Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-04-27

l0h Nah at@a wv
In the room"
I'm do lt.r-sald Clarence with deci-
sion. Il viii come after dark Fortu-
nately there Is no moon 10 tell on me-
aNor any dog" Miss Malvina added
reassuringiy. My dear Mr.. Westover.
what a load you have lifted on my
heart"
And as she trotted brlskly home
ward, with that much lightened organ
warming toward Ollie's lover. she said
TO herself that she guessed they had
all been unjust 10 this young man be-
cause they had dedicated Ollie TO Tom
Broxton and maybe because he wore
patent leather shoes In the daytime.
Vaudeville had its own standards,
and Miss Nlalvina stood by them.
Patent leather stood for holidays and
holy days. Her loving heart was very
full Just then. What with plying ten
derness for Ollie. somber anticipations
for Lawyer Matthews and growing
anxiety for her mother II could not
well he fuller. She had TO admit To
herself that her mother was growing
queerer every day.
And the queerer she grew the more
frenzled became her dislike for Hor-
ace Matthews. In her efforts to ac-
count for IL Miss Malvina recalled the
psychological fact that mentally unbal-
anced people frequently selected some
one individual as the object OF their
especial detestation. Sometimes II was
those they had most reason to love
and admire. Her mother was certain
" monomanlac where the lawyer
was concerned. When she had heard
Of the sale of Broxton Hall. for in
stance. she had laughed maliciously
and said that Tom could send that
business higher than kite. She had
all she could do to keep her mother
from breaking out into her dreadful
Trades of abuse before others.
So Miss Malvina in her little three
roomed cottage and Olivia Matthews
in hes mansion Of many rooms were
each winning their way through the
shadows with heavy hearts amid fore
boding fears.
AS ordered by DIR. Govan, Reuben
was night nurse and Olivia tended the
sick man during the day. Said the
gentle old doctor:
Reuben can stand loss Of sleep bet.
ter than you can, my dear, and II
would distress your father to see you
about him when you should be getting
your proper rest"
But Ollie had her doubts about Reu-
ben's superior powers Of endurance.
and after stealing into the dimly light
ed sickroOm twice in one night to find
patient and nurse both in a profound
slumber she aroused Reuben and drew
him cautiously out into the hall.
1T is nearly midnight, Reuben, and
l have been sleeping nicely ever since
s o'clock. You go now and rest until
daybreak. You say he does not get
restless before then. Come back at
first peep Of day, and he will never
have missed you"
This suggestion fell in so comfort
ably with Reuben's own desires that
she did not have to urge 1t very strenu-
ously. With yawning thanks he shut
fed out of sight.
Olivia stole noiselessly into the sick
room to take his place. The sick man
was In a profound sleep. She lowered
the lamp on the hearth trihe and
cast by 1t on the ceiling above the bed
should take on fewer fantastic shapes.
She shook the water pitcher softly to
make sure of the presence of ice in i,
She examined the tumblers of physic
to be quite sure of the next dose in
case she had to administer 1t before
Reuben's return.
Gratified to find the patient remain
unconscious of all this subdued activ-
ity, she curled herself up in the great
armchair on the side of the bed next
to the wall, where she would be COM
pletely hidden should her father open
his eyes, but need no attention. Then
she administered small dose of COM
fort to her own anxious heart.
"He is better. He must be better
LIZ. nONuu S1iu II hC SOuiu Ohiy cASSp
better all would be well. and now he is
sleeping splendidly."
With folded arms and closed eyes
she fell to picturing things as they
would shape themselves as soon as her
father should leave his sick bed. She
would tell him how Clarence was
pleading for an immediate marriage so
as to help her take care of him in his
declining years. 1t was lovely to have
her lover so fond Of her father, but
then everybody looked up to and rever-
enced her father. 1t would be terrible
to have a father whom all the world
could not look up to. And thus COM
forting herself after the manner of all
things young and innocent she settled
herself to keep vigil. In five minutes
she was sound asleep. Not for very
long. She fell a-dreaming, an unpleas-
ant, startling dream. She fancied some
terrible, wild thing was standing over
| her fathers sick bed with fame In its
eyes and venom on its tongue. She
| writhed as one does in the conscious
effort to shake of nightmare and
opened her eyes, only to cover them
with her trembling hands as she smoth.
cred the impulse to cry out
Standing close by the pillows of the
sick man was the tall, white robed
figure. never to be forgotten, that had
once before deprived her Of the power
Of reasoning. High over a tumbled
mass of snowy white hair 1t held the
small bedroom lamp that had been
burning low On the hearth.
fro BE CONTINUED
Prayer of q soubrette.
The people who live In stageland