The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-05-02
CHAPTER XII.
sTEwARDsHIP.

For q moment Louise looked at Stu.
art and Rhena as II she knew them
Then she sat up. partly supporting her.
self by one hand and with the other
seeming to grope after something
There was look of madness In her
eyes.
Father! He's hurt! Don't you know
Stuart? The horses ran away. We
were thrown out! Why doesn't some
one send for the doctor?"
Rhena slipped out Of the room and
telephoned for DR.. Saxon. Stuart fell
on his knees by the bed. and the next
half hour was one Of the most agoniz.
ing he ever knew. Louise raved and
wept. She kept going over the old
times, repeating word for word exactly
many conversations between herself
and Stuart at the time he had begun to
decide on new life. Everything dat.
ed from Ross Duncan's death. There
were also mingled with all that was 30
painful In Stuart's memory a great
many expressions and exclamations
which made him shudder and put his
hands over his ears, words which re-.
vealed experiences of the life Louise
had known since leaving Champion.
Stuart did not dare yet to imagine all
that these words meant
When DR.. Saxon finally reached the
house and entered the room, Louise
was lying down, moaning. The doctor
went right up to her and spoke her
name. She opened her eyes and looked
him full In the face. She shrieked out
Historically: doctor. doctor. save me!
I'm going mad! am madr'
"You poor child" And that was all
he said.
Then Louise began to cry terribly.
She spoke her Aunt Royals name In a
voice that made even the doctor culver
little. And after that. as suddenly
as II she had been struck dumb. she
fell back like one dead and lay SO still
that Stuart thought at first the end
had come already.
He and Rhena stood pale and strick.
en-. 1t had all come upon them 80 sud.
denly. The doctor did all In his power.
There was not much he could do. At
the end Of half an hour Louise came
cut Of the condition Of exhaustion into
which she had fallen and cried again,
this time calling out the name Of Vas.
plaine with such terror that Stuart
could not endure the sound and went
into the other room across the hall
Rhena followed him.
This is awfulv' said Stuart, with q
groan. What do you suppose this all
means? What has that villain doney
1T means that he has left her and
that Rhena had guessed so much.
1t had come like sudden blow to
them. She stepped up to Stuart and
confronted him.
"Please God. Wen save her lifew he
cried.
"And her reason" added Rhena
gravely. Pray God We mayr'
They went back together into that
chamber and. with the doctor, watched
through the night. fearing, at the doc
tors suggestion. lest she should sud.
denly rise and 90 out into the storm
which before morning beat on the
mansion In great fury. while the big
pines sobbed like requiem over dead
hopes and buried loves.
With the gray light Of morning q
change came. The doctor noticed II
drst. He had not closed his eyes once.
Now he rose and went into the library,
signing to Stuart to follow him.
'She is out Of immediate danger"
he said as Stuart stood there by him,
nervous with the strain. "She has had
some terrible mental shock. 1t Ii doubt.
full II she can recover. But she has
the Duncan constitution. All things
are possible. I think she will be quiet
through the day. IL she isn't. send for
me at once"
He wrung Stuart's hand and went
down into the town through the storm.
and an hour later Stuart saw him
dashing up the hill and past the house
over the Beury road to attend some