Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1898-01-27
CHAPTER xr.

she would not worry was II thing.
but to carry it our another, AZ soon
as she was alone, her calmness forsook
her. and she began to ask herself all
kinds Of wild questions. suppose he
never came back or sent for her, and
she bad to wait, and at last creep
wity In iiifii1 ffs.!ieatia and despair.
Where could she 20 when she did so.
for she would not dare to return TO
Galley Park. or even To her home?
Then she began to laugh at herself
for being so foolish and mistrustful.
OF course Captain Herbert would conle
back. Improbable as other might
deem 1t. there wa no doubt that he
was deeply attached TO her, aud, by
and-by she might learn to love him
very much. She would rather have
waited, not have married In this lndis-
Greet, hurried fashion; but still it
might all DO for the best.
Hardly. however. had she cont
mencel undressing for bed before she
began TO wonder when and where the
captain and Elsie had appointed TO
meet. How woauld Elsie take tile
news OF Captain Herbert's marTfage2
Would she bear it bravely, realising
her Owl wicked folly, and resolve To
turn over a new leaf, or would She ex-
pose her weakness 10 Clauder Poor
Claude 1t seemed rs III he was not TO
know happiness for long. But who
would have believed that Elsie. who
had nearly every wish OF her heart
gratiiied, could yet be SO scltishly
wicked?
But | must not think any more"
Judith decided. II shall excite myself
so much that | can't sleep, ami there
are at least four hours To daylight. |
wish / had something to read. but
there Is not a book in the room. and
only two inches OF candle, Well, there
10 me help for il. / must lie down AMI
try to go TO sleep. Have I lone right
20 trust him? VIII he keep his word?
Oh, what shall | do?'
In a fever of unrest she cast herself
dewn upon the bed. hiding her hot
face in her arms. when suddenly. q
little familiar sentence crcpt through
her rioting thoughts, bringing tran
guilty in It's train: Trust in the
Lord and He shall nourish thee. grant
thee thy hearts desire. and fulfil all
thy mind" She repeated the verse
twice, thoughtfully weighing each
word; then. ~inexpfessibiy comf0rted,
she finished undressing and got into
bed.
Judith awoke about six O'clock.
When she had accounted for the
strangeness OF her surroundings-wi with
much surprise at herself for having
yielded so easily To her lovers persua-
sions-she wondered what Claude and
Elsie were thinking of, II her absence
troubled them. and had a feeling that
she should never he able to. face them
again.
Mrs. Johus brought Judith In a cup
of tea about half past seven. She was
very anxious to know If the girl had
slept well, what she would like for
breakfast, and was altogether so def
erentially kind that Judith felt b had
done nothing wrong 50 far.
Your breakfast shall be iaid In my
little sittIng-room, miss" Mrs. Johns
said, ch~eerfully: lit Is on this floor,
and no one will disturb you. Here are
books and n piano. and I'll send up the
newspapers, so that you will be able
TO pass the time pleasantly
Ii was u very wet day: but. until
after ten o'clock the girl managed t.
amuse herself fairly well; but shortly
afterward all her ~anxieties returned
in full force. Every tormenting
thought that IL was possible To think
seemed to occur to her: she asked her
self the same questions over and over
again: the same doubts and fears
haunted her, until she thought she
must go mad. She paced the room.
tried, but in vain, to read, ~shuddered
NJ the notion OF touching the piano.
and endaavored 10 revive the trusting
hope she had fallen asleep with the
night before. but she could not.
At two O'Clock Mrs. Johns sent mp
luncheon, but Judith had no appetite.
and at foul O'Clock the lantliady cam
herself to see how her guest was far
ing. Fancying that the HOSTESS seemed
graver than before, Judith's anxiety
was r~edoubled. and gave rise to the
idea that Captain Herbert had plotted
90 get her safely out of the way while
he and Elsie made their escape.
When the maddcning shame and tor
ture this thought engcndered had
passed away, she star'rd up with the
resolve To return TO Gatiey Park and
tell Claude. He would not misjudge
her. But bow could she go. outsin the
rain with only nAcloak owe her thin
muslin dress and no hat: IT. would
be impossible to walk in such ghlse In
broad daylight. No-she must wait
until dusk!
She sat down again In despalrfng
misery and burst into tears. Size had
had many anxieties and bitter cares
I O bear In her HE; but this was the
Y bitterest of all because 1t was her own
care, brought about by the veEy kind
iofJ weakness and thoughtlessness that
she had always derided in Elsiea Who
was SHE, TO believe that any man
could love her well enough to treat her
with che consideration she had expect
ed ut the hands OF Captain Herberti
She was well repaid for her conceit, as
she told herself, In her metnaL abase-
ment, forgetting that she had sacri-
feed herself for the good OF others to
the man she did not lave.
Her tears were too bitter, too scald-
Ing for there to be many Of item; in
ave minutes she could cry no more.
The outburst was too heavyttoy last
long, but " left her in n state of COM
plete exhaustion. IT seemed to her
that she sat thus for some hours obliy-
ions or every sound and. dead to all
feeling; but, as a matter or fact, il
was only half-past six when She was
reused by q tan at the door.