Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-01-22

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A look of intense relief and delight
lit up her face at these words. She
smiled and gently moved her head in
assent.
Eyes, yes, that Is quite true. l had
forgotten-I hadn't thought"-
She stopped and, even as her lips
ceased to move, an expression Of fear
crossed her face again. She turned
her eyes toward the door and seemed
to wait for something. Her ears were
sharper than the doctors, for in an
other moment her fathers anxious face
appeared from behind the screen which
had been roughly improvised with
some shawls and clothes horse.
"How is she? Is she any worse?
Didn't l hear her talking" asked he
as he came quickly across the room to-
ward the doctor with that look Of hun
cry love In his eyes as he looked at bis
daughter which had touched Mason
on his every mention Of the sick girls
name.
"She Is no worse" said the doctor; "a
little better If anything. The poultice
ordered has relieved the pain"
Then the girl herself spoke, looking
up affectionately in her fathers face.
T am better, father" she said.
Thanks to him."
And she glanced at Mason. The ia
ther trembled from head to foot. His
little brown, eagle face twitched with
the force Of the emotion he felt as he
stretched out his small, hard, rough,
sinewy hand toward Mason across
the narrow bed.
"God bless you, sir" said he In a
husky voice. "Those are the sweetest
words l have heard for many a day.
God bless you"
1t was he whom the doctor now had
to calm, for his emotion was 30 strong
that 1t threatened to break out Into
violent expression, disturbing to the
invalid. He began to run alternately
toward the bed and to the doctor with
impetuous relief and gratitude which
would have been ludlcrous but for the
deep feeling which led to the childlike
action. Mason laid restraining hand
on his arm, which he found to be trem-
bling convulsively.
"Come," said he gently, control
yourself, Mr.. Tregaron. This excite
ment is good neither for you nor her.
She must be kept quiet, very quiet,
still"
The farmer glanced up at him with
tears In his eyes, shook him once more
by the hand and went quietly out OF
the room.
When Mason repassed the bed on
his way to his chair in the corner, he
saw that the sick girl was lying with
her eyes closed, as II trying to sleep,
but he knew instinctively that this
was only q blind, that her brain was
working rapidly and that she did not
wish to be disturbed.
He retreated to his corner, closed his
eyes and pretended to sleep in his turn.
And after a time he had the satisfac-
ton of seeing that his .,atient had real
" fallen into a light slumber. He,
from his dark corner, was able to
watch so well that. he knew the mo-
ment when this sleep Of his patient
became sound, and lie was able also to
note the curious circumstance that
that was the exact time when the old
woman by the fire opened her black
eyes again.
From between his half closed eye
lids he watched her curiously.
She made no noise, no movement, as
people usually do who have awakened
from sound sleep. There was no
change In her attitude or in the ex.
preston Of her dry little wrinkled
face. Instead of the eyelids he saw
the eyes; that was all.
She looked first at the figure on the
bed, always without turning her head;
then at the doctor In bis corner.
Then, more like q bundle Of old
clothes than living, breathing wo-
man, she slid out Of her chair rather
than rose from 1t, all without the least
noise, without 30 much as shutting
of the feet, and glided slowly across
the floor In straight line to the door
without 80 much as moments pause
by the sick girls bedside. In the same
noiseless manner she slid round the
improvised screen and disappeared
from his sight.
He Just saw the top Of the door
move as It was opened a very little
way, but every movement on the old
woman's part was 80 entirely noise
less that he crossed the door hastily
and looked round the screen to be
quite sure that she was not still In the
room.
But she was gone.
OF all the uncanny sights and
sounds, words and warnings which
had fallen to Masson's lot since his ar.
rival at the farmhouse few hours be-
fore, this disappearance Of the witch
like, enlgmatic person who had been
his silent companion for the past three
hours seemed to his excited fancy the
most weird, the most alarming,
Had she been awake all the time?
Had she been listening to all that pass
ed between the patient and himself? =?
The keen watch kept by the sick girl
herself upon the motionless figure Of
her grandmother seemed to warrant
this suspicion. And as for the assur.
ance he had received that the old w0m-
an understood no English, what was 1t
worth in the midst of so much that
was suspicious. mysterious and uglyf
Mason looked again at his patient,
who was still sleeping peacefully, and
then returned to his corner and placed
himself In exactly the same position as
before, with his head thrown back anu
his eyes half closed, that he might
watch for that unknown, ugly some.
thing which he felt sure must happen
as a sequel to the old woman's action.
It was about half an hour after her
disappearance, and even with the fears
and dangers IN his mind he was grow
Ing drowsy and dull of wits, when a
feeling that there was some one In the
room rather than any definite sound
made him look mistrustfully at the top
Of the screen.
And he saw the door open.
Without moving he watched between
his half closed eyes and waited.
In couple Of seconds he saw the old