The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1895-07-31


this money forced itself upon her-was
all gone. She had in her possession only
few pounds, barely enough to carry
her at the very outside over q few weeks
What would be her fate then? That she
was her aunt's sole heir did not occur to
her, nor the fact that the furniture of
the house, whatever it might be worth,
would eventually be hers. She only
knew that she was possessed of 3 SOW
ereigns, and she was doubtful if she had
any right to use them They had been
given to her the previous day by her aunt
for housekeeping purposes
She had fairly good knowledge Of
the millinery business, but she was well
aware that situations were not to be
picked up at n moments notice. that
she might spend many and many a weary
week hunting for place And in the
meantime what was to support her?
What was to happen to her?
She had in Clayfields no friends. no
intimate, unselfsh friends who would
help her now in her dire trouble She
was now in morbidly sensitive condi-
tion about everything, and it seemed to
her that every one would shun her The
only one she could think of who had
ever shown her any real courtesy and
kindness was Mrs Percival, the DOCTORS
wife. But that was before Maurice had
quarreled with DR.. PercivaL
She loved and trusted Leclerc, bat she
could not repress the feeling that much
of his troubles--his troubles apart from
this which would arise out of the pres
ent tragedy-had been caused by her
Indirectly, Of course. But he had in his
eagerness TO make home and position
for her got himself into difficulties from
which he now seemed unable to extricate
himself
Ethel possessed 40 shadow Of a suspi-
cion of her lover in connection with the
crime which had been committed in the
room which was now almost at her feet
that awful room which would haunt
her forevermore. 1t was terrifying TO
think of what had happened while she
had been asleep last night, what had
happened while she was so very near it
all How was il she had heard no sound
during the night; that nothing had dis
turbed her until the ringing of the bell
in the early morning had aroused her
from sleep-the bell which had sum
moned her to behold the most awful
sight her young eyes had ever witnessed?
She possessed a morbid horror of death.
This morning, for the first time, she
had seen dead body, felt dead body
the dead body on her dear aunt
Mechanically she had commenced TO
l. a. L.
For hours she had occupied herself ar
ranging and rearranging. packing and
unpacking, her thoughts scarcely occu-
pied with what she was doing, until at
last the waning light Of the October aft
ernOon warned her that night was ap-
proaching-night which was to cover
with its cloak the dark deeds of wicked
mcknight which now possessed ter
rors for her which had never before
wandered into her troubled brain.
She crouched over the trunk, almost
afraid 20 move. She could not even col
lect her thoughts sufficiently to think Of
striking a light In half conscious
way she remembered she had left her
candle ON the hall table She could not
go down stairs past that hideous door
inside Of which her aunt lay dead-mur-
dered-in the darkness. She was pris-
oner in her room Should she have Ia
spend another night in this housei
Could she live through such a night:
At last she stood up from her trunk,
and exhausted with her emotions she
had stumbled 10 a chair which stood al
the head Of her bed She tottered 20 tho
seat and sat staring at the door Of the
room which faced the head Of her bed.
And now new train Of thought
forced itself upon her. There were dutie,
70 perform to the dead How was she
performing her duties? On what was e
be doneg Tomorrow her aunt would b,
taken from the honse Perhaps tonlOr
row she would find the courage 10 do hel
duty, to forget her own selfish troubles
Tonight she could not
She had no idea how long she hat
been seated at her bedside nor when sh,
had fallen asleep, but she was awakened
, out Of a pleasant dTeam--a dream Whicl
was not oyershadowed by any suspicion
Of sorrow or of death--by hearing her
-~aA --ff-- - q loud whoa