The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-07-29


regret 20 say. not all,
She gave curious. devout little sigh
after each phrase she pronounced, as if
it were all very sad, in spite of the smil-
ing way in which 1t was uttered. She
had seated herself opposite to Hulda, on
n rep covered lounge, which looked very
solitary in the big room. and her visitor
had taken possession of camp stool.
We charge only So. 90 for board and
lodgings, the matron went on, "but
we can't give you room of your own.
There are two, three or four girls in
each room, according TO its size, and we
have only two vacancies in the house.
which are both in double rooms. You
can have separate bed however, ard
D. screen which will give you all the
privacy you require,
The woman went on talking, expect
ing apparently no reply, and Hulda sat
fixing upon her gaze Of fascinated in
terest. In the first place, her professional
Christian smile was TO the girl AN abso-
lutte novelty. Ii seemed TO have no ref
erence to what its owner said, for she
smiled just as caressingly when she ex
planned the laundry arrangements leach
girl having the privilege TO do her own
washing) as when she professcd par
ticular prediction for the Norwegian
nationality The fancy suggested itself
TO Hulda that it was a sort Of patent at
tachment to her face, which was put on
in public and removed in private, and
she remarked how severe the lines of the
matron's features were and how much
they were in need of modification. The
devout little sigh, too which continued
to occur in every pause Of her speech,
dividing it Off like bars in music, had
an almost comic effect when she was
discussing the bill of fare, explaining
that they had oatmeal or hominy and
bread and butter and coffee for break
fast and that 30 cents week was de-
Quoted if the boarders took luncheon reg
ularly out Of the house.
The end of the interview was that
Hulda engaged board and lodgings for
one week, though she shivered at the
thought Of the unknown girl whose
room she was thus uncercmoniously in
vading.
a pathetic meagerness IN all the appoint
ments Of the house which impressed one
with vague sense Of discomfort. Hulda
flung herself down on the chill looking
iron bed which was assigned TO her and
her heart was as heavy as lead. The raw
March sunshine which filtered through
the smoke sent "A few Pickering rays into
| cracked and uneven looking glass,
which again reflected them IN q quiver-
ingly irregular constellation against the
ceiling. She lay for long while look
ing rigidly at this trembling figure Of
| light, staving off thought, and tightly
/ shutting the door 10 reflection. She was
so unutterably miserable that she was
afraid, so 20 speak, TO take tine dimen-
/ sions of her misery. She was afraid to
! face the truth, which, nevertheless, she
dimly suspected, though she heroically
! persuaded herself that she did not And
while she lay thus wrestling with the
/ thoughts that clamored for admittance,
WEAKNESS overcame her and she fell in.
to profound sleep
At the end of two or three hours she
was awakened by the light Of candle
which seemed 10 be moving "a and frc
before her closed eyes. She started up in
bed and saw a strange girl standing be
fore her.
"Ye are very beautiful, said the
strange girl with singular abrupness-
Il never saw an. one so beautiful. "
Hulda rubbed her eyes and was not
sure but that she was yet dreaming. But
the apparition Of the strange girl did
not vanish.
- "Who-who-are your" she asked in
Norwegian, and then, recalling the stu
alton, she repeated the query in English,
I "Iam yer roommate, of course. Hat
tie Halloran. "
well, well-you must excuse me, >
said Hulda, now fully awake, for in
truding upon you in this queer fashion. =
"Inruding?" repeated Hattie Bal
loran, as if she did not comprehend th'
meaning Of the word. "What do y,
mean by intruding?"
"Why-going to sleep in your room
without asking your permission.
Bless ye, it amt my room. ONLY
pay for this half Of it. "
Hattie was a tall, lank, sallow com
j plexioned girl, with grayish brown eyes
! thin lips and hair Of an indefinite asher
color. Her features were crude and in
significant They We're not only homelv
! but drearily, uncharacteristically hople
; ly. There was nothing by which yol
could distinguish her pale, washed ou
face from 100, 600 faces Of the same type
Her form was badly knit, loose jointed
lean, scant and graceless. Her chest wa
! fiat as an ironing board, and not a curv
nor an undulatiOn was 10 be detected il
! her whole figure. The hard conditions
} the filth, the penury Of her early envi
ronment had cramped and stunted he
and stamped her with an irretrievable
wishy washy kind Of commonness
; There was something pathetically bar
rem, bloomless. prematurely withered i
! her meager and shrunken WomanhoOd
deprived by blighting soil and climate q
its natural right to blossom and fruitage
] where do ye come from?' she ask
= ed, still holding the candle up to he
, cheek and staring unavertedly at Hulda
s 81 came from Norway,
. ''Lawsl Ye don't say So 4"
: She put the candle on Huida's toile
0 stand, seated herself sans ceremonie o
4 the chair before the bed, clasped he
! hands between her knees aud with
0 hushed eagerneEs said:
1 Tell me ali about IT,"
= About what?"
D About yerself