Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-03-06
XIV.


When she was not eating her meals or
asleep in her bed absolute silence on Mrs.
Presty's part was a circumstance without
precedent in the experience OF her daughter.
Mrs. Presty was absolutely silent now. Mrs.
Linley looked up.
She at once perceived the change in her
mothers face and asked what 1t meant.
Mamma. you look as il something had
frightened you. Is it anything In that let
ter"' She bent over the table and looked a
little closer at the letter. Mrs. Presty had
turned il SO that the address was underneath,
and the closed envelope was visible still in
tact. why don't you open it?' Mrs. Lin
ley asked.
Mrs. Presty made a strange reply. al am
thinking OF throwing it into the fire."
My letter.
Yes, your letter."
LET me look at il first"
You had better not look at il, Catherine"
Naturally enough, Mrs. Linley remon-
strated. Surely l ought TO read "a letter for
warded by my lawyer. Why are you hiding
the address from Inc? Is it from some per-
son whose handwriting we both know? She
looked again at her silent mother, reflected.
and guessed the truth. Give Ii to me d.
rectly," she said; my husband has written
to me-"
Mrs. Presty's heavy eyebrows gathered in
to a frown. lis 1t possible" she asked.
sternly, that you are still fond enough Of
that man to care about what he writes to
your Mrs. Linley held out her hand for
the letter. Her wise mother found 1t desir-
able to try persuasion next. If you really
won't give way, my dear, humor me for once.
Will you let me read il TO your
Yes, II you promise TO read every word of
T."
Mrs. Presty promised with a mental res
revation), n opened the letter.
At the two first words she stopped and be-
gan to clean her spectacles. Had her own
eyes deceived her. or had Herbert Linley
actually addressed her daughter, after hav-
ing been guilty OF the cruelest wrong that a
husband can inflict on a wife, as Dear Cath
crime? Yes, there were the words, when
she put her spectacles on again. Was he in
his right senses, or had he written in a state
OF intoxication?
Mrs. Linley waited, with a preoccupied
mind; she showed no signs of impatience or
surprise. AS ii presently appeared, she was
not thinking OF the letter addressed to her by
Herbert, but of the letter written by Randall.
Il want to look at it again. With that
brief explanation she turned at once to the
closing lines which had offended her when
she first read them.
Mrs. Presty hazarded a guess at what was
going on i'm her daughters mind. "Now
your husband has written to you,' she said,
ARE you beginning to think that Randal's
opinion may be worth considering againy'
With her eyes still on Randal's letter, Mrs.
Linley merely answered: ''Why don't you
begin" Mrs. Presty began as follows, leav-
Ing out the familiarity of her son-in-law's
address to his wife.
II hope and trust you will forgive me for
ventnring to write to you, In consideration of
the subject OF my letter. I have something
to say concerning our child. Although l
have deserved the worst You can think of me
/ believe you will not deny that even your
love for our little Eitty (while we were liv-
Ing together) was not a truer love than mine.
Bad as ! am, my heart has that tender place
left In 1t still. / cannot endure separation
from my child
Mrs. Linlcy rose to her feet. The first
vague anticipations of future atonement and
reconciliation suggested by her brother-in-
law, no longer existed In her mind. She fore
saw but too plainly what was 10 come. Read
faster" she said, ''or let mn read II for my
SELF"
Mrs. Presty went ON: ssThere is no wish
on my part to pain you BY any needless allu-
sion TO my claims ~ q father. Ny one de-
slre Il to enter into an arrangement which
shall b ~ Just toward you asitis toward