Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-03-30
CHAPTER VII.

crowned WIN MISS VI Sh"N' VIM"
hair and the bright figured chinz oI
her big armchair. made conspicuous
spot of color visible from the pubic
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 10
the point of admitting that her small
establishment could be successfully
managed without her personal super
vision. Miss Malvina had stepped up
10 the Matthews TO see how olivia was
getting on after the unusual excite
nent 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 me 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 petulant
sigh
She doesn't know me. My daughter
does not know me. lsham used to say
when ! 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 1t turned at the
right angle. I'm not called on TO tell
Malvina everything know what Nal
VIVA thinks. know what they all think
the old woman has gone daft. AS
like as not, If was to tell Malvina.
she would go to Matthews the first one
with apologies for poor mother 1t
won 40. IL Suull bc uohc' "ahtS'
them for Tom, wanted them for Hen
lietta and Rufus BroXton's boy, and If
lie 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 lifes passionate
years. Mother" Spillman pressed one
corner of her white kerchief to her dim
eyes. Her withered bosom rose and
fell convulsively. She was sobbng,
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,
ly knew herself. Lying back in hel
big chair, she lifted red lidded eyes tc
the ceiling and frowned.
'If / could just leave Malvina entire
~ out of the question and think eXclu
sively about him, could straighter
out this snarl much quicker and easier
Some Of these days I'll make it al
right with her. Now I've got to work
for him."
The papers which Jimmy Martin hat
found in the garden and brought to hel
had disappeared again in the mos
mysterious manner. Either she re
flected mournfully, her memory wa!
getting so treacherous that she coul,
not recollect where she had originally
hidden them to keep them from failing
into Miss Malvina's hands or else they
had been stolen from her.
She had three theories touching thei
disappearance, either Of which was
ness-Malvina had found them and re
stored them to Horace Matthews with
out ever word to her about thu
transaction, Jimmy Martin had beer
bought by the lawyer at an advance
price over the one she had paid him t.
hold his tongue and had burga
riously secured the package while sh,
slept, or she had herself carelessly in
cluded them among some papers sh,
had recently destroyed.
But know them by heart. coult
swear to every word in them if onl,
some one would believe in me If In
falling so fast that don't know a lega
document from pudding recipe. i
I'm grown such witless body that
clodhopper like Jimmy Martin cal
overreach me, II I'm Of so little inpor
lance in the world that my own daugh
ter will make common cause with
bad man against me, the sooner | g
the better"
"Mother' Spillman had not We
reached the sluggish point whicl
comes as compensation for failure
She had not been shelved long enougl
to grow passive under the humiliation
During the Rev. Mr.. Isham's incum
bency she had been power in Mande
vile. and when time removed him an
disabled her she yielded up her scepte
reluctantly and ungracefully. She wa
still much given to asserting her view
in defiance of large maiorties. and. d
for consulting Malvina in a matter o
grave Importance, she could not brin
herself to do 1t. In this matter of tn
lost papers, Malvina could never b
brought to see it In the right light. Sh
would have stoutly stood out for Ma
thews' rights as Toms guardian an
carried the documents when found
him.
With all the strength Of affection III
diluted by diffusion this stern old W.
man had loved the older generation {
the Broxtons. Rufus Broxton, his wit
and his beautiful sister, Lucetta, ha