The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-03-16

with her. And then / knew what
had always thought, that she didn't
really care for him-she was just am
bilious. And every one always said
that Richard had a future. She was
cold and l know she was impatient
but how he loved her So he talked to
me about her and her yellow hair.
And he kept kissing her hand and
begging her pardon for cross things
he'd said--I wonder l didn't 60 mad.
And then he'd cry-did you ever see q
man cry? And it wasn't for met
wasn't for mel o Richard, if it had
only been for me-"
She buried her face in the pillow and
her dark, tumbled hair shook with Sob
bling. The nurse stared at her helpless,
the tears in her eyes. Outside on the
window ledge, two pigeons cooed and
clucked in the great broad sunbeam
that the setting sun launched across
the hills.
"Then he lost his head, think" the
woman said in whisper, looking ca
gerly at the nurse, "because he said l
could have saved her and 1 didn't II
And then all the love in my heart for
Richard Dustin turned to hate. No
man has any right to say such things to
a woman as he said to me. So l told
him all the scorn felt for him-that he
should have dared to ask mel And l
told him how he had spoiled my whole
life, how had spent the best years of
it in learning to love him, and then
Oh, even then, if he had even heard
mel But he was trying to cut off
piece of her yellow hair, and he
couldn't-his hands trembled 80. And
he only cried and tried to cut it through
and never heard me-"
She leaned over the bed and her
long, straight hair dropped to the floor;
she seemed not to breathe, 80 still she
lay. The nurse bent over her and lis
tened for her heart, brushing the tears
from her lashes. "Now you must not
tell me any MORE" she said, ~ am
going to give you this to make you
sleep"
But the woman, though she lay back
on the pillows, weak, with closed eyes,
set her mouth firmly and shook her
head. "No," she said, "now l must
finish. 1 will be through very soon.
You-you must listen. / have this
chance. God means me to tell p
and then, seeming too weak to 60 on,
she lay looking quietly at the red ball
that dipped below the hills. She was
not hurred-there would be time.
"Then l saw that l might as well
have spoken to her-that he had not
heard. So | knew that | hated him.
And then / went and took the knife he
had cut the piece off and when he put
his hand out for i'll threw it in his
facet And l left them there; she
was all white and yellow as she al
ways was, and he was feeling about on
the floor for the piece Of hair and cry
ing. l went out and the nurse-Ruth's
nurse-met me, and told me that Ruth
had the fever and they dared not tell
him. SIS she very sick?' l said. And
she said that they did not know, but
that children rarely escaped without
some weakness. And then 1 went
home. And I kneeled down by my
bed and l prayed that God would re-
venge my shame and humiliation and
suffering, and that Ruth should never
sing any more, if she got WELL"
Mechanically the nurse gave her
more water, and she fell back white
and exhausted. "Now, she said in a
whisper, 81 have told. l will die when
ever you like"
Below, the guests were at supper.
The faint clink of plates, the bright
laugh of a child, the deep voice of a
man reached the room. The pigeons
few off toward the half circle of sun
that stained the sky, and only the
clucking of sleepy little birds and the
Frightening chatter of the katydids
sounded from without. The woman
lay motionless, the ruffie at her neck
barley shifting with her light breath
ing. Only narrow ray of light struck
through the still, white room, and in
the fading glow the woman's face was
almost peaceful.
81 have never felt so BEFORE" she
said.
81 shall never feel 30 again. My
heart was ice, and it ached with bitter
ness and cold, but my head was all on
fire. When / prayed that prayer l
felt strong thrill-a tingling, numb
kind of shock-and l knew that II
would be 80. / did not pray-I de.
manded. I forced God to do that
And then / knew that never again
would he stand Ruth on chair and
play that song and make her sing il
alone. She was only seven-he was SO
proud of her. He worshipped her
voice.
"That was the last thing 1 thought
then tainted. And l was sick long
time. They said then 1 could never
stand another such attack. And when
l was better asked about them and
they told me-they told me'-she could
not breathe for moment, and pressed
her hand hard to her heart, while the
nurse gave her soothing draught.
She put her lips obediently to the cup,
but before she drank she whispered as
if to herself, "They said that Richards
hair had turned quite white from grief,
and that little Ruth had lost her lovely
voice. She would never sing again.
Never stand on a chair"-the nurse lift
ed the cup, and she drank and lay back
on the pillow.
"When / got better l tried to find
them-they were gone-I didn't know"
she was almost asleep, and her words
came broken and drowsy and hardly
audible The nurse ieaned over her n