The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-07-25
lHApTER ~

After the exhibition of the wedding
gown the two sisters had gone TO bed,
and Magda, after having vainly tried
to coax Hulda into q confidential mood,
had fallen into the dreamloss sleep Of
weariness Hulda was too intensely
awake to think Of slumbcr Whom she
had listened for awhile TO Magda's even
breathing and satisfied herself that she
was really asleep, she arose noiselessly
and slirPd rapidly into her clothes
Her face was pale with resolution and
her eyes sh0ue unnaturully The moon
shine which filtered through the thin
windew shades CLEANED with "a duh
sheen upon the great coil of yellow hair
which she was hastily slipping into a
knot on the top Of her head. when she
had finished her toilet. sho took from q
bureau drawer an old breastpin and
watch chain of gold and an old savings
bank and shook out into her lap about
$50 in small silver coins. Tho counting
Of these took some time, and she heard
the clock i'm the lower hall strike ] 2 be
fore all her preparations were at an
end. Into a yalise she had packed the
most Indispensable garments. and she
now stood still in the middle Of the
iloor. wondering what She could have
forgotten Her eyes fell upon the wed
ding gown, which caught the dim rays
Of the moon in It's glossy folds and
CLEANED with soft luster The bond
age, the hateful, soul crippling bond
age which it symbolized, rose in all its
revolving degradation to her vision, aud
she had for "a moment "a wild impulse
TO tear 10 into slreds But the reflection
that the noise would be sure 20 wake
her sister restrained her, and she paused
once more TO take last lingering fare
well of the room within which she had
spent SO many hours Of misery and hap
piness 1t seemed SO closely identified
with her experience as almost 70 seem
part of herself All the knots in the
ceiling all the faces and shapes of fan
tastic beasts in the grain of the wood.
and the figures of tho wall paper were
so delightfully."- familiar that it cost her
n violent wrench 90 tear herself away.
And there lay the dear, blunt, big
hearted Magda with her ready tears and
her inexhaustiblo sympathy. How could
she leave her to tho terror Of surprise
which would overtako her at waking
And the added pang, too, which she
had 20 iAfiGt upon her Of not having
shared with her her secretl How deeply
/ that would wound herl With a heart
full of yeanug affection she STOPPED
/ over her sleeping sister, gazed at hel
long and fondly, and with remorsefu
tenderness pressed kiss upon her lips
/ Magda labored in her sleep, mumbleC
some inarticulate words and relapseC
| into uuconsciousness. Hulda, brushing
away all weak regrets, as one brushes
/ away a cobweb, flung her cloak abou
I her, seized her valise and slipped noise
lessly into the hall The impetus Of he
resolution bore her along as ON wings
and she descended the stairs and un
barred the great hall door with a sort o.
somnambulistic ease, as if all thing
She touched, and her body included
We're imponderable substances. yielding
blind obedience 20 her will She close,
the door with tho same fairy facility
and stole along the walls Of the hous
toward the servants hall, where Nil
and the stable bcy sleIt Shs was wei
aware Of Nils stanch loyalty, and hal
resolved 70 take the risk Of intrustinl
her plan TO him. It was about 20 En-
lish miles 60 B9rholun, the tearest sta
tion, where the steamboat touched dur
ing the winter months, and she woul
be sure 70 DO oyertaken before morning
if she attempted 70 walk this distanc
carrying a heavy yalise.