The morning call., 1890-11-23

| Harlem.
/ Rachel Updegraff was now convinced that
| either some ingeniously malicious person
was annoying her or that really something
extraordinary was about to happen. And
! strange to say, from the very first she in-
cined to the latter opinion. One thing
| which led her to give such ready credence to
| this dark and mysterious report was the TACT
that she herself had no personal knowledge
| that Amm lay within the Coffin which they
| had borne into her house at Harlem. She
| had not looked upon the face of the dead
man and yet, had not the uncle, the half
brother and several intimate friends of the
| family surveyed his features?
| In spite of Rachefs vivid recollections Of
| her strenuous insistance TO be allowed to
gaze upon the face of the dead, she could not
persuade herself that she had done her whole
| duty in the matter.
| Early in the afternoon another commune
| cation came to her from the newspaper
| Office. 1t was typewriter and stated briefly
| that the name of the family referred to in
the dispatch from New York was Upde-
| graft.
| An hour later letter was placed in Rachel
| Updegratfs hands. Upon tearing 1t from
| the envelope, q deatL-like pallor overspread
! her face, and she would have fallen to the
| floor had not her maid rushed 10 her side.
"Merciul father!' exclaimed the poor
woman after she had come out OF the faint
| 1T is true, 1t is only too true! Amml Is
| alive. Amp,i is hereW
The maids proposal to summon physi-
| clan seemed to infuse into Rachel an almost
| unnatural strength and steadiness OF nerve
No. mol" she exclaimed; f." 1t is nothing
| I'm better already, and dismissing the
| woman, Rachel turned to re-read the brief
but kindly letter:
| Dearest Wife: l deserve nothing but condem-
nation at your hands. but yet am bold enough
| to desire 10 plead for forgiveness. Be strong;
| be calm. put myself entirely at your mercy.
| have wronged you beyond any power oil express
sion; yet. II you can forget the dark and cheer
less cast, let me try once more to do my duty
| towaId you. ! return TO you almost like one
from the dead. so changed am In spirit as we'll
| as body. Open your arm to me; you Will moi re-
| gretlt. A. U.
Rachel Updegraff was astoniShed at the
| wonderful cOmposure and steadineSS OF mind
| and body with which she was able TO meet
| Ammi under the terrible circumstances.
| His first impulse was to rush forward and
| clasp Rachel in his arms, but there was
something about this tall, stately. hand
| some woman that checked him., and made
| him take the prOffeTed hand and press it in
| silence.
| For moment these two beings, in both of
whom the brief period OF three years had
| wrought such astonishing changes, stood
with their gaze rive.ed upon each others
| face.
Ammi determined to give Rachel as
| quickly as possible an earnest OF his differ
ent self, and, in a voice strangely soft and
| musical for him, burst out with:
"What miracle is this, dear Rachel?
| Why, when | saw you last you were thin
and-pardon me-alm0st scrawny woman !;
now What. do see? A superb figure. glori-
Ously rounded"
A sad smile spread over Rachel's face.
'It's very easy to explain she replied
you remember you were inclined to cor
| pulence, and were ordered by your phySi-
clan to refrain from eating. vegetables,
pastry and rich food of all kinds, and to
| f.. tai, ate
were directed to keep them off the table.
So long as you we're thus saved from the
danger of increasing weight did not think
it right to complain, although you see stood
| in need Of more generous diet
| 'Man, man, thy name Is selfishneSs!.
cried Updegraff. But, my dear Rachel,
you never appeared to care for fashionable
clothing You seemed to prefer to dress
plainly. Pm astonished to see You so styl-
ishly and bec0mingly dressed. l didn't I'M
agine that you had any taste Tor flnery.
II did the best could under the circum-
stances" answered Rachel. You may re-
member you made me no allowance for
| dress, but permitted me to have an account
at Bias & Bargains. They had such poor
assortment of goods-odds and ends. in fact
that / became discouraged and gave up all
idea of dressing with any style. Then,
| again, really had such poor figure In those
days that had no heart to try and make
myself look presentable.'
| "But, but, siammered Ammi, pointing to
| the symmetrical little buttoned shoe that
was peeping out from under her skirt,
"surely, Rachel, didn't keep your feet from
assuming the dainty guise WHICH
Rachel now began to warm up 10 the tas k
| of accounting for all these changes and
| there was timbre of malice, imperceptibe
to Ammi, in her voice as she broke in with !:
es, yes, Ammi, 1t was all your fault.
| had nice enough feet, but French heel
gave you a cold shiver and you obliged me
| to wear comm0n-sense shoes"
"What idiocy on my part!' cried Upde-
| GRAFT: "what super-clari6ed, double-dis-
| titled idiocy! But surely, Rachel, it is not
| who prevented you from having beautiful
hands in those days, or is that part of the
indictment already set forth, the lack of a
| rich and generous diet, which Kept your
| hands thin and bony"
"Partly So" said Rachel, with faint
smile. but my hands were never large
| and might have made a better show in those
days. A manicure could have helped me
| out"
Ammi colored as deeply as school-boy
banished to the girls room for punishment
RachePs conscience Smote her and she
made a halt.
go on. 60 on, Rachel" he cried; let
me hear all. Don't spare mel"
some face lighted up with It's first really nat
ural glow, "you threatened all mancures
with fire and sword. Nature, you insisted.
knew how much polish our nails stood in
need of; and, more than this, you always
| exacted that should do certain homework
with my own hands. For instance mix the
bread, make the biscuit, clean and wash the
| old family silver and glass ware. In fact,
Won never were better satisfied than when
you saw Inc actually assisting the servants
in keeping the house neat aud clean. The
consequence was that my hands always
looked red and harsh: it was impossible
that it should be otherwise"
eyes, yes, Rachel" almost groaned Up
degraff ''and to think that with all my
money only allowed you two servants in
| that big house. II was hard. Il was cruel!