Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1904-01-05

time" continued Lindy. "This morn
| ing / asked Samanthy where she was
going, and she said down to Petten-
gills. Then | knew"
81 told her not to TELL" said Mrs.
Putnam, the lyin' jade. If git up
off this bed she'll git her walkin' tick
et."
"she's ready to go" said Indy;
"she told me this morning that she'd
wait until you got new girl"
Mrs. Putnam closed her eyes and
placed both of her hands over her
heart. Despite her fortitude the in
tense pain wrung a groan from her.
Lindy rushed forward and dropped
on her knees beside the bed. For
give me, Mrs Putnam" said she, "'but
you spoke such cruel words to me that
could not help answering you in the
same way. am so sorry. loved
your son with all my heart, and had
no right to speak so to his mother,
no matter what she said to me-"
The paroxysm of pain had passed,
and Mrs. Putnam was her old self
again. Looking at the girl who was
kneeling with her head bowed down
she said, II guess both of us talked
ABOUT as we felt; as for loving my
son, yer had no right to, and he had no
right to love you.
"But we were brother and sister,"
cried Lindy, looking up.
"'Twould have been all right if he'd
let it stop there" replied Mrs. Put
nam. "Who put it into his head that
there wuz no law agin a man marryin'
his adopted sister? You wuz wom-
an grown Of 18, and he wuz only a
young boy Of 16, and you made him
love yer and turn agin his mother, and
then we had ter send him away from
home ter keep yer apart, and then you
ran after him, and then he died, and it
broke my heart. You wuz the cause
of it, but for yer he would be livin'
now, comfort to his poor old mother
hated yer then for what yer did
Ev'ry time I look at yer think Of
the happiness you stole from me, an
hate yer wusser'n ever"
Oh,mother, mother!" sobbed Lindy.
"Im not your mother" screamed
Mrs. Putnam. 81 s'pose you must have
had one, but you'll never know who
she wuz; she didn't care nuthin' fer
yer, for she left yer in the road, and
Silas was fool enough to pick yer up
and bring yer home. What yer right
name is nobody knows, and mebbe yer
amt got rone."
At this taunt Indy arose to her
feet and looked defantly at Mrs. Put
nam. "You are not telling the truth.
Mrs. Putnam" said the girl; "you
know who my parents were, but you
will not tell me-"
"That's right" said Mrs. Putnam,
"git mad and show yer temper; that's
better than sheddin crocodile's tears,
as yer've been doin'; yer'ye been a
curse to me frorl the day fust set
eyes on yer. I've said I hate yer, and
do, an I'll never forgive yer fer what
yer've done to me-"
Lindy saw that words were useless.
Perhaps Mrs. Putnam might recover,
and If she did not provoke her too far
she might relent some day and tell
her what she knew about her parents;
SO she walked to the door and opened
it. Then she turned and said, Good
by, Mrs. Putnam, truly hope that you
will recover
'sWaal, sha'n't, J" said Mrs. Putnam.
"I'm goin'' to die, want ter die. I
want ter see Jones; ! want ter talk
ter him; / want ter tell him how
much loved him-how much I've suf-
fered through yer. I'm goin' ter tell
him how I've hated yer and what fer,
and when git through talkin' to him,
I'll guarantee he'll be my way o. think
i'm"
AS the old woman said this, with an
almost superhuman effort she raised
herself to sitting posture, pointed
her finger at Lindy, and gave utter
ances to wild, hysterical laugh that
almost froze the blood in the poor
girls veins.
Lindy slammed the door behind her,
rushed to her own room, locked the
door, and threw herself face downward
upon the bed. Should she ever forget
those last fearful words, that vengeful
face, that taunting finger, or that
mocking laugh?
/. ITO be Continued Thursday.)
4 uIMry tnE,e NEAy NNEpHNAr