Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-09-30

table among the countless objects Mrs.
Jeffrey always had about her. The
noise seemed to startle her mistress,
who had walked to the window after
opening the door, for she wheeled i'm
petuously about and Loretta saw her
face. 1t was as If blight had passed
over 1t. Once gay and animated be-
yond the power Of any one to describe,
1t had become in twenty-four hours
ghosts face, with the glare Of some
awfu! resolve on it; or so it would
appear from the way Loretta describ-
ed it.
Loretta, who was evidently accus-
toned to seeing her mistress arrayed
In brilliant colors and much begem-
med. laid great stress on the fact that.
though it was on the verge Of evening
and she was evidently going out, she
was dressed in black cloth and with
out even diamond or a flower to re-
lieve its severe simplicity. Her hair,
too, which was always her pride, was
piled In careless mass upon her head
as If she had tried to arrange it her.
self and had forgotten what she was
doing while her fingers were but half
through their work. There was
cloak lying on chair near which she
was standing and she held hat in her
hand, but Loretta saw no gloves. AS
the maids glance and that of her mis-
tress crossed, Mrs. jeffrey spoke, and
the EFFORT she made in doing SO natu-
rally frightened the girl still more. "
am going out" were her words. II
may not be home till late What are
you looking att"
Loretta declared that the words took
her by surprise and that she did not
know what to say, but managed to COW
er up her embarrassment by intimating
that If her mistress would let her
touch up her hair bit she would
make her look more natural.
AT this suggestion Mrs. Jeffrey cast
glance in the glass and impetuously
declared. ut doesn't matter" But she
seemed to think better Of it the next
minute; for, throwing herself in a
chair, she babe the girl to bring a
comb and sat quietly enough, though
evidently in great tremor of haste
and impotence, while Loretta combed
her hair and put it up in the old way.
But the old way was not as becom-
ing as usual, and Loretta was wonder
Ing II she ought to call In Miss futile
When Mrs. Jeffrey jumped to her feet
and went over to the table and began
to eat with the feverish haste of one
who forces herself to take food in
spite of hurry and distaste,
This waa the moment for Loretta to
leave the room. but she did not know
how to do SO. She felt herself fixed
to the spot and stood watching Mrs.
jeffrey till that lady, suddenly becom-
ing conscious Of the girls presence,
turned, and in the midst of the means
which broke unconsciously from her
lips said with pitiable effort at her
old manner:
go away, Loretta; am i'll; have
been Ill for two days. don't like peo-
pie to look at me like that! Then, as the
girl shrank back, she added in break
ing voice, when Mr.. Jeffrey comes
home and said no more for several
minutes, during which she clutched
her throat with both hands and strug-
gled with herself TIL she got her voice
back and found herself able to repeat:
HWhen Mr.. jeffrey comes, IL he does
come, tell him that was right about
the way that novel ended. Remember
that you are to say to him the moment
you see him that was right about the
novel and that he is to look and see If
1t did not end as said it would. And,
Loretta here she rose and approach
ed the speaker with a sweet, appeal
Ing look which brought tears to the
impressionable girls eyes-"dm't 60
gossiping about me downstairs. I
shan't be sick long. am going to be
better soon, very soon. By the time
you see me here again shall be quite
like my old self. Forget how-how"-
and Loretta said she seemed to have
difficulty in finding the right word here
-"how childish have BEEN"
OF course Loretta promised, but she
Is not sure that she would have had
the courage to keep oil this to herself
II she had not heard Mrs. Jeffrey stop
in Miss Tuttle's room on her way out
That relieved her and enabled her to
go downstairs to bel, own supper with
more appetite than she had thought
ever to have again. Alas, it was the
!! last good meal she was able to eat 70,
days! In three hours afterward q
man came from the station house with
the news Of Mrs. Jeffrey's suicide in
the horrible old house in which she
had been married only two weeks be
fore.
AS this had been a continuous mar
rative and concisely told, the coroner
had not interrupted her. When at this
point little gasp escaped Miss Tuttle
and groan broke from Francis JET
frey's hitherto sealed lips the feelings
Of the whole assemblage seemed t.
find utterance. A young wife's misery
eliminating In death on the very spo
where she. had been so lately married
{! What could be more thrilling or ap
peal more closely to the general hear
Of humanity7 But the cause Of tina
misery! This was what every one pres
ent was eager to have explained. Thi!
Is what we now expected the coroner
to bring out. But instead of continu
ing on the line he had opened up h,
proceeded to ask:
"Where were you when this office
brought the news you mention?"
! I'm the hall. sir. I opened the doc
for him."
"And to whom did he first mention
his errandW
ITO Miss futile. She had come ii
| Just before him and was standing a