The Dickinson press., 1893-05-06
CHAPTER V.
AMEN III.

And peritonitis 1T seemed; for it was
certainly painful. extremely painful.
Poor Mamma lay in agony, and
writhed and groaned with the spasms
that shot through her internally.
Every three hours Maisie had to give
her a mixture; 20 which she added
something on her w account; and
she positively shrank from giving it,
so appalling were the effects. But she
had put her hand to the
plough, and couldn't afford to look
back. Let it cost what it might now,
| she must 90 right through with it.
To add to her horror, as soon as
mammo fell i'll, Jose went back unex-
pectedly to Nebraska. Maisie didn't
doubt he'd gone back to institute di-
vorce proceedings on the ground OF IN
sanity; and that was we'll enough in
its way, as far as it wen t-but still, 1t
would have been so much ] glitter Tor
her if he'd remained in Washington
and called now and then at the house
to see her. Her loneliness and isola-
ton in this terrible crisis weighed
heavily upon her conscience. She
looked in her glass, end saw she was
growing haggard with suspense and
anxiety. Ii she lost her looks like
this, would Jose care for her? But
there! She was herself; and, as such,
she knew herself to be .lose's fate, to
be Jose's affinity.
Mamma was only i'll three days al
together; but to Maisie, those three
DAYS were an awful eternity. 1t was
dreadful to see her lying there, racked
with pain and agony, and to know
one could do nothing OF earth to ease
her-nothing, that is to say. without
spelling ones own plans and destroy.
ing ones own future. Maisie clasped
her hands, and muttered ooh Jose,
JOSEF" On the third day, at last,
poor Mamma grew weaker. Malsie
saw with much relief that her suffer-
ings would very soon be over. Thank
Heaven for that; for il they'd gone OH
for twent y-four hours more, Maisie
really didn't know how she ever could
stand it. 1t was driving her mad. 1t
was terrible, terrible.
And when at last Mnmmalay quiet
ly dead on her bed, with her face now
relaxed and looking almost like her
self again in its peaceful slumber,
Maisie was thankful to think she vas
released from her misery-and that
now she could marry Jose Mansfield.
Still, there's many a slip 'twixt the
cup and the lip; and Malsie began to
be terrified after all about the chance
Of a post-mortem. So terrified was
she. that she ever suggested it herself
to the medical man
"Don't you think, DIR. Cooeyman,"
she said with n scared white face,
there ought to ne an autopsy? Poor
Mamma was taken so suddenly i'll
you know. and it was all 80 quick
and she died so unexpectedly"
But the doctor shook his head with
a very decided air.
"Not at all, my dear madam" HI
said, authoritatively. mo necessity
} in the world. A very normal case o
peritonitis. US most prevalent il
the city Just now. This spell of colo
wind has brought great deal OF worl
for us doctors. Half my patients ar
down with variousinternal troubles
That relieved Maisie much. Sh'
breathed freely oncemore. The othel
doctor conceded, to her intense sat
isfaction. There need he no autopsy
and nothing could come out. Onl.
. in her own room at night did she eve
for a moment give way to her feelings
And her outburst even then wa
rather one of grief than OF actual re
morse. She felt alone in tn
/ world, so solitary and desolate
After all, she'd been very fon'
OF poor dear Mamma. Nothing bu
: love for Jose would have induced he
-well-there-to add one ingredien
n to Mammals daily tonic.
As soon as convenient, MANN
= was decently buried. Maisie Nigh
have cremated her; but she wouldn'
n on purpose. She desired scrupulou'
i ly to avoid all appearance OF evil.
you cremate q corpse, people may b.
, gin to ask in their ill-natured wa.
. why you want to get rid of it. Br
if you bury it decently, you destro
no evidence. And for her own pr,
lection, should any ugly whisper
hereafter arise, Maisie wanted tt
evidence to be duly Forthcoming. NJ
in vain had she studied that work
the Smithsonian Institute. The drl
she had added to mammals tonic WI
little known save to chemists al
Psychologists, and difficult to procur
NJ but of such potency that no trace
;" it can be detected by analysis. Al
Maisie, being an intelligent girl, he
ar obtained a small supply in q VIZ
,r that would have occurred tofew VOL
IN en- save her.
A week or two more passed dout
fully, TREMENDOUSLY. Maisie was mu
engaged with her mourning al
. other domestic arrangements. S
was wealthy now, and she h.
a hard problem to solve-he
to dress herself in deep bla
yet in such a becoming W.
that she might prove as attractive
' !. aver to Jose Mansfield. And tn
7 there was her complexion. Th
: needed much care. Were thosecrow
] feet about her eyes? Was regret,
. remorse, OF terror, or what you wi
, beginning to make her less beautif
. than heretofore? She trembled
think so. For her complexion's SAX
1 and Jose's, she must stit1e remor
8 she must stiae conscience. Before e
n met Jose again she must get up h
d strength, her form, her color. S
h must never be less lovely than VIII
e he first saw her. She must burst IL
10 on him like a meteor-when she we
y to Nebraska.
III For she meant to follow Jose i
the present to Omaha. She hea
its from him twice, since he left Washi,
mt ton-letters in the same high-ilo,
style as his conversation; letters (
OF affection, vague, formless. decide
al, but uncertain as to detail q
chaotic as so intention. And n
that poor earmammaw asgone,
she was mistress OF her own FORTY
and her W movements as we'll,
and aust strike while the iron was !