The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-08-13

sutficeG to stamp her as a beautiful
woman, had it not been that the curl
Gus expression of her face outweighed
every other fascination. Add to this
the fact that her face was entirely col
Orless, and the hand she had giTen
me, in spite of the June sunshine, was
as cold as ice, and it will be seen that
my first case promised to be full of
interest.
She poured out the tea silently, while
her husband and | went on chatting,
and she did not speak again until he
proposed to ring the nursery bell.
I'VE have not seen Bertie all day,
and l know you would like to show
him Oft to LennoX."
"Show him off in the morning, Ar
thur; don't think we want him now"
"Oh fe! There is an unkind
mamma. I'll fetch him."
NO no; III 60" She ran out of
the room as she spoke, and Crawford
turned to me with a weary-looking
smile.
You see Lennox? I generally give
way; but l am afraid of it growing up
on her, if never see the child. He is
Fsuch a splendid fellow" As he spoke
his wife returned with the boy in her
arms
She seated herself on a low chair,
still keeping jealous arm around the
child, and went on talking, this time to
me. arthur and | quarrel over this
Smal8bOy." She laughed little, but
it sounded very mirthless. The last
cause of dissention is his death. think
| ho &c Io1ino+n OnI -
change, but papa doesn't agree. Does
he, my beauty?"
The boy laughed as she held him yet
more closely to her; and looking at his
rosy cheeks and bright eyes, it seemed
to me that there could not be health
ier youngster.
Il am afraid I must take papa's
side," said. You must not alarm
yourself unnecessarily. dear Mrs. Craw-
ford, for | think" l stopped abrupt
ly, alarmed by the expression OF her
| face. | was new at my work, be it re-
membered, but | think that older men
than | would be frightened. BERTHE
had rebelled against the detaining arm,
and, sliding on to the floor, had run to
his father and climbed into his arms.
A fine game of rOmps now ensued,
and the mother sat and watched them.
Sitting there, facing her. ], too. was
watching In my student days / had
kept a tame lizard, and by whistling to
! it had been able to direct its movements
at will, and now | was reminded of my
whilom pet by watching Beatrice Craw-
ford's eyes. Every motion of her hus-
bands, as he ran round the room toss
ing the laughing boy in his arms, ap-
peared to hold fascination for her,
and her gaze never left him but once.
That once was when she walked swiftly
to further table and possessed herself
of a paper knife, which she handed to
me, commenting upon its curious
make. / handed it back again with
the remark that it would make nasty
weapon if needed. She took it without
glancing at me again, but her husband
had caught her words, and now came
up to us breathless and laughing, with
BERTHE clinging round his neck.
Don't hold that thing, my darling"
he said tenderly. IL hate to see such
an ugly knife in your dear little
hands"
''Giye it to Bertie, mamma" cried
the child, stretching out its dimpled
hands for the coveted treasure; and his
full was taking it from her to give to
him when. with a muffied cry, she
snatched the knife back and dashed it
through the window into the garden
beyond.
"You shan't have it!-you shan't
have it!' she cried, excitedly, while a
bright, red spot burned on either cheek.
"You would" with marvellous self
control she stopped dead short, and af-
ter an almost imperceptible pause she
added, in her usual quiet tones: Pray
forgive me Arthur, am so afraid of
Bertie hurting himself Go up to the
nursery, dear. mamma will come to
you
Awestruck at her late passion, the
child went gently out of the room, and
his mother following him, was left
alone with Crawford. 1t went to my
heart to see the panied, drawn look on
his face, but the scene had at all events
put one thing beyond doubt--Mrs.
Crawford was not merely falling in
brain powershe was mad.
a couple of days went by and be-
came fairly puzzled. All the ordinary
verbal tests when applied to my patient
| proved complete failures Her memory.
was excellent, and, indeed. in this re-
| spect, she was far better than her hus-
band, who was constantly forgetting
things. AS to her Judgment it struck
me as above the average. She man
aged her own housekeeping, and capit-
ally she did it, too, and, liz fact-not to
exhaust the readers patience by enter
| ing into details--the only visible out
| come of her mental alteration was this
extreme terror in which she lived. and