Middletown transcript., 1898-03-19
Such an o71o1,Yat of prepdrdtion!

daughter, whose trembling fingers still
guided the needle as it caught the rents
in Jacks fine embroideries.
Suddenly Mrs. Justis stopped and
gazed out of the window. Mrs. Storer
saw what attracted her. The young wo-
man on the next lawn, in her great
shade hat, was arranging the baby in its
carriage.
''She makes me enyious," said Mrs.
Storer bitterly.
"No one has meddled between her
and her husband yet. ]"
"Who is she?'' asked Mrs. Justis,
willing to talk of anything or anybody
that was not connected with John Storer.
81 don't know her name. You can
see how happy she is. Now that she
has wagon she goes to the station eV-
cry afternoon to meet her husband"
"What pretty dress she has on! I
like the way that velvet vest is arrang-
ed and the side drapery is we'll man
aged"
Mrs. Storer turned with an effort to
become civilly interested in her moth
er's remarks.
"Oh,- yes! I suppose that was her
travelling dress. 1t has bridal touch to
it STILL"
"I've seen just such dress some
where" unused Mrs. Justis.
"Oh, of cours6-in fashion PLATED"
"No, it wasn't little picture"-
"There is her husband, if You care to
see him, coming along on the other
side of the road. He is swinging his hat
to her."
"There is nothing remarkable about
him. -
"No he is quite ordinary looking -
Mrs. Storer touched her mothers shoul-
der. "See how pretty the wife Isl She
has dropped her hat. She has the most
beautiful hair. Why, motherP'
Mrs. Justis had looked and was now
staring at her daughter and trying to
speak. Then she fell backward in a
faint.
Mrs. Storer was terrified. She called
fer help, blaming herself for having re-
preached her mother and brought on the
overexcitement that had resulted id
nervous prostration. A physician was
called in, and it was some time before
his efforts to restore his patient to con-
sciousness were successful.
He insisted upon perfect quiet and
told Mrs. Storer that her mother was in
a very critical condition. Her nerves
were SO completely unstrung that paraI-
ysis might follow the first attack at
any moment. He did not think that
any sudden incident had caused her i'll
ness; on the contrary, he decided that
it had been coming on for some time.
Mrs. Storer, knowing what her moth
er had been undergoing fer months, ac-
cepted the learned mans theory. She
did not send for her father lest more ex-
citement should ensue, contenting her
self with telegram to the effect that
Mrs. Justis would remain with her over
night. Mrs. Storer spent very dis
tressing night. The doctor had prescrib-
ed q sedative and ordered silence. Mrs.
Ju5tis wanted to talk.
sYou must wait until you are up
again. said Mrs. Storer gently.
"We've talked too much already. Any
how, of what use are words? They only
make matters worse. y
So, seeing that her daughter was Sc
riously in earnest, for the first time in
her life Mrs. Justis yielded to advice
and at last slept heavily. Toward day
light her daughter heard her voice and
concluded that she was raying from the
effect Of the medicine.
"Sallie, it was dream, wasn't it?''
Yes, dear. :"
"An apparition perhaps-what the
doctor calls hallucination. suppose
the blood rushing to my head brought
it all up again before my eyes, It was
dreadful to see that woman standing
there
Mother, dear, don't talk. You only
excite yourself. It was only the effect
of your illness
"But you saw her, too, Sallie. You
spoke of her hair
eyes, but that was the young woman
next door. y
No. that was the very girl that John
took away in the carriage. couldn't
be mistaken. Why. she even had the
same dress on. Didn't know the dress
before she took off her hat?''
Mrs. Storer rose and prepared some
more of the sedative draft. "Poor moth
er, she is haunted by that unfortunate
woman facer' she thought sadly. but
when she took the tumbler to the bed