Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1904-05-13


tic criticism.
Pardon me-" she returned, 'it will
sound much worse in a large room
than In this one. You have way
of dropping your voice at the end of
every sentence which would be abso-
lutely maddening to an audience anx-
ious to hear you. You must get rid of
that fault, and pray raise your eyes
from your notes when you are telling
those stories"
"Oh, | couldn't" | exclaimed, terri
fled at the very thought 81 should be
sure to catch the glance of some one
| know which would confuse me, and
when l returned to my manuscript
again | should lose my place and suf
fer an agony of embarrassment"
She shrugged her shoulders slightly
Then read it to me again and l will
coach you a bit"
| obeyed while she moved restlessly
about the room, occasionally interrupt
ing me with such remarks as: "Now
that little incident really was pathetic,
but you tell it with no more feeling
than a phonograph," or '1f you don't
raise your voice there the point you
are trying to make will be entirely
lost" When | had finished she pro
nounced it much better. but frankly
added that there was still much to. be
desired
Events seldom slip into expected
grooves, and upon the morning of the
18th of November | awoke with pain
in the back of the head which clutched
me like an iron hand 1t was my old
enemy which two or three times year
comes to blot day from my calendar
The present attack was so acute that
my husband, who was planning a
weeks absence from the city, wished
to postpone his departure, a sugges-
ton to which | would not listen. But
the little hammers beating in my brain
could not drive out the recollection
that an audience would assemble this
afternoon to hear me, and that sub
stitute must be found. please take
my paper to the club rooms" | said.
Leave it in the hands of the custo-
dian and explain the situation. Then
ask Mrs Herbert II she will send me
the headache cure she brought from
India. Set the catch of the door so
that she may enter" When the good
man returned from breakfast in the
cafe | heard him moving about in the
adjoining room as he packed his vallse,
after which he took his departure, safe
ly closing the door behind him.
Shortly afterward Mrs Herbert
came in with the desired medicine.
''rhis Is the day | was to have read
my paper" l murmured as she poured
small quantity of amber liquid into
u tiny glass she had brought with
her.
TOO badr' she replied What will
they do about it?'
Il sent it down to the club. Some
one will read it; hope it will be well
read, for l should hate to have it fall
flat"
My friend offered me the little glass,
saying, This will make you sleep for
three or four hours, and it will make
you feel like a different woman"
She took chair by the bed where
she seemed to fade slowly away like
phantom which reluctantly returns to
the neither world.
When | awoke the clock was strik-
ing and my headache had entire dis
A maid entered bearing an
dinner ordered for me by
Mrs. Herbert On the tray was a note
stating that my friend had been called
to New York by telegram and bid
ding me good-by for week.
The evening papers gave brief no
tees of the club meeting, and | search
ed those of the following morning to
find who had read my essay. The no.
tices of the paper on The Rise and
Fall of Superstition" were full and
most gratifying, but none mentioned
to read 1t. My astonishment may be
imagined when on the inside sheet of
Il sensational journal found sketchy
portrait of myself. The likeness was
not striking, but the dress and the hat
were my own. The unusual embrold-
cry pattern on the corsage was family
but Enthusiastically indicated, and the
shape of the hat was the same as that
which now reposed in the bandbox on