Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-19

cup of her hand And ah, the irresistible
lire of her ). y
Then a cloud fell upon Mrs Mayhew's
face. She turned with a sigh and entered
care. l. IL
y sweeter-faced woman than she had
never como to that western town. She had
laughed and sting herself, In sheer happi-
ness, into every cnes heart The men adj
mired her, the women loved her. her hus-
band adored her. For two years she had
been the envfed leader of all-the most
beautiful. the most gracious, the most ac-
complished of her sex.
Then the chauge came. The choir, the
church, the Red Cross Society knew her no
more. she was-not weiE she said and her
white face arc dark -circied eyes were 81
tent witnesses in proof of the assertion At
f1rst there was wonder then curiosity then
putting together of heads and sossip
Mrs. Mayhem suspected nothing There
Were Other things to occupy her thoughts.
Life was holding ahotfier cup-a new, cln-
10 her lips, and she was drinking it with
out murmur The gravest sin one can
commit against her neighbors is to bear
trouble in silence without taking tham
INTO her confidence. This sin Mrs Nayhew
had committed. People of a cerain heIief
endeavoring to explain their conceDtion az
sun and It's inevitable punishment to unen-
lightened minds usually assure us in child
IKE argument that III we put our hands
INTO the fire we Will be burned" When
MIS-. Mayhem kept things" from her
neghbors she was urconsciously putting
her small hand into hot fire. A day was
10 come when she would take it out, only
20 learn mat II was too late for remedies
to be of avail N
on this spring Cay. then, she hung the
Drd cage on the right side of the innocent-
looking door. few moments later a ~,
came hurrying from the dark wood Cbn
opened the door at once and admitted him
twenty minutes later Mrs. Dean. Mrs.
frazer and Mrs. Hostetter stood before
the same door and looked at each nthar
Iheir hearts had pumped the blood ali
away from their faces "
snail we knock" questioned Mrs Dean
in a thin whisper. =" lean
knock said Mrs. Hostetter's u,cor,-
promising bass AN give him time Tn bida2
;" nat the use in coming if we don't tal.a
emf by surprise Let me git a-hot o. that
n I'LL handle. You both look as white as
afraid way AIN
Inc door swung open readily and they
1ustled and swished into the wide hall
ihey closed the door behind them and stood
listening. The hall ran clear thro,,h tt
mouse with rooms opening into it on botb
sioes- rom room at the further and
d a, nuImur of voices came family through a
closed door. They looked at each otbere 80 a
NODDED their heads silently '''"
Down the hall, huddled together Ill.
1Lishtehed sheep-ony, sheep are INNOCENT
things and harmless+went Mrs unstot.a
WIS FRAZER and Mrs. Dean They onenad
me door and peered into the room and
TINS is what they saw: A large sunnv
room. having an air of comfort. Easy
chairs and rugs, and in the ui,d"I,,ss
blooming blooming plants. In the center Of the
room, Mrs. Mayhem. stern and wbitn e
meeting their gaze with undaunte1. enes
~ ~, one corner OF the room, bed, and sit
tlne up in 1t, propped with pillows a
miserable old wreck of a woman leerine
at them with wild, cunning ewes Hoe
c ,hts Were sunken: her nose and her
most double. The awful light Of ;mson;.
shone out of her face like PHOSPHORUS.
At the wholly neSpected sight Of her
ho s hsse an wpgsn huaded closer together
Hey, hey- Cried The old creature wit,
a dreadful lasEh .sWhy don't f'y yon w giye
the the ladies' a eers Be they ladies' N or
give saH 'em a1sy cbeafs !heS be- why don'ty0u
ed to shake hf nsn tpess oay M MI It seem an
t hew npohe; Thaf am indebted for
MIS- MRS. Hostetteg's speech had been long
not not a word g. it anne. Whatever the
that dove-colofed dsSr, it V, Was ma oer behind
not that bed ana it's dread occupant Thy
room seemed wlfirling, around them. Mrs
of ber to give to
and failed dismaliy Finally she faltered
out; ''We-wa-that fs-we wanted to
have talk with yousS
"We-we've seen for a long tip,a. .h,+
somethin' was a-goin on right under o,r
very noses'-her voice strengthened as eha
went on--"an we concluded we'd come an
have talk with YOU"
"Well?"
We've see you hang th>-. bird cage ont
on the right-hand side q the door: an.
then we've see that fellow come am STOW
an stay. We don't propose to have sncb
goin'-ons right under our noses. You've
got him hid here som'ers, now. If vonr
husband can't put a stop to it. we can
She paused, and there was intense 81
lence for moment. Then the old woman
cried out: ''why don't you give EN- :,
cheer? Be they ladies. or bean't they?''
laughed out scornfully. But almost in
stantly her face showed contrition.
"Oh. didn't mean that" she cried firm
ing imploringly to the women 81 beg that
you win forgive me- / know You mean