Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-03-10
CHAPTER VII.
A WARNING UNIIEEDED.

WARNING UNhEEDED.
The door Of the Spillnlan cottage
stood wide open. Mother Spillman
sat just inside of it. Her tall figure
crowned with a mass Of snowy white
hair and the bright figured chintz or
her big armchair. made n conspicuous
SPOT of color visible from the public
road.
She had made Malvina locate her so
that she could smell the mignonette
and keep an eye on the front gate.
She had never yet brought herself to
the point Of admitting that her small
establishment could be successfully
managed without her personal super
vision. Miss Malvina had stepped up
to the Matthews to see how Olivia was
getting on after the unusual excite
rnent and fatigue of the day before.
She rather enjoyed "mothering' the
pretty thing. She was not to be gone
long. and before starting she extracted
a promise from her mother that she
would not leave the house. She quoted
from the manual upon which her own
infant mind had been trained.
81 know can trust you. mother. for
you never deceived Inc in all your life.
Then she had kissed the withered
forehead and gone briskly down the
front walk. quite unconscious of the
remarkable tumult she had stirred be-
heath the fresh white kerchief she had
folded over her mothers bosom when
assisting her to dress that morning.
When she was sure she was quite
alone. the old woman developed unsus-
pected capacity. She got up and made
the tour of her small home experiment.
ally, first with her cane and then with
out it. Presently she flung herself
back into her chair with a petulant
sigh.
"She doesn't know me. My daughter
does not know me. lSham used to say
when l got my head turned in one di-
rection there was no power on earth
that could make me look in another.
But / know I've got it turned ut the
right angle. I'm not called on to tell
Malvina everything. know what NAL
yina thinks, know what they all think
the old woman has gone daft. AS
like as not If | was to tell Malvina,
she would 60 to Matthews the first one
with apologies for poor mother. 1t
won't do. 1t shan't be done. | wanted
them for Tom, wanted them for Hen
rietta and Rufus BroXton's boy, and II
he can't have them nobody shall.
Where did put them? What did do
with them? Oh. my poor head! Are
you really going"to fail me when |
have so much to do:"
Tears flow sluggishly from the eyes
Of old age. The fountain Of that re-
lief supply dries up quickly under the
scorching fires Of life's passionate
years. Mother" Spillman pressed one
corner Of her white kerchief to her lim
eyes. Her withered bosom rose and
fell convulSively. She was Sobbing
whether because she was deceiving
Malvina systematically and purposely
as to the condition of her Sprained
ankle and other matters or because she
was not carrying out cherished plan
very satisfactorily perhaps she scarce
" knew herself. Lying back in her
big chair, she lifted red lidded eyes to
the ceiling and 1rOwned.
eff could just leave Malvina entire
Is out of the question and think exclu-
sively about him, l could straighten
out this snarl much quicker and easier.
Some Of these days III make it all
right with her. Now I've got to work
for him."
The papers which Jimmy Martin had
found in the garden and brought to her
had disappeared again in the most
mysterious manner. Either, she re-
fected mournfully. her memory was
getting so treacherous that she could
not recollect where she had originally
hidden them to keep them from falling