The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-04-01
CHAPTER T.-Continued.


Beatrice would have refused again,
not unnaturally shrinking from the
responsibility of taking upon herself,
even temporarily, the charge of a
child whom she knew to be seriously
i'll. But, as she was about to rise
mite looked up at her; and, touched
and subdued by the knowledge that
she was, indeed the baby's best hope,
she suddenly yielded to the impulse
of womanly goodness which moved
her, and, lifting the little one in her
arms and pressing 1t to her bfeast'
said: i
every we'll. I'll take her and do
my best, on condition that you send
for a doctor at once. Ask for Mrs.
Froyles ROOM"
And she carried the BABY out OF the
room and upstairs.
There was q fire in her room and
she sat down on the floor in front Of
= it and took off the child's beautiful
cloak of sapphire velvet trimmed with
beaver fur, revealing, to her amaze
ment, the fact that the frock beneath
was only of the coarsest red merino,
while the underclothes were Of the
commonest description. 1t looked
SO it suddenly occurred to Beatrice
as if Lady Catherington had bought
new and handsome cloak in which
to hide the poor clothes underneath.
Altho she at once perceived that
there was some strange mystery In
all this, the young widow was too
much absorbed in anxiety for the for
lorn little creature to waste much time
she could not help recognizing the
fact that she had committed an in
discretion Of the widest kind in un-
dertaking. the care, even for few
minutes, of this helpless mite.
Indeed, the responsibility was much
q.
And her heart grew sick when she
discovered that the poor little starvel-
ing had ceased its moaning and was
now drawing the feeblest Of breaths
in her arms.
ne Before Beatrice had had time to
do more than relieve the sick child
Of its outer weight Of clothing, she
knew that all her efforts would be in
vain. No doctors help or advise would
be Of any use now. The babe was
dying. Hastily rising to ring for as
sistance, Beatrice was scarcely on her
4 feet when the unhappy mite gave a
last faint moan, moved convulsively
in her arms and then lay back, still
and dead.
Then Beatrice did not ring. Real,
{ ling that she was in a terrible posi-.
ton, with the responsibility of the
8 death Of the child upon her, she
snatched up the cloak and hood an6
was about to run down stairs with the
little corpse of the child in her arms
i when her own little daughter, dis
turbed by the rapid movements and
sound in the room, sat up, and, OF
seeing another child in her mother
arms, set up a. loud and piercing
scream. ,a~os ~.
3ss In vain Beatrice tried to pacify her
and assured her that, If she woult
be g. good girl and lie still, MANN!
Il would be back in a minute" Ermyn
N trude wriggled off the bed, chung t.
her mothers dress and resolutely re
fused to be left alone.
After a few moments hesitation
Beatrice saw that there was nothing
for It but to place the dead child o.
the bed and to take Ermyntrude witt
her down stairs.
Consoled at once as soon as he
mother held her by the hand, Ermyn
+, trude toddled out Of the room an
let herself be carried down to tn
room on the second floor, where tn
young widow had left Lady Gather
ington. The door was ajar, and, afte
knocking twice and getting no an
swer, Beatrice, who heard the WON
z ans voice without being able to Sc
.@ther, pushed the door open and went II
Fs ssst There was no one there: the voic