The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1895-03-20

Children rarely take to stepmother,
but Daisy used to love every one. "
$50 Mrs. Graham has even overstep-
ped the bounds of modernity," she said
aloud
'%Taken the barrier i'll one stride.
bravo, | am always grateful to
woman who gives me something notori-
GUS to talk about "
And she thought: II wonder if she
suffers much. wonder if she is con-
scious. They said, No better. Could
that mean she was worse? How all
these people would chatter and whisper
if they knew the situation tonight Not
one of them would DO sorry-yes, Hilda
would, poor, frightened, little woman,
because her baby died, although I do
flirt with her husband. And my baby
o God, how happy I was over Daisy
and now-it's my own fault for leaving
her, but how could know she was GO
ing to be ill?''
The room, with its brilliant lights,
its sound of voices and its laughter, faded
from sight. In imagination she was car
ried far away to the little bedroom
next the nursery in the old house. She
bent over Daisy, who slept and dreamed
of mamma-the real mamma, not her
new one--and she said to the cold,
stern faces around her: "Have pity; let
me kiss her once. l won't disturb her.
won wake her. +" Perhaps they might
consent and let her creep away, having
seen her baby and kissed her, as in the
old happy days
She heard the guardsman ask her
question and replied at random:
Eyes, am going to act as Greek
goddess. It's queer kind of play, but
one can do anything nowadays, and
Lady Lane acted in it, so that makes the
whole thing so ominently respectable.
She died of dullness, poor old dowd.
Her husbands a nice boy-he got me
into the show.
She stretched out her hand and pulled
an orchid to pieces, and the room faded
from sight again.
She stood near the little bed. Daisy
was awake and knew her. They weren t
angry; they were kind; they let her
hold her close, let her stay to nurse her,
let her soothe her only as q mother,
even the most degraded, can. Charles
forgave for the baby's sake and lot her
stay just till she got well.
She pulled herself together and rose
to leave tho room. In all her dreams she
never saw a sad picture, save that it
was sad to see tho child suffer. OF
course she was certain to get well.
AS the footman handed her the coffee
when up stairs she asked carelessly:
elias Marie returned?"
can hour ago, num-" he said.
She started. "With no letter for meP'
"No, mum. She said not. +"
"All right. Mrs. Barker has changed
her mind and will take some milk
Hand it to her, please, "
So she couldn't hear that night. The
notion made her reckless. Her fair,
placid friend shouted some gossip in her
ears as is tho manner of deaf people.
Tho gentlemen joined them, and singer
sat down at the piano. The song over,
-asaid loud applause n footman opened
the door to admit gentleman. He had
asked to SEQ Mr.. Marston alone, but the
man had blundered, misunderstood him
and announced him us ono of the oven
ing's guests.
Sir John Deane
The painted, noisy wife of his old
friend rose to greet him, and she knew
why he was there as well as if he had
spoken.
He murmured some excuse and drew
l. E,,a g l,o
Tho whole place swan before her
eyes, She was struck numb. Only sub
lime pity could have forced him to visit
her again Daisy dead She had read it
in the trouble in his face. Daisy dead,
dead Her own little baby cold and
dead, and sho not there to hold her in
her arms, to kiss her just once more. to
weep over her, to-
Her friend was speaking She strug-
gled back to consciousness. to hear her
say in her loud, blatant voice: Fancy
Sir John coming to visit you again,
Dolly What q triumph for you to-
night has been. "
The whole roomful of people heard,
and they looked at Mrs. Marston. She
smiled family; tho color in her cheeks
did not vary, nor were her eyes dim,
but her lips, for some strange reason,
had turned blue, and her voice when
she answered had CHASTITY sound:
How funny you are, dearl What
triumph. did you say? What triumph
tonight has beenl'"
They took leave of her one by one and
left her there face to face with her tri-
umph alone. Sketch.