The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-01-17
BY ROBERT BARR.

house. Your father freely and of his
own choice gave me that authority,
and he, not you, is the proper person
to revoke it, if it pleases him TO Go so.
l shall therefore say nothing more until
he returns. Then he must choose be-
| tween US. If you are to be mistress
| here L shall bow my head without a
word, and leave this house, praying
that peace and every blessing may re-
main within it
Something of the self-sacrificing res
ignation breathed through these meas
ured words must have touched the
hardened heart of the girl, for she
buried her face in her hands and be-
gan to weep-a certain sign of defeat.
But she evidently determined not to
give her antagonist the satisfaction
fairly won by so admirable a disserta-
ton upon the correct conduct of a we'll
ordered household.
1T is. always poor father" she
sobbed. with all the trouble and
anxiety already on his mind, he must
be worried when he comes home by our
miserable squabbles."
I never squabble, Edna. Neither
do 1 use such an undignified word.
Where you got it I'm sure l do not
know, but it was not from me. If
you wish your father not to be troubled
then you should act so that it would
not be necessary to appeal to him.
1t is no wish of mine to add to his
cares-far otherwise. Are you ready
to obey me now?"
Yes
The girl rose and went rather uncer-
tainly to the door, her eyes filed with
tears.
You have not kissed me goodnight,
Edna"
She kissed her stepmother on the
cheek and went to her room, flinging
herself, dressed as she was, on her bed,
sobbing. Yet she listened for that step
on the gravel which did not come.
At last she rose, arranged her hair for
the night, and bathed her face, so that
hei father, if he came home and saw
her, should not know she had been
crying. Wrapping herself in her dress
ing gown, she sat by the window and
listened intently and anEiOusly. 1t
was after midnight when the last train
came in, and some minutes later her
quick ear heard the lOng-eXpected step
far down the street, but it was not the
quick, nervous tread she was accus-
toned to. 1t was the step of a tired
man. She thought of softly calling to
him from the window, but did not.
Holding her door ajar, she heard the
murmur of her stepmother's voice, and
occasionally the shorter, gruffer note
of her fathers evidently m0nosylla bic
replies, After what seemed an inter-
minabIe time, her stepmother came up
alone, and the door of her room closed.
Edna, holding her breath, slipped
nOiselessly out of her room and down
stairs. The steps were kind to her, and
did not creak. She opened the door of
the dining room, and appeared as 81
lently as if she were a ghost. Her
father started from his chair, and it
required all his habitual self-command
to represS the exclamation that rose to
his lips.
Heaven help US. my dearest girl;
do you want to brighten your old
father out of what little wits he has
left him." he whispered. why aren't
you asleep"
She gently closed the door, then ran
to him and threw her arms about his
neck.
"Oh. father, are you safe? You are
not hurt?"
Hurt, Why. what would hurt me,
you silly baby?" He ruff1ed her hair,
pulling it over her eyes. You've been
dreaming; l believe you are talking in
your sleep now. Why are you not in
bed?''
Il couldn't sleep till you came home.
What kept you so late father"
Now, this is more than the law re-
quires of man. Have l to make ex-
plantations to two women every night
1 come home by the late train?''
The girl sat down on a hassock. and
laid her head on her fathers knee, he
smoothing her hair caressingly.
What is all this bother about.
Edna? Why are you so anxious at my
being out late?"
Il was afraid you were in danger: I
read what was said in the paper about
your defying the men, and-and-'