The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-05-23


old Ones"
ooh! but that's different, you are
the child's own mother" Mrs. Steele
said hastily.
There was momentary silence,
then some one suggested that some
thing ought to be done; that it was
sin and shame to a civilized,
Christian community to have such
things go on unchecked.
The right thing to do, of course,
would be to tell Mr.. Dinsmore. The
only question was, who would be
willing to perform such disagreed
BILE task.
II willW volunteered Mrs. West.
81 feel it my duty to go. even if l
make mortal enemies of the Dins
mores. That isn't all; Pm going
right now, too. There's no telling
how soon that crazy step-mother may
really murder one of these poor chill
dren. What if it were my boy being so
inhumanly treated? The very thought
makes me fairly Wild"
Words of approval and encourage
ment greeted this announcement,
and with martyrs spirit Mrs. West
departed on her mission of mercy.
The time passed slowly to the
ladies of the sewing circle. The
comforter was finished and taken out
of the frames; white and checked
bingham aprons we're completed and
folded up ready for sale; fancy artic-
les were relegated to pretty silken
work bags, and yet Mrs. West did
not return.
At last it grew so late that the
ladies reluctantly scattered for home,
much exercised over Mrs. Vests sim
gularly long interview.
A few of hef friends were afraid she
might have met with bodily injury
from the enraged step-mother who
had perhaps overheard Mrs. Vests
unwelcome revelation. In fact they
talked seriously of sending police
man to investigate, but finally
drought better of it, and went home
in state of sad perplexity.
This perplexity was heightened
when it was learned next morning
that Mrs. West had suddenly gone
off for long visit on the early train,
without even having run in to tell
Mrs. Evans, her next-door neighbor.
Perhaps she felt her life in danger,
from that murderous woman, whose
cruelty she had exposed.
Conjectures and suspicious multi
piled at a wonderful rate, and half
the town was astir with rumors. 1t
became the settled conviction at last,
that Mrs. Dinsmore had once been
an inmate of an insane asylum, and
was yet subject to fits of insanity, in
which she tried to murder her inno-
cent step-children.
Suddenly this belief was dissipated
by Mrs. Melville, to whom Mr..
Dinsmore had told the truth.
Mrs. West, bristling with righteous
indignation had gone to Mr.. Dins-
more's Office, and unfolded to him
the story of his wife's cruelty to her
! helpless step-children, not emitting
the thrilling recital of the beating in
the barn, and the whole tragic scene
as witnessed by Mrs. Serbian.
Mr.. Dinsmore heard her through
without comment, and then laughed
and laughed till Mrs. West was half
frightened out of her wits, thinking
her news had unbalanced his reason.
When he could control himself, he
told her that his wife and Chester
had been whipping carpet in the
barn; that rake had fallen down
and hit the boy on the nose, causing
it to bleed and hurting him pretty
severely. That both were scared and
had run into the house for things to
dress the wound and check the flow
of blood, and, finally, that he had
never been married but once, and
Mrs. Dinsmore was the children's
own motherl
There was moment of humiliat-
ing and embarrassing silence, and
then Mrs. West fed ingloriously,
leaving Mr.. Dinsmore laughing till
the tears rolled down his cheeks.
The valiant champion of helpless
step-children felt suddenly that she
needed charge of air and climate;
hence her hurried departure.
Mrs. Serbian remained quietly at
home for several weeks, and was said,
by those who CHANGED to see her, to
wear very meek and subdued air,
quite unlike her old self-assertion.
No one could tell who had first
said Mrs. Dinsmore was her hus-