The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-03

at him as / sat there. Father turned
pale, and shrank back, and put his hand
| 10 his throat, where Rufus had clutched
him. There were some purple finger
prints there.
~ suppose you would have been giad IL
| he'd killed me, !" father cried out.
~ saved your life" said /.
"what did you do with that pistol?"
he asked.
~ put it back IN the deskdrawer."
/ got up and went around and sat on
| the west doorstep, which Is the front
one. AS l sat there the bell rang for the
| Tuesday evening meeting, and Phoebe
Dole and Maria Woods, two old maiden
| ladies, dressmskers, our next-door neigh
| bors, went past on their way to meeting.
| Phoebes stopped and asked IL Rufus and
his wife had gone. Maria went around
the house. Very soon they went on and
several other people passed. When they
had all gone IL was as still az death.
sat alone long time, until could
see by the shadows that the full moon
had risen. Then l went up TO my room
and went to bed.
lay awake a long time crying. 1t
seemed to me that all hope OF marriage
not expect him TO wait for me. Thought
of that other girl; ! could see her pretty
face wherever looked. But at last l cried
myself to sleep.
At about o'clock woke and got up.
Father always wanted his breakfast at q
O'Clock, and i had to prepare II now.
When father and | were alone he always
built the fire in the kitchen stove. But
that morning did not hear him stirring
as usual, and fancled that he must be
SO out of temper with me that he would
not build the fire.
calico dress which / wore to do housework
in. Ii had hung there during all the
school term. As l took II off the hook,
my attention was caught by something
strange about the dress had worn the
night before This dress was made OF
thin summer silk, it was green in color,
sprinkled over with white rings. Ii had
been my best dress for two summers, but
now / was wearing it on hot afternoons at
home, for it Is the coolest dress / have.
The night before, too, / had thought OF
the possibility OF Henry's driving over
from Digby and passing the house. He
had done this sometimes during the last
summer vacation, and L wished to look
my best il he did.
As took down the calico dress / saw
what seemed to be stains on the green
silk. / threw on the calico hastily and
then took the green silk and carried 1t
over to the window. 1t was covered with
spots horrible great splashes and streaks
down the front. The right sleeve, too,
was stained, and all the stains were wet.
"What have / got on my dress?' said i.
IL looked like blood. Then l smelled al
ii, and ii was sickening in my nostrils,
but / was not sure what the smell OF
blood was like / thought / must have
got the stains by some accident the night
before.
"If that is blood on my Dress" said,
81 must do something to get 1t of at
once, or the dress W ill be ruined"
1t came to my mind that l had been
told that blood stains had been removed
from cloth by an application of -four
paste on the wrong side. took my green
silk and ran down the back stairs which
lead, having a door at the foot, directly
into the kitchen.
There was no fire in the kitchen stove,
as | had thought. Everything was very
solitary and still, except for the ticking
of the clock on the shelf. When crossed
the kitchen to the pantry, however, the
cat mewed TO be let in from the shed. She
had a little door of her own by which she
could enter or leave the shed at will AN
aperture just large enough for her NAL
tese body TO pass at ease beside the shed
door. 1t had little lid, too, hung
upon leather hinge. On my way / let
in the cat; then / went to the pantry and
got a bowl of flour. This / mixed with
water into stiff paste and applied to the
under surface of the stains on my dress.
j then hung the dress up to dry in the
dark enu OF closet leadlng out OF the
kitchen, which contained some old clothes
OF father's
Then made up the fire in the kitchen
stove; made coffee, baked biscuits and
poached some eggs for breakfast.
Then opened the door into the sitting
room and called, "Father, breakfast is
ready" Suddenly started. There was
a red stain on the inside of the sitting
room door My heart began TO beat in
my ears.
"Fatherl' / called out; "fatherln
There was no answer.
"Fatherl" again called, as loud as /
could scream. "Why don't you speak?
What Is the matter?''
The door OF his bed room stood open.
4 had feeling that / saw a red refiec-
tion in there. i gathered myself together