The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-11-24

tent to be detected in her mode OF
writing which was foreign to her years
and particularly new to her former
habits of mind. In each letter she IN
auired for her Aunt Elizabeth "She
never writes to me-" was her com
plaint, repeated over and over again
She had been away from home about
two months when the following letter
from her mother awakened, WIN
somewhat insufficient cause, an uncon-
querable anxiety about the dear VIII
ter's health and drove Helen to return
to Merton upon the very day after she
received the disquieting ailuslon.
Mrs. Milford had written thus
MY Darling Helen-HoW cold 1t Is!
/ hope that if you are tempted to wan
der about ihise draughty galleries az
your uncles after dinner you do not
forget to wear a shawl. lam REMIND
ed of such dangers to your heaitn Dy
a tiresome cold in my head Whlcn l
caught last eveing pottering about the
garden with your dear father, who is
more careful to protect his fruit trees
than his wife from the frost. l wrap
ned nv head in flannel and drank sew
eral jugs of treacle posset before
going to bed. l slept very heav-
ily. but awoke with a severe
headache and felt quite stupid,
SO this letter will be very short
and fiat, dear. / read your letters
again and again, and you are never an
sent from my thoughts, my dearest.
Your loving mother,
,.-Honora Milford.
"P. S--By the bye, your Aunt Eilz-
abeth has written at last; your father
received the letter some days ago. Bet
sew has been ill-seriously ill-and her
time has been fully occupied with the
consequent sick nursing; she is pet
ter now and down stairs again. EllZa-
beth seems very full of those dreadful
Jones people, who have gone fflght-
full smash. The old man has been
sDeculating i'll the most reckless way,
the shock Of ruin upon all those GOOD
dinners of which we have heard
brought ON apoplexy; he is dead. Ii
can find Elizabeth's letter l will In
close it,
But the letter had not been inclosed,
and very soon after Helen's arrival at
Merton she led the conversation 10
Noelcombe.
"What was the matter with poor OLD
Betsey?" the girl asked. She stood De
fore the fire with her arm round her
mothers waist. Mrs. Milford could
not take her eyes away from the con
temptation Of her beautiful enid. she
had improved-yes, If 1T was possible
she was more lOySbie and loving imam
beforehand she had torn herSelf from
a household of friends and COUSINS,
had relinquished the prospect OF
party. and hurried home to see with
her own eyes and hear with her own
ears that the 'tiresome cold" OF Wmch
she had been told was OF no deadly
character.
"a very serious touch of influenza.
Oh, Nellie. [ can't bear to think that
YOU have left so much pleasure ON my
account. It was foolish of me to men
tion nv cold. but / thought you knew
only sneeze for a day or two and put
ON an extra shawl, and then one OF
my colds goes. Why, I am quite well
again to-day. The delight of seeing
YOU, my darling, is spoiled when | re-
member what you have given UP Tor
me-"
81 have given up nothing, mother
wanted to come home every single
day | was away. OF course, l was
having great fun-lots going on-but
I was a little mammy-sick; | always
am. How long was Betsey ill!'
81 don't remember exactly. Helen,
did YOU meet with any very charming
people?"
ooh, yes; most of them were very
nice. Mother, you did not inclose
auntie's letter."
mo, dearest, your father had gone
out and must have taken 1t with MN.
/ could not find it; l asked him where
it was just before you came, Dut ne
had torn it up and thrown it into the
waste basket Never mind; she had
nothing to say; she does write Such
dull letters, poor dear"
Late that night when the Merton
household had long been asleep
stealthy figure, wrapped in a red nan
mel dressing gown, with brown hair
hanging straight and thick to- the
knees. and a beautiful, eager face, on
which the candle that she shaded with
her hand shone, crept slowly and eau
tiously down the stairs and made her
noiseless way to the rector's sturdy.
Helen. for she it was, set patiently
to work over the accomplishment OF
her intention Sitting ON the floor by
the side of the waste paper basket, she
pieced, contrived, patched the severed
and scattered fragments OF MISS Eilz-
lbeth's letter into leglele WhCie. IL
was difficult and labo1ious achieve
ment. She was blue with cold; her
teeth eli tered and her fingers were
stiff ana half frozen. Bodily dlscom-
forts were UNDECIDED, for her heart was
hot within her. Again and again she
read those pieced atoms, and tnen'
gathering them carefully together, she
stole back to her room. Holding them
in her closed hand. she got into BED
and lay there, coad, shlverlng ana
il. hon 10 %