--|that go with the day, As ® matter Part of above ts pure sarcasm.) of fact, nobody got what they wanted, Dec, 12.—Bverything going out|—néver do, Mexican hairless dog got and nothing coming in—leastwise|a bottle of dandruff cure, Of, {nothing coming tn but. tin horns and|trich got a toothbrush, And #0 on: squirrel-skin ¢conts and toy drums) Nodén,—Wlephant kicking like a and diamond gern and thoee|steer, Two thousand little red a dinky Ittle cards with {vesting and|playimg eubway fn his snout. be pletures of church steeples and holly |phant out of humor, anyhow. He got berries on ‘ens. Everybody at our|a set of earmuffs and a dol! Yj house works our old man. 2P, M— lag ty Dec, 14—Warned wite the way|busy, Returns aicency in ry things stood couldn't afford to have|central districts. Just found — ri tno pg in & oorner imi \ not taking more interest; told me I/come, ought to be helping her think out |” was bedfast oft