The morning call., 1893-09-10

about the room, pulling the little table up
beside her chair aud bit by bit arranging
the evening meal upon il. but IL was not
until she had drunk third of her cup
of chocolate and begun upon her sec
Ond piece of bread, that she spoke. daintiy
breaking the crust in her delicate fingers
Is she said, Il go Tomorrow. Manon. to
visit the sonora and to pass the night be-
meath her roof"
MaRon nearly dropped the cream-jug in
her amaze, which Ma selle gracIously
ignored as she explained that Senior
Jesus lady had called upOn her that after
noon; the sonora had known Paul, had
heard OF him only q short time ago IN Los
Angeles. and had invited her TO visit her
on the morrow, to talk of the absentee,
and as the distance was considers BILE 10
the great rancho aud Ma'm'selle little
feeble, ii was arranged that she should
pass the night away from home, and be
carried back on the following day.
ManOn moved about the cottage as IL in
a dream. 1t seemed incredible that she
should be separated from Nam Selle SID
gle night-she, VINO had helped her every
night for nearly forty years TO disTobe, as
she was doing now, aud listened every
night, during nearly half that period, as
she tucked in the coverlets around the
spare little form, to the delicate, aristo-
cratic voice saying:
''II is a good bed, Manor, my faithful
one. soft, good bed. You shall have it,
my good ManOn, when l shall have gone"
This promise, which she had heard so
often, had come to Manon to be very
tangible prospect. The bed was truly an
imposing affair, OF mahogany, high-posted,
quantity carved. black with age and pol
lshed like d mirror. 1t was soft, withaI-a
dOwnv bed o ease, and amid all her wan
derings Ma'm'sells had never failed to
have it sent after her. II had come with
her from Franceiand was dearer to the old
l..stN
and through long association Manon had
come TO entertain for the imposing struc-
ture reverence second only to Ma selle's
own.
Her charge safely settled for the night
and the evening tasks completed Manon
sought her own hard pallet in a corner of
the summer Kitchen, where. night after
night. she lay down to rest. and from
which. morning after morning. she arose
betlmes to attend 10 her garden duties be-
fore her mistress should awaken.
HARDER, narrower, more Duyielding than
ever seemtd the little cot 10 Mauon this
night, and it was long before her restless,
tossing head ceased and she sank 10 sleep
at last. slumberlng ttfully through the
long night.
A curious idea had taken Judgment in
her slow old head aud REQUIRED to her
mind ever and again through the wakeful
watches OF the night. IL still occupied her
thouebto as size dIUS6 III tue uiOEDiil -
gathered her usual supply of vegetables to
take TO Town, and when Ma ms elle's break
fast had been prepared and cla aned away,
departed Tor the village with her loaded
hamper slung across MiEnOn'S back, and il
still haunted her brain as she toled wear
lily back. late in the forenoon, bringing
her mistress the silver received for her
wares and to prepare the simple MONDAY
dinner which Ma ms elle had come at last
10 accept and even 10 prefer TO q later
meal. The dinner over MAINS elie was
hardly dressed and ready when the seuora's
carriage appeared 10 bear her away on her
visit. She would DO back on tie morrow
she said as she was driven off. meantime
ManOn Mas to take good care of Mlgn0n and
tue poultry and be not triste.
As for Manon. she went bout her tasks
with unwOnted vigor. The garden was
thoroughly weeded, the chicken-yard
swept clean, the stable rendered tidy as a
iady's b0udOIr, MignOn curried, washed
and MIXED, and the little cottage put in
apologize order. Then. at sunduwn, the
days work done. Manon drew down all
the curtains before the little windows.
fastened tile outer door securely. aud after
partaking of a light supper disro bed aud
reui ed-nOt to her hard little cot in the
sum mer kitchen, but in Mann elle's own
apartment. composing her sIitfened limbs
and bent old back to rest within the sacred
bed OF Ma selIe herself.
ut /, in truth a good bed" the old ser
want sighed as she sank into It's luxurious
depths. Yes, indeed. Mann selle was
right; there we're no such beds made any
n ore. Aye, but it was grateful to her
tired old bnnes- unlike to her own hard
cOt-indeed, how unlike. Ii hecould rest
thus every night now, that would be some
thing like. She would not mind her Lard
toIl, 10 which now night brought no rest
Ma'm'selle toiled not. yet slept amid all
THIS luxury, which was not ior ManoD.
Some day 1t would be hers, but DOW there
was but the hard cot for poor Manor.
Shame that il should be so. Why. tie bed
was even now hers. Had not Ma'm'selle
said II should one day be her very own
Ugh; how should she ever return to the
hard. narrow cot. 1t was shame to ex-
pect il.
30 ran her thoughts, hour after hour, as
she lay upen the soft mattress wakefui,
until the day dawned. so brooded she
and dreamed through the daytime hours
as she went her daily round of asks.
The afternoon brought Ma'm'selle, aud
the evening Nam 'selle's bedtime hour. 1t
was gall and bitterness TO the poor old
woman to assist her mistress to retire; to
listen as usual TO the nightly promise that
the bed should one day be hers. The bit
terDess surged high as she lay down to
rest on her own hard bed to pass another
oleeplesS night.
The next day and the next passed as the
last had done, and for a week Manun
brooded over her trouble until her appe-
tile failed and sleep had all but deserted
her pillow. Then suddenly Man selIe fell
i'll. and a dark hope arose in MauOn's
breast. What if she should dep" Then"
thought the old servant, 'sEe would no
longer usurp MY bed!" So thoroughly
had desire fathered the minds conception
that Manon actually thought of the old
heirloom as her own.
AS the day wore on Nam sele grew
worse, and at last Manon was fam, at her
command, to descend the hill for the doc
tor. The old genllewoman was Ill, i'll
deed, and moaning with pain when Manon
returned with the doctor In his buggy
The man of pills looked at he1 flushed
face, felt her pulse. peered down her
throat and shook his head gravely. Then
he left some medicine. with strict in
functions as TO how it was to be admins
Tered, and departed.
That was but the beginning For DAYS
Ma'm'selle lay. griped by the throat by
that terrible disease, diphtheria. that was
raging above on the hills. anti below in
the village. and day by day Manon bent
over her. watching her faithfully. caring
fol her assduously, murmuring all the
time in her heart of hearts: ''She will die,
she will die, and the bed will b. mine"
So firmly was the idea fixed in her brain