The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1903-01-30

her hands resting upon her stomach,
81 cannot feel that this evening you
have treated me or my household with
the respect that is my due, and l feel
that it is for your own
Because did not come home to din
nerT Beulah broke in, in an unfamil-
lar, hard voice and without the slight
est apparent consciousness of the rude
ness of her interruption. 81 beg your
pardon; am very sorry"
"Where have you been, Beulah?"
said Miss Nancy, still trying to live
up to her standard of an ideal disci
plinarian.
"Been" Beulah repeated, pushing
her hair away from her forehead and
looking through space. 81 don't know
oh, 1 have been walking" She
brought her eyes back to Miss Nancy's
and then added quickly: 81 had my
lunch very late; don't want any din
ner. 1 have been taking little exer-
else in the park"
This explanation was q small conces-
sion to duty and decency, to be sure,
but Miss Nancy's well trained ear was
conscious of singular Indifference in
the girls tone. She was uncomforta-
BILE. She felt like retreating. She did
retreat, but not till she had covered
that move by saying: every well, Beu-
lah, but 1 don't expect this to occur
again. 1t is not proper conduct. 1
will go and fix you plate of bread
and butter and make you cup of cof-
fee and bring them to you. 1t is my
duty" raising her voice a trifie in an
swer to Beulah's impatient wave of
protest, ''to see that you do not injure
your health by your own-your own
folly. l shall expect you to eat some
thing"
Miss Nancy's inward sense of weak
ness had driven her into an irritation
uncommon with her. She was now
moved to martyr herself to Beulah's
bad behavior and proceeded to arrange
the little lunch instead of asking the
servant to do it. When she returned
with tray in her hand, she opened the
door without knocking. Beulah was
seated ON the floor with her writing
desk in her lap. She closed it as Miss
Nancy came in, but for a moment she
did not get up. When she awoke to
the demands of courtesy, she fulfilled
them rather scantily, and Miss Nancy
carried herself out with unsoftened
dignity. She did not disturb Beulah
again that night, although she kept an
eye ON the girls transOm long after
she herself went to bed and at o'clock
saw the gas burning in that room with
the complex emotions Of household
er, guardian of youth and a good
woman who despite herself feared that
a great mistake had been made and
that she shared the responsibility for
1t.
During the next week her uneasness
declined. Life went on comfortably
enough. Beulah worked hard, but she
ate her meals and talked to people and
altogether behaved more like Chris
tan than she had done in a long time.
"Thank heaven, that girl has come
to her sensesp said Miss Nancy to
herself, and her complacency as a
guide, philosopher and friend renewed
it's strength like the eagle. But the
week after this did not begin so well.
On its last day Beulah came home at
o'clock in the afternoon, very un-
usual thing. One of the other girls
met her as she came in and exclaimed
about her white face. A minute later
she heard heavy fall in Beulah's
room and, rushing in, saw her, looking
so pitifully slight and young in her
sore trouble, lying unconscious on the
floor. When Beulah came to herself,
she would say nothing to any one. She
simply lay there, white as her pillow,
with her eyes shut, shaking her head
sometimes with a little suffering scowl
when she was spoken to. Miss Nancy
was absolutely cowed. She was too
far gone to put down the little buzz of
sympathetic and interested gossip GO
ing on around her; for you may be sure
these other girls had their ideas of the
trouble, though, to do Beulah justice,
she had made no condolences and was
temperamentally attached to the dig
nifty of secrecy.
But the time had come when her
well ordered personal reserve was to
break down. One of the girls-the one
she liked best-was detailed to sit with
her, and the other went about her af-
fairs, and when Miss Nancy stole away
from the eye of man the little nurse
laid her curly head down on the foot
of the bed and broke into sobs. 1t was
most heterodox thing for a nurse to
do, but Beulah opened her eyes and
then held out her arms, and as the two
young things clasped each other she
fell into wild weeping that was the
most merciful thing in the world.
81 knew it would come; l knew it,
Patty" she cried at last in a loud,
strained whisper-"I knew it! l knew
I'd suffer like this some time. didn't
Mt first. l didn't mind. l didn't feel
as If 1 cared about being married.
They said I'd be great artist.
wanted to be. but I knew this would
come. did not say it to myself, but
I knew"
After awhile she talked little more
calmly and poured into Patty's small,
palpitating bosom a deal of innocent
young history.