Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1899-04-20

MdA Slt hOt SAAA htAt- Nll
No"
''She cannot go TO the village. No
one would take in AN insane girl"
u do not mean TO ask anyone to do
So"
There was an instant's pause. Then,
with quavcring voice and with all the
strength of protestation at her com
mand. the woman burst forth implor
ingly:
You would not insult my mistress
by bringing the girl beneath her roof!
Oh. sir. you would notr'
1T is my roof. Your daughter has
n legal claim to its shelter"
For once the woman's resolution
proved itself worthy the name. She
rose TO "A momentary pitch of actual
herosm in her devotion to her mistress
She regarded the man before her with
flaming eyes, and it must be borne in
mind that she feared him only in less
degree than Madam.
''She shall never seek shelter beneath
Madam's roof while | have arms 10
hold her back, she said doggedly.
Darracott considered her in silence a
few moments. Then he appeared to
form n sudden resolve.
1--WE will see,' he remarked: and
turning to me announced his readiness
to depart Il shall return" he said to
the housekeeper, after | have taken
Miss Lothrop home. Remain here with
your daughter
But | would not desert the twain,
and fearicssly told him so. He looked
tired and spent, and evidently had no
heart to seek to combat my decision.
''As you will, he said, and was about
to pass from the room when Mayberry
threw herself before him.
You are not going to ask Madam"
she began; but his patience was at an
end He brushed her aside as one does
n troublesome fly and strode from the
room, taking care to avoid contact with
the girl, who still stood at the door.
with childish smile on her face,
stretching out a playful hand to him
as he passed her.
The nfteen or twenty minutes of Dar-
racott's absence Il do not think il
could have been more than thaU drag
ged heavily away. The interval was
wearisome enough to me. occupied as
1t was by a ceasless monologue from
Mrs MayDerry. This was largely com
posed of self f-commiseration and de
spair, and was accompanied by con
tinuous flood of tears, caused soma
times by violent outbursts of grief and
sometimes by mere whimpering and
moaning. She constantly reiterated
her conviction that Mr.. Chester had
gone to secure his mothers consent to
his purpose of bringing the stricken
girl to The Ivics, and worked herself
into paroxysms of alarm and appre-
hension concerning Madam's resent
ment of her own conduct when she
should hear of her duplicity.
Her behavior, her miserable egotism,
when totally excluded her suffering
child from her consideration, filled me
with disgust. 1 tried to interrupt the
wretched exhibition by seeking to call
her attention to her daughter, who was
regarding her from n distance with
curious and pleased glances; apparent
ly the girl was diverted and amused
by the spectacle of her mothers abjecl
loss of self-control, and looked upon il
as simply n successful effort on the
latter's part to entertain her. At an
unusually loud outburst she would clap
her hands applaudingly, and give vent
to an encouraging and grati6ed crow.
At last | grew so heartily sick of the
business that l dropped all disguise
qualifying Niobe with actual harsh
ness.
"For Heavens sake, Mrs. Mayberry,'
| said. giving free rein to my contempt,
do stop thinking about yourself for
time. What Of il If Mr.. Chester has
gone to ask his mothers permission TO
take your daughter home; why should
MT he do so? And how could Madam
do less than receive her? Whatever
she has done in the past, only woman
bereft of the commonest humanity
could visit the result of former IN
iquities upon her now or hold her re
spOnsible in her present condition.
And Madam has the soul of an angel.
She would not dream of excluding that
poor child from her natural asylum"
Mayberry turned ner streaming eyes
upon me with a look of weak scorn for
the opinion of one so ignorant as |.
"You don't know what you are talk
ing about" she cried. Madam has the
soul of an angel, it Is true; but an angel
would not forgive my wretched girl the
misery she has caused. She shall
never, never go back to that home she
has ruined. She has made her bed;
let her lie on II. She has sown II crop
of thorns in many lives; let her live as
she may upon the fruit they have borne
in her own
The look she turned upon poor Alice
was so fierce and resentful that the girl
shrank back, and crouched coweringly
down against the wall. | was about
to interpose between them and confne
myself wholly to the daughter when
| was restrained by the sound of ad
vancing footsteps. and turning towards |
the door | discovered, TO my Infinite |
relief, that Darracott had returned; nor |
had he returned alone. Beside him, |
from the enshroudinQ |
gloom by the rays from n second Ian |
tern which he carried aloft in his hand, |
appeared the stately, c9pnaldips