Other Things Being Equal

Chapter XXIV

CHAPTER XXIV HE SUN shone with its usual winter favoritism upon San Francisco this Thursday morning* After the rain the air felt as exhilarating as a day in spring. Young girls tripped forth "in their figures," as the French have it, and even the matrons unfastened their wraps under the genial wooing of sunbeams. Everything was quiet about the Levice home. Neither Ruth nor her mother felt inclined to talk, so when Mrs. Levice took up her position in her husband's room, Ruth wandered downstairs . The silence seemed vocal with her fears. "And I tell ye's two," remarked the cook, as her young mistress passed from the kitchen, "that darter and father is more than kin, they is soul-kin, if ye know what that manes; an' the boss's girl do love him more'n seven times seven children which such a man-angel should 'a' had." For the "boss" was to those who served him "little lower than the angels," and their prayers the night before had held an eloquent appeal for his welfare. Ruth, her face against the window, watched in sickening anxiety . She knew they were not to be expected for some time, but it was better to stand here than in the fear-haunted background. Suddenly, and almost miraculously it seemed to her, a carriage stood before the gate. She flew to the door, and as she opened it leaned for one second blindly against the wall. "Tell my mother they've come," she gasped to the maid, who had entered the hall. Then she looked out. Two men were carrying one between them up the walk. As they came nearer, she saw how it was. That bundled-up figure was her father's; that emaciated, dark, furrowed face was her father's; but, as they carefully helped him 243 244 OTHER THINQS BEINQ EQUAL up the steps, and the loud, painful, panting breaths came to her, were they her father's too? Helpless, she stood against the wall—a picture of frustrated love. She paused in agony at the foot of the stairs as the closing door shut out the dreadful sound. An implacable shadow fell upon her—for the first time she faced the inexorable, and burying her face in her hands, she strove to shut out the vision. He had not seen her; his eyes had been closed as if in exhaustion as they gently helped him along, and she had understood at once that the only thing to be thought of was, by some manner of means, to remove the choking obstacle from his lungs. Oh, to be able in her young strength to hold the weak, loved form in her arms and breathe into him her overflowing life-breath! She walked upstairs presently; he would be expecting her. As she reached the upper landing, Kemp came from the room, closing the door behind him. His bearing revealed a gravity she had never witnessed before. In his tightly buttoned morning-suit he might have been officiating at some solemn ceremonial. He stood still as Ruth confronted him at the head of the stairs, and met her lovely, miserable eyes with grave sympathy. She essayed to speak, but succeeded only in gazing at him in speechless entreaty . "Yes, I know," he responded to her silent appeal; "you were shocked at what you heard: it was the asthma—it has completely overpowered him. The pneumonia has made him extremely weak." "And you think—" "We must wait till he has rested; the trip was severe for him in his condition." "Tell me the truth, please, with no reservations. Is there danger?" Her eager, abrupt questions told clearly what she was suffering . "He has never had any serious illness; if the asthma has not overleaped itself, we have much to hope for." The intended consolation conveyed a contrary admission which she immediately grasped. OTHER THINQS BEINQ EQUAL 245 "That means—the worst," she said, her clasped fingers speaking the language of despair* "Oh, you, you who know so much, can't you help him? Think, think of everything; there must be something! Do something—dear—for my sake!" His grave, tender eyes answered her silently as he took both her little clasped hands in his one strong one, saying simply— "Trust me, but only so far as lies within my human power. He is somewhat eased already, and asks for you...