The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1896-07-18

For the moment 0t the power of
thought She felt stunned, tremulous
and a trifle chilly. The naked nymphe
of Diana ON the panel of the stove seem
ed TO mock her. and all familiar things
assumed sudden strangeness and ire
sponsibilitv. Magda, aching with SYM
pathy, but rebuffod Ly her sisters si-
lence, opened the door, at which tongue
Of famc lcuped cut from the draft
hole The drip. drip, drip Of the water
spout became importunate. intrusively
annoying and she rose, half wondering
at her own calm, and hastily completed
her toilet Her face looked hard and be-
nunbcd and in the set of her mouth
there was rigiC NsOlution An in
vmcible power seemed 10 bear her along
the hall, down the stairs and into the
parlor, which was darkcned by the great
mass Of snow and filled with the odor
Of salted rose leaves, mingled with that
of burning wood There was no one in
the room, ana She walked mechanically
TO the window and stood gazing absent
~ at the whirling snowstorm. Then the
maid appeared and, after having eyed
her for a moment sympathetically, an
nouncod thar her mother was waiting
for her i'm the blue room.
If you wouldn't mind, miss, She
added with furtive haste, Il have got
coffee and breakfast for you ON the
kitchen stove. "
Hulda gave vague nod but made
no reply. With a kind Of somnambulis-
tic calm she again ascended the stairs
and bent her steps toward the blue
room. Hc7 mother was seated in q large
chintz covered chair in the middle Of
the floor For long while nothing was
heard but the clicking Of her knitting
needles It was chilly, and she had
worsted shawl thrown over her shoul-
ders. On the tiled bit Of wall about the
stove, called tho fire wall, blue Cain
was numbering blue Abel, and blue
Noah, followed 10y his blue family, was
emerging from the blue ark Hulda re-
manned standing at the door gazing at
these familiar sights and waited for her
mother to address her 1t was singular
what an oppressive effect this room had
upon her spirits-how il cowcd her self
respect and reduced her 20 q state of iu-
venile delinquency. She was actually
afraid Of her mother as she sat there i'm
her stern immobility with the smooth
bands Of hair upon her placid brow and
her cap strings, which were so terribly
suggestive of something inexorably sim
lister, falling on either side of her head
and giving a littlc hutter Whenever she
nodded, as if to acccntuate the points Of
her denunciation. And then the little
hairy wart ON the left sideof her chin
what an awful fascination it had in the
pinatore days during the torturing lee
ture that preceded chastiscment
o. wonder that you dare look your
mother in the face, she began, pausing
in her knitting and fixing gaze Of
stern reprobation upon her daughter
"You-you sent for me, answered
Hulda apologetically. She felt acutely
the justice Of her cause, and she was
determined not TO bc blowboaton.
But the habit of respect for this for
midable blond matron was so deeply
ingrained in her that she found it inn
possible TO assert herself as she had i'm
tended
Il must say you are "a credit 20 your
family, said Mrs. Brinckman severely.
Il fancy have done it no discredit
There was a long, ominous pause,
filed by the clicking of Mrs. Brinck- /
mans knitting needles
Do you know" she inquired with |
slow and distinct enunciation, "what /
people would call a young lady who is /
engaged to one man and has nocturnal /
with another?"
THAT does not concern me, for / had !
broken my engagement with Mr. Falck /
before listened 60 Mr. Brun "
She had no desire TO prOlOng the con /
vorsation and therefore readily lapsed /
into silence A couple Of minutes passed /
before Mrs. Brinckman resumed her /
cross examination
May l ask she began with sar-
castle curl OF her lip, what opinion .
you entertain Of a gentleman who de /
sets out 10 steal another man S .
tiancee and when received in clergy
mans family ON trust as presumably "a I
man Of honor uses his opportunities 10 .
beguile his hosts daughter into noctur- /
nal meeting which must compromise her /
reputation; Tell me, what do you think .
Of such a mani"
'If it is Mr.. Brun to whom you re-
fer cried Hulda with sudden spirit .
for the least reflection upon her lover .
aroused her indignation as nothing else, I
then 1 can only say that-that you
have been misinformod In the first
place. "A full grown woman is not a
thing which can be stolen like "a parcel, /
nor is she a child which can by sweet
cajolery be beguiled into compromising
situations chose with my eyes wide /
open between Mr. Falclc, whom / did .
not love- and Mr. Bun, whom / do 4
love Whatever blame there is in tho 1
matter attaches TO me, not 10 him
Mrs. Brinckman, who was unprcpared /
for this frank ayowal, knit her brow
and stared at her daughter in amaze
ment The blue vein upon her forehead /
swelled slightly, and her knitting drop
ped into her lap
"l--l-knew that you were thought.
less, she said at last with calm sever
ny. Il did not know that you were
shameless.
Putting her hands on her knees, she
rose cumbrously, and tho vases ana
,andlcsticks ON the bureau shook as she
walked out OF the room. Hulda heard
her turn the key in the lock, and each
lt her retreating footsteps tbr0uGA tho