The Irish standard., 1892-12-03
CHAPTER III.


constitution and great natural vigor,
passed two very bad nights. The demon
Of insomnia sat by her pillow and
goaded her to the point of desperation
The second night change had come
over the temper of the weather, an
aut27mnal change that set the wind
moaning around the corner of the house,
while dead leaves trailed off on the blast
in long lines. and a black scud sped over
the face of the moon. f.. =..-. Is. ...
Sister Martha did not close an eye
until four O'clock in the morning. She
tossed and turned, and creaked the bed
stead-one of Mother Mayhew's high
posters, rather rickety in the joints
and every now and then raised herself
on her elbows and Missed out between
her teeth in stage whisper. live got to
do it, or I>shall die!' thus witnessing to
the stars that burden lay on her con-
science. Who could have believed that
Mrs. Martha Whitcumb, that stout and
self confident dame, was ever subjected
to punishment under the lash of Me-
mesis? She, of all women. seemed the
least open to such fagellation. though
the black puffs under her eyes and the
vellowness of her skin had. to AIMS
eye, indicated some alteration of health.
At last, at daylight, she fell asleep and
dreamed that she was trying to force her
way into a shining company with only
one thin garment on and without stock
ings and shoes. while she suffered an
agony of shame at her unclothed condl-
ton. In spite of the creaking of Sister
Marthas bedstead, Miss Mayhem slept
more soundly than she had for many a
long month. The cool change seemed to
brace her and do her good. She was
folded like a child and Graded in the
long swing of the wind, as it bowed The
tops of the trees and sent the dead leaves
scurrying. She lay snug and warm,
breathing easily, and dreamed that she
was dressed in white, walking in rose
garden, and as she looked the roses bios
somed into the faces of little children
she had known. Some of them were
dead, but they were all smiling on her,
turning their pretty heads to look as she
passed.
The sweetness of the dream seemed to
finger with her some time after waking,
with her vibrating nerves all pleasantly
a-throb in every atom Of her flesh. She
was very sensitive to dreams and o1nens,
what she called "intimations Could
it be that something good was going to
happen? How long it seemed since any
thing had happened in the strange mo-
notony of her. life. At any rate she felt
stronger and brighter that windy morn
ing with it's splendid broken CLEANS.
There was life and excitement in the
air. It seemed to stir her languid pulses.
She rang for Ann Basket to help her
dress, and would have on her blue
wrapper and white shawl and pink
worsted slippers She was going down
to the sitting room to take her place by
the window, and her face had {; little
anticipatory brightness in it as she gazed
out on the bronzing tree tops One
bough of the big maple by the front
gate was already deep crimson, col
or that seemed to blow trumpet blast
as it sparkled in the sun. Sister Martha
found her already down stairs when
Ann had kindled wood fire on the
hearth, and the smell Of the burning
sticks was pleasant in the nostrils. 1t
was the first time they had met since
the t'high tea. :"
.sYour party was great success,
Miss Mayhem said in simple, imper-
sonal way that was touching. 1T
seemed real cheerful to have folks COM
ing to the house again; felt as if moth
er would like it if she could know, and
father, too, for he was always fond OF
having company. / crep' out on the
stairs in tn dark and heard the deacon
telling his old storiesthat one about
the coon hanging by his tail, and how
the minister did Taught
She went musing along, feeling glad
that the old house had redeemed ats
character for hospitality, the ideal 50
dear to her heart, SO dread when pre-
sented in concrete form involving re-
sponsibility. Miss Mayhem was more
| pleasantly expansive than was her wont
with Sister Martha who usually acted
on her nerves like al east wind but the
latter had fall into an unWonted suliy,
/ silent mood; the reaction from the tea