The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-04-29

rings under her soft. brown eyes, and
her thinning cheeks were followed and
wrinkled. Her customary cheerfulness
had given way 10 wistful. scared
habit Of silence. and she seemed anx-
iOus to avoid her boarders.
This remarkable and uncanny change
IN q bright woman who had been as
frank, as bustling and as companion
able a. any woman might be dated
from the time when the little land
lady's mother had come to live In the
hack parlor. Mrs. Van Vlissingen. the
milliner. who occupied the third foor
front, had been quite confdantt Of
i Miss Brcadhurst. and 1t was she who
FIRST circulated the story about old Mrs.
b. being "bit queer" As matter Of
fact, the old woman. who had lived In
\ sanitarium for nearly six years, was
The victim of many physical infirmities
which preyed upon her mind In such a
Pmanner AZ to develop q number OF
wholly reasonless hallucinations.
For instance, for n year before her
daughter took her from the sanitarium,
sne was convinced that the internes.
nurses and attendants were conspiring
10 poison lhtsr. The terror grew upon
aer TIL even, her lucid moments were
made horrible with hateful suspicious.
Lattie MiB Brpadhurst was good and
sovne daughteA but so jealous was
sne of the peaceiful decorum and IRE
pfoachable reputat ion Of her house that
me nesitated for ponths between her
anh love and her cl Iution. But at last
ner tender heartN Prevailed and she
brought AenRN0thei 10 live in the back
At first the boarders, espe-
the women. made much Of her.
) was comely, motherly old person
cf much native intelligence and wide
cultivation, and for time Miss Broad
khurst was delighted to see that the old
edy's <peculiarities were unsupported
y the boaTders.
. II was soon after Christmas. that
trouble developed In o new and unex.
pected manner. First came Miss Van
vlissingen with an irritating inquiry
abcut some trinkets that had disap-
peared from her room during her alb
sence Theno DR.. Porteus. the most
anfAble. and auncomplaining Of men.
Z quietly reported the loss Of q small case
cf new surgical instruments that he
had received as q Christmas present.
Before February I nearly every guest
had lost something. Poor Miss Broad
hurst was at her wits ends. and she
cried Sor hours when she began to find
the lost articles tucked away In every
copceivable corner Of her mothers
room. Il was inexpressibly distressing.
& hut she saw the necessity Of telling
each Of her boarders about her moth
er's eccenricities and she did 90. 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 inyalid's feel
,ings, but she knew that the reputation
Of her house was endangered. II had
borne such an enviable name. Never a
disagrecable roomer. rever a hint Of
scnndal. never Q FIRE nor q robbery,
never deatb to annoy or prejudice the
hundreds Of guests who had lived in
hsr model apartments during the ten
years Of her Industrious career as a
Iandlady. In her heart she knew that
her only wise course lay in ridding her.
self once more Of her poor mother. bu,
she could not bear the. ordeal Of II,
didn't fnsw how to approach the hate:
ful dilernma, and, weak with worry,
tesmporisei with the inevitable. Mean.
while she could only beg her guests to
keep her secret promising them vague.
y that II matters did not mend she
would do something" But Mrs
Broadhurst dia not change her mad
methods. She had the freedom of the
house during the day. and in sr:Se OF
the watchfulness Of her daughter
would slip away through the rooms
stealing back the very knicknacks tina,
were as promptly restored. The board
era. good nstured company. were pa
tient enough. though there was a grea,
: deal OF whispering among the women
and ., 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 o week, little Miss Broadhurs,
couldn't hnd them. Then the millinel
Hew into rage. limited at 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 spellet
ruin for the demure and almost dis
tracted housewife.
This outbreak threw the old invalit
into hysteria. She laughed. wept AM
shrieked By turns, and DR.. Porteus wa
obliged to quiet her with opiates. Mis-
Broadhurst, careworn. nervous ant
frightened. sat up all night by the bed
side summonins her courage and strus
Cling with her heart for the final ne
eessity Of removing her mother from
the keuse. She pleaded with Mrs. Val
vlissingen to be patient. fitted frou
room to room assuring her guests tha
her mother would be removed ut tn
first opportunity. hoping against hop
that no breath Of scandal would pas
her doors. When the patient had re
covered her ratified faculties n nev
complication arose. She thought tha
DR.. Porteus and Mrs. Van vlissinge
were In league to poison her. and a
night Of the physician she screame