Litchfield enquirer., 1880-02-12

there was no Mrs. Mayfeld, and where seemed | signs of desolation-of new emptiness, which did not understand. ,g ''I have some bad news for you, Martha, D l he said ''our little Paul is very ill.," "Paul i'll !" exclaimed; .'and you did not send for me-did not let me know! Oh, Mr.. Mayfeld, why have you treated me tike this ?'' ''Hush, hush you must not make the least noise in the house now," he said, sternly. Perfect peace is my poor boys only chance ' ''I will go to him."
 "You would kill him directly. The least excitement or shock of surprise would kill him: he is very weak" | "And his mother?" ''Sits up with him night and day. He will have no one but his mother. Martha"
 "He would be glad if T." 'tNot now," said MT. Mayfleld, interrupting me. "He is too i'll to be disturbed even by your kindness"
 "But-he will recover?' | "We hope so." 'sOh! I am sure so; he is SO strong boy so healthy. What has changed him. and in so short time 2' 'Feyer"
 may come to- morrow and ask about him?" If you wish," said Mr. Mayfeld graciously 1; ''and if he is better you shall see him."
 II thank you very much," murmured. But he was no better the. next day, and the day following the white blinds were all down before the windows! 1 saw them as they came up the street. leaned against the op- posite wall and shook as with an ague I tot tered across the road and knocked. Mir. May. field opened the door again, and looked winter and sterner than had seen him yet.
 :''He is gone; he is dead, then ?" I cried ; ''and you have never let me come to him ]"
 "Yes, we have lost our poor boy, ",he an- swered, moodily.
 ''I must see him you must not say no to me again. said, almost defantly. "He was dearer to me than to you, 1 swear. He loved me better than his mother; swear that too |; and you have let him die without me-"
 "Martha you excite yourself unnecessarily !; you distress me; you will alarm my wife ; you"
 May see the child3" asked, peremp- torlly. -,---. :, ....-.-..--., ;, a-.s.- .,. little fellow! There is no disturbing him now"
 felt the tears rushing to my eyes. was choking, and could not answer him. "Here is my wife" he said and through my binding tears 1 saw my mistress glide in like ghost and with ghost-like face which chilled me.
 "Jenny," he said to her, "here is poor old Martha, the first to offer her sympathy with our atfiiction."
 Il am glad to see you. Martha" said my mistress shaking hands with me. ''1t is kind l of you to call" She was very cold, and her voice was very hard-not broken down with grief as mine was, thought fretfully. ''She wishes to see our boy"
 "Now ?" asked Mrs. Mayield "Does it matter when?" said her husband ''Surely, our faithful Martha has clam to see him first of all :" "Yes, yes-I think so," assented the wife Then we all three went up stairs into the dark ened room, wEere he lay in his little bed as though he were asleep. 'How long has he been dead ?" I whis- pered as l entered, and sank down on my knees to gaze upon him.
 Mot two hours yet" whispered Mrs. May | field back to me.
 "Are you sure he is dead p inquired. Mrs. Mayfield gave a suppressed cry, and 1 her husband stopped and looked into my face
 ".Don't mock us, don't even for a moment, have g. thought like that said the husband Gods will be done" "Gods will is done, I said in reply, land cruel will it seems to me.
 Martha! said Mrs. Mayfeld reproach- fully, 'you forget" Il say it seems to me-" I answered "but then, am wicked and ignorant, and can't see what is best" leaned over and kissed the cold little face T put my arms round his neck and sobbed; was foolish and demonstrative in my wild grief agaln; it was my nature.
 Do you think he has changed at all p asked Mr. Mayfeld.' "No" 1 answered." I can believe he will wake soon and speak to me. " We were silent, all three of us for a while; presently the father, always the spokesman, said;
 ."Will you come away now, Martha, please?"
 Not yet"
 "But,"
 'I will not go yet,"I sad very firmly i; ''and you cannot drag me from him. I'm too strong"
 "Well, well, for little whilelo longer, then," said MT. Mayfeld, "un.il-"
 The door was opening, there was fourth person in the house. 1 looked up instinctive- ly to see who this could be, who had had the privilege to stay here whilst was kept away; and the face that peered round the door was that of the man who had stopped me in the streets and asked about poor Paul. knew his wicked eyes and the long trailing mou- staches at once, and yet did not scream or rave. 1 covered down and hid my head. When looked up again, only Mrs. Mayfield was in the room, and my heart was beating very fast
 My poor Martha is it not time we went downstairs?" she asked gently. "Can this grief do you any good? Will you not think of sparing me lttle?"
 "Who was that?" said, without heed to her inquiries that mau who looked round the door just now?"
 ''What man?" .-...
 "You did not see any one?"
 "No," said Mrs Mayield; ''but was sit- ting with my back to the door-Arthur will know, perhaps"
 'Yes, he will know 1 repeated; ''but you have visitor in this house ?"
 ''No" said my mistress; "this has not been time for visitors. surely?"
 ''Surely not"
 buried my head in the bedclothes again, but this time it was not with grief.
 I wanted to work out all that was twisted round my brain in a thick ravelled skien-I wanted to think hard, and not go mad with thinking. That man!-what was he doing here ?-what had he to do with my boy's death? in what way had he become connected with it?
 looked up again. Mrs. Mayfeld was sit- ting in chair by the window with her thin hands spread before her face, and those hands were trembling very much. looked from her to the dead child lying in it's awful still ness and it's marble beauty, and knowing noth- ing of our woman's griefs: gazed at it till new strange wild feeling came across me, and my sorrow was changed slowly to suspi- cion and dread. became as cold as the little body lying in the bed i; stole my hand within, and felt for the small rigid arm, Turned down the sheets with quick movement and looked at the right wrist-then at the left, although l knew that it was on the right that Paul had and there was no scar on the smooth flesh!
 Mistress" exclaimed, springing to my feet, ''ths is not our boy!" s's 'Martha !" exclaimed Mrs Mayfeld, rising