Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-09-26
CHATTER XVI.
Mrs. Martin i'm a New Role.

CHATTER AfI.
Mrs. Martin i'm a New Role.
The rest of that day and the greater
part OF the night was spent by Mrs
Martin in revolving in her mind the
story she had listened to in the closet
next to Austin's room, and in the effort
10 think out some effective way OF
bringing it to the knowledge of Clarice,
She fell asleep at last from utter eX-
haust.on. without having fixed on any
satisfactory plan; but when she awoke
plain before her. and she smiled to
think how difficult 1t had seemed to her.
She determined simply to write cut
the whole story just as 1t was, and send
1t to Clarice. Let Clarice but once
know the truth as she had heard II. and
nothing more would be required.
she will be more infatuated with
Austin than ever" thought the astute
intriguer. THE second attack of love
for the same object is like a relapse in
fever-the patient has the disease worse
than at first. And, talking of fever, /
hope this excitement isn't going TO
make Shirley Austin sick again. But
JOY never kills, they say. and a little
good news j~udiciously administered now
and then will help him on. no doubt. !
must drop a word of caution to DR..
Bethune. Clever and cool as he is, II lis
evident that he will lose his head in
this affair at the name OF Adele Lin
gard. Smart girl! I wish she would
reward him for his constancy, though
INSCRIPTIONS people would think him
too good for her. Clever girl! I could
admire her If she played her cards just
a little more cleverly; but it's lucky for
my game she lacked skill and Judgment
In playing hers"
Having come to the end of her re-
fections. Mrs. Martin locked herself up
In her room. with orders tina no one
should disturb her on any ~pretext, and
sat down to her desk.
She began her letter in the form of a
narrative, and filled page after page.
1t made a very pretty little love story
when she got through without signing
her name, But she had not even at
tempted to disguise her handwriting.
for she was indifferent as TO whether
Clarice should or should not guess from
whom the letter came.
@ 1~NN hGA paN nb0" Ah@
stances she thought. wisely enough.
.sShe won't care from what source the
information comes: and 1t will have all
the more effect that / 10 not attempt to
make the communication anonymous"
II sign no name,'' she wrote at the
bottow of the page. because it might
prejudice you against the writer of the
above; neither do seek to mislead you
90 ~ ,nx. I1npff4tr For. I do po O a untf
will easily recognize my handwriting.
I am prepared to have my motives mis-
understood. for, OF course, 1t is to my
interest to know that you will probably
marry Shirley Austin. in consequence
of the contents of his letter. But,
apart from that, I am always a sympa-
thizer in the course OF true love, and IL
my letters had reached you. / might
have prevented your marriage with
Philip Grayson, and all the misery
which has come OF it,
She enclosed her letter in a large.
strong envelope and sealed ii with
black wax, and. in order tina there
might be no question about IL. she took
itself to the nearest letter box and
dropped II In.
On her return she found that DR..
otthdhN dlISduy CalIcu dIiu bOAt.
HI must have been in a hurry" she
said to Bertha, who had given the in
formation. secretly delighted. for she
could not have missed anything very
important in so brief a visit.
Yes; he didn't stay two minutes"
Bertha answered, her face flushing,
then paling. while her voice trembled.
''He said the sick gentleman was not SO
well to-day-excited and feverish. oh.
mamma can he be worse again? 1t is
such a strange Illness. What can II be?
Do you think he is muc worse?"
Nonsense, child! Don't be ridiculous.
What is there for you tc worry about?
You've done nothing TO harm him. ex-
cept to wait on him like a slave. and
certainly that might turn any young
mans head: but / guess this one is
safe
IL Mrs. Martin had been less absorbed
in her own plans, she might nave seen
tina Bertha was changed from the gay,
li~ght-hearted girl she used to be--that
she was nervous. excitable. easier made
to weep. and all unlike her natural self;
she might have noticed that at her own
last words her daughter had grown
deathly pale.
But she saw nothing of all this at
present. and IL she had. IL Is not likely
h she would in any way have con-
nected the change With the presence of
Shirley Austin in the house-a person
whose name Bertha did not yet know,
and whom the girl had never seen until
about a fortnight ago.
She went On quickly to her own room.
threw of her hat and hustled herself
about many little. household affairs;
and. later In the day, she told her
daughters many things regarding their