The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-26
BOOK II
The Law and It's Victim.
CHAPTER xl.-DetaIls,

The Law and Its Victim.
Chapter xI.-Detaiis.
Tuesday mornings breakfast had been
J. silent one. There had been ball the
hight before at some great place on Mas
sachusetts avenue; but no one spoke Of it.
Miss futile made some remark about a
friend she had met there, but one
listened to her, she soon stopped and In a
little while left the table. Mr.. and Mrs
Jeffrey sat OH, but neither said anything.
Finally Mr.. Jeffrey rose and, speaking in
voice hardly recognizable, remarked that
he had something to say to her, and led
the way to their room. Mrs. jeffrey
looked frightened as she followed him; so
frightened that 1t was evident that some
thing very serious had occurred or was
about to occur between them. AS nothing
OF this kind had ever happened before,
Loretta could not help waiting about till
Mr.. Jeffrey reappeared; and when he did
so and she saw no signs Of relief in his
face or manner. she watched, with the
/ silly interest Of a girl who had nothing
else to occupy her mind, to see II he would
leave the house In such mood. and with
out making peace with his young bride.
To her surprise. he did not go out at the
usual time. but went to Miss Tuttle's
room, where for a full half hour he re-
manned closeted with his sister law,
talking in excited and unnatural tones.
Then he went back for a few minutes to
where he ndu lett MS wire, III NeT own
boudoir. But he could not have had much
| to say to her this time, for he presently
came out again and ran hastily downstairs
Ind out almost without stopping to catch
Up his hat. .--.-
AS it was Mary's business, and not the
illness. to make Mrs. Jeffreys bed in the
morning, Loretta could think of no excuse
for approaching her mistress room at
this moment; but later when letters
came, followed by various messages and
Ssome visitors, she went more than dozen
times to Mrs. Jeffrey's door. She was not
admitted. nor were her appeals answered.
except by sharp GO away!"
Nor was Miss Tuttle received any bet
ter, tho she tried more than to see
her sister, especially night came on and
the hour approac hed for Mr.. Jeffrey's re-
turn. Mrs. jeffrey was simply determined
to remain alone; and when dinner time
arrived. and no Mr. Jeffrey. she could be
induced to open her door only wide enough
to take In the cup of tea which Miss Tut
tie insisted upon sending her.
The witness here confessed that she
had been very much excited by these un-
uusual proceedings and by the effect
which they seemed to have on the lady
just mentioned; so she was ready to no.
tice that Mrs. Jeffreys hand shook like
that of an old and palsied woman when
she reached out for the tray. r4e
Gladly would Loretta have caught one
the door; nor did Mrs. Jeffrey answer a
single one of her questions. She simply
closed her door and kept 1t so till toward
midnight, when Miss Tuttle, coming into
the hall, ordered the house to be closed
for the night. Then the long shut door
softly swung open, but before any one
could reach 1t, it was again pulled to and
locked.
The next day brought no relief. Miss
futile. who had changed greatly during
this unhappy. day and night, succeeded
4 no better, than before in getting access tc
! her sister, nor could Loretta gain the
least word from her mistress till toward
the latter part of the afternoon, when that
lady, ringing her bell, gave her first order
"a substantial dinner" she cried; ant
when Loretta, greatly relieved. brought
up the required meal she astonisheG
to find the door open and herself bidder
to enter. The sight which met her eyes
staggered her. From one end of the room
to the other were signs of great nervous
unrest and Of terrible suffering TIL
chairs were pushed into corners as if tn
wretched bride had tramped the floor /,
an agony Of excitement. Curtains wer
torn and the piano-c cover was hanging hal
on and half off the open upright as If sh
had clutched at it to keep herself from
falling. On the floor beneath lay severa
pieces of broken china-vases Of who's
value Mrs. Jeffrey had often spoken, bu
left where they fell; while Immediately ii
front of the fireplace lay one Of the rug
tossed into a heap as If she had rolled II
It on the floor used it to smother he
cries of pain or anger.
So much for the state in which the wit
ness found the boudoir. The adjoinin
bedroom was not in much better case, tn
1t was evident that the bed itself had nc
been lain in since 1t was made up the da
before at breakfast time. BY this toxic
Mrs. Jeffrey had not slept the night be
fore, or II she had laid her head anywher
It had been on the rug already spoken O
These signs Of extreme mental sufferin.
80 much more extreme than any Lorett
had ever before witnessed. frightened he
SO that the tray shook in her hand as sh
sat 1t down on the table among the count
less objects Mrs. Jeffrey always had abo,
her. The noise. seemed to startle her mis-
tress, who had walked to the windo
after opening the door, for she wheele
impetuously about and Loretta saw he
face 1t was ais If a. blight had passe
over it. Once gay and animated beyon
the power Of any one to describe, it ha
become in twentyfour hours a ghost
face, with the glare of some awful re
solve on 1t. Or so it would appear fro
the way Loretta described it. But sue
girls do not always see correctly, and pei
haps all that can be safely stated Is tn:
Mrs. Jeffrey was unnaturaly pale and he
lost her butterf1y-like way of incessal
movement
Loretta. who was evidently accustome
to seeing her mistress arrayed in brillial
colors and much begemmed. laid gre
stress on the fact that tho it was on tt
verge Of evening and she was evident
going out, she was dressed in black clio
and without even diamond or a flower
relieve it's severe simplicity. Her hal
too, which was always her pride. was pill,
ACoo1 Spot