Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-07-27

had not slept the night before, or II SHE
had laid her head anywhere 1t had
been on the rug already spoken of.
These signs Of extreme mental suf-
fering, SO much more extreme than any
Loretta had ever before witnessed,
frightened her so that the tray shook
In her hand rs she set 1t down on the
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 n 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 a
ghosts face, with the glare Of some
awful resolve on it; or SO 1t would
appear from the way Loretta describ-
ed it.
Lorettn, 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 1t was on the verge of evening
and she was evidently going out, she
was dressed in black cloth and with
out even a diamond or 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 n
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. II
am going out" were her words. az
may not be home till late What are
you looking nt?"
Loretta declared that the words took
her by surprise and that she did not
know what to say, but managed to cov-
er up her embarrassment by intimatIng
that II 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
comb and sat quietly enough, though
evidently in great tremor of haste
and Impotence, while Loretta combed
her hair and put 1t up In the old way.
But the old way was not us becom-
ing as usual, md Loretta was wonder
Ing If 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 fevcrish haste of one
who forces herself to take food in
spite Of hurry and distnste.
This was 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 pltiable effort ut her
old manner:
Go away, Loretta; am i'll; have
been i'll for two days. don't like pco-
pie to look ut me like thatw Then, as the
girl shrank back. she added in u 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 till she got her voice
back and found herself able to reDeat:
when Mr.. jeffrey comes, If 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 lie is to look and see IL |
1t did not end us sud 1t would. And,
Loretta"-- here she rose and approach
ed the speaker with sweet, appeal
Ing look which brought tears to the
!mpressionable girls eyes-"don't go