Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1903-04-30

YlM - lIa ingslde, was fretted away
@0g@ to mere shadow of her
tormer plump self. There We're dark
rings under her soft brown eyes, and
her thinning cheeks were followed and
wrinkled. Her customary cheerfulness
had given way to wistful, scared
habit of silence. and she seemed anx-
,ous to avoid her boarders.
This remarkable and uncanny change
In bright woman who had been as
frank. as bustling and as companion
able as any woman might be dated
from the time when the little land
lady's mother had come to live in the
back parlor. Mrs. Van Nlissingen, the
milliner. who occupied the third floor
front, had been quite contidante Of
first circulated the story about old Mrs.
B. being "bit queer AS n matter Of
fact. the old woman. who had lived IN
a sanitarium for nearly six years, was
the victim of many physical infrmitics
which preycd upon her mind in such Il
manner as to develop number of
wholly rcasonleSs Authorizations.
For instance. for a year before her
daughter took her from the sanitarium,
she was convinced that the internes
nurses and attendants were cOnspiring
to poison her. The terror grew upon
her till even her lucid moments were
made horrible with hateful suspicious.
Little Miss BrOadhurst was good and
loving daughter. but 50 Jealous was
she of the peaceful decorum and irrc-
Droachable reputation of her house that
she hesitatcd for months between her
filial love and her caution. But at last
her tender heart prevailed and she
brought her mother to live in the back
parlor. At first the bOarders. cspc-
cially the women, made much of her
She was comely. motherly old person
of much native intelligence and wide
cultivation, and for time Miss Broad
hurst was delighted to see that the old
ladys peculiarities We're unsuspected
by the boardcrs.
1t was soon after Christmas that
trouble developed in Il new and unex-
pected manner. First came Miss Van
Vlissingen with an irritating inquiry
about some trinkets that had disap-
pearel from her room during her alb
sencc. Then Dr. Porteus, the most
amiable and uncomplaining of men,
quietly reported the loss Of n small case
of new surgical Instruments that he
had received as Christmas present.
Before February l nearly every guest
had lost something. Poor Miss Broad
hurst was at her wits ends. and she
cried for hours when she began to find
the lost articles tucked away in every
conceivable corner Of her mothers
room 1t was inexpressibly distressing
but she saw the necessity Of telling
each of her boarders about her moth
er's eccentricities, and she did so. at
the same time restoring the lost articles
as rapidly as she could find them with
out exciting her mothers suspicious.
She struggled long and hard to be
absolutely tender of the invalid's feel
ings, but she knew that the reputation
of her house was endangered. 1t had
borne such an enviable name. Never n
disagreeable roomer. rever hint of
scandal, never a fire nor n robbery,
hundreds of guests who had lived in
her model apartments during the ten
years of her industrious career as Il
landlady. In her heart she knew that
her only wise course lay in Kidding her
self once more Of her poor mother but
she could not bear the ordeal of It,,
didn't know how to approach the hate
full dilemma, and weak with worry,
temporize : with the inevitable. Mean
while she could only beg her guests to
keep her secret, promising them vague
ly that if matters did not mend she
would "dO something" But Mrs
Broadhurst did not change her mad
methods. She had the freedom of the
house during the day. and in spite of
the watchfulness of her daughter,
would slip away through the rooms
stealing back the very knicknacks that
were as promptly restored. The board
ers, q good natured company, were pa
tient enough. though there was Il great
deal of whispering among the women
and a general avoidance of the old
woman. But at last Mrs Van Vlissin-
gen missed some borrowed samples of
rare old lace. and though she searched
for week little Miss Broadhurst
couldn't find them. Then the milliner
flew into rage, hinted Mt a plot be-
tween mother and daughter, and finally
went boldly to the mother and demand
ed her lace. threatening the police,
prosecution and scandal that spelled
ruin for the demure and almost dis.
tracted housewife.
This outbreak threw the old invalid
into hysteria. She laughed, wept and
shrieked by turns, and DR.. Porteus was
obliged to quiet her with opiates. Miss
| Broadhurst, careworn, nervous and
frightened, sat up all night by the bed
side summoning her courage and strug
| Cling with her heart for the final ne
cessity of removing her mother from
the house. She pleaded with Mrs. Var
Vlissingen to be patient fitted from
| room to room assuring her guests that
her mother would be removed at tht