New-York tribune., 1896-04-05
IN THE FIRST PERSON.
BY MARIA LOUISE POOL.
REFORE WITNESSES.

II seemed If / were DONG one 'H'"e O." ~
time. it was not monotonous. 1t was strange
also for me TO be living 60 near my nome anu
vet not there In my heart felt far OF. Bu' l
.a .. oo tbera once or twice a week-Lotus and
Mother was still in Ryle. She wrote 10 me
.. intervals but she was not one who was at
home with her pen, so felt curiously forsaKen'
though knew I not forsaken. Hraha-
mother was very feeble. and begged motner from
week to week to stay with her. Aunt LOWE!
kent house for father. so he was comfCrtaoie' ana
was with Miss Runciman.
"It seems as If my duty lay here" mo'her
wrote
As for me. did one thing: studied to sing
did not know ] could study so. Instead OF urs
ing me on my teacher was obliged TO restrain
me- She said must keep in robust health' OF iiiS
voice would suffer. must not practise 100 iiuci'
or nv voice would suffer must not practise
too little or my voice would suffer. Above ALL ac-
custom throat and chest, BY cold bathing exer-
c,se Gradual exposure to cool air, TO changes, so
.,at shou,d not contract that destestable habit
NJ taking cold. singer who was always taking
cold was Of account.
Miss Runcman said that many things wooio
have to be omitted in my training because
had begun so late, or. as she phrased 1t, because
"she had not found me earlier"
"r3ut Won have intelligence" she added. looking
at me keenly, "you will be constantly picking up
things
The summer had turned out so diterently from
what I had expected. We did not travel about;
the carriage remained there by the fails' IL
seemed as stationary Rachel Cobb's little
ho,,so ,tself And Vane Hildreth was shut up in
that house A. nurse had been brought from
r,h,,ton q middle-aged woman, who was very
net,ent who did not resent 1t even when her
charea snatched ulp her own hymn book from the
stand by the bed and threw it at her. Fortunately
the hvmn book missed fire. but 1t landed squarey
against Miss Cobb's mirror which was huhg
unon the wall opposite the bed Ihe glass
sp,intered symmetrically from the centre out
ward. and at almost the same moment the owner
Of It. who was in the kitchen stewing currants'
rushed into the room and said she thought she
heard a crash
posbv who was. visiting her brother at just
this time and whotgave me the account of what
occurred said that II Vane had had pistol
within reach she supposed he would then ana
there have shot the three women congregated IN
the room and afterward turned the weapon upon
himself He was sitting bostered up in the bed
The nurse had just entered singing, "Hark from
the tomb" Not only was she singing thls' put
she was snuffling as II the nasal passages were
obstructed. Bashy informed me that she oo
No, IN the least blame her brother. whose temper
becoming
"What would you be- Billy" the girl inter-
run,ed herself to ask "if you had been shut up
IN Rachel Cobb's, bedroom for more than four
weeks"
7 felt myself urrable TO guess what should be-
"yyau went on Bashy, who was sitting on the
hearskin which was spread on the river bank
"v,ss Cobb came in as II she had been thrown
from mortar by eomebody who had aimed her
os near Vane,s bed as she could alight and not
ne actually omit. She had a handful OF currants
IN one hand. and the red juice dropped onto
x,.ra.s face She looked around the room
Didn't hear a. crash? she asked. Then she saw
the mirror and flung UP her hands. the currants
dropping into Vane's neck. or course ne swore:
he doesn't do mnch else now. poor fellow. and
you can't blame him much My lookin'-glass"
cried Miss Cobb. Then her eyeglasses fell of.
"1,s the one my great-grandmother had when
-. r,orr,ea her second h,isband-and it's q
are,f,u bad sign; It's w,lss sign n hearin' the
.o,,h watch or seein' three white hosses one
o,ter the other Somebody in this house II die
fore the years out. never knew broken
lookin glass to fail never!
"t,ov,ng told us this cheerful bit. Miss Cobb
nroceeded to gather up the fragments and carry
Them out The nurse followed. She said she
didn't suppose her presence was necessary while
S,r uudreth had his sister with him. What do
elDDOSe 80
.otra,,v sobbed like girl. and cried with him.
He said IL the lookins-glass knew what twas
.hou, he'd be the one to die, and good thing
,oo. he neyerd be able to sing another note
.na wou;dn't I ask Miss Armstrong If che
,o,,,dn.t please come in and sing to him; he
wsr,ed TO know how she was getting along
Now will you go?
This request had come so very Unexpectedly
.net 7 hesitated involuntarily had not seen
M HIIdreth since that day when he had been
brought to Miss Cobbs.
seeing my hesitation. Bashy flushed and said
quickly:
"I hone you're not prude as we'll as"
"As what?" asked quickly.
.Ob ss we'll as having notions about wine
and cards and being a little Puritan, gener'
ally"
This made me angry If there were anything
did not feel like. that thing was Puritan
rose.
"r.Il 90 now and see your brother" / said
7 walked away; I walked slowly because
wanted to run. I felt my cheeks burning.
heard Bashy's contralto voice singing In yer,
irritating way. This s what she was singing
apparently improvising the music on the spu
Of the moment:
Ibid you ever the devil.
With his little spade and shovel.
Digging praties In the garden.
With his tail cooked up?"
These words did not seem appropriate to me o.
to the situation. but the girl was singing then
With great air. A. II they were remarkably Mt
ting. .'''' ,
would not turn my head. ] heard her laugh
Then I asked. myself Il she had told me tn