Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-10-13
CHAPTER XIX.


pitiable to witness. She flung her arms
round her daughter, and drew her to her,
and wept aloud, and called down ven
geance upon herself from heaven. And
then, In a passion of remorse, she few
at the bottle that was standing there.
and would have hurled 1t into the fire.
place, had not Yolande (whose head was
beginning to swim already interposed,
calmly and firmly. She took the bottle
from her mothers hand and replaced 1t.
no; 1t must remain there, mother. 1t
must stand there until you and can
bear to know that it is there, and not to
wish for It,"
Even in the midst of her wild distress
and remorse there was one phrase in
this speech that had the effect Of silenc-
ing the mother altogether. She drew
back, aghast, her face white, her eyes
staring with horror.
you and II" she repeated. "You and
I? You, to become like-like-"
YES" said Yolande. What is right
for you is right for met that is what
mean to do-always. Now, dear moth
err" she added in more languid way,
II will lie down; am giddy-"
She sat down on the edge of the bed,
putting her hand to her forehead, and
rested 80 awhile; then insensibly after a
time she drooped down on to the pillow
although the frightened and frantic
mother tried to set an arm around her
waist; and very soon the girl had relaps-
ed into perfect insensibility.
And then cry rang through the house
like the cry of the Egyptian mothers
over the death of their frst-born. The
poison seemed to act In directly oppo-
site ways in the brains of these two
women-the one 1t plunged into a pro-
found stupor; the other 1t drove into
frenzy. She threw herself on the sense
less form and wound her arms round the
girl, and shrieked aloud that she had
murdered her child-her beautiful daugh-
ter-she was dying-dead, and no one
to save her-murdered by her own moth
er! The little household was reused
at once. Jane came rushing in, terri
fed. The landlady was the first to re-
cover her wits, and instantly she sent a
housemaid for a doctor. Jane, being a
strang-armed woman, dragged the hys-
terical mother back from the bed, and
bathed her young mistress forehead with
eau-de-cologne-it was all the poor kind
creature could think of. Then they tried
to calm the mother somewhat; for she
was begging them to give her knife
that she might kill herself and die with
her child.
The doctors arrival quieted matters
somewhat; and he had scarcely been o
minute In the room when his eyes fell
on the small blue bottle on the mantel
piece. That he instantly got hold of
the label told him what were the con
side Of the girl-who was lying insensi
BILE, in heavy breathing sleep, her ches
laboring as If against some weight-ht
had to exercise some self-control over the
mother to get her to show him precisely
the quantity Of the fluid that had beer
taken. The poor woman seemed beside
herself. She dropped on her knees be
! fore him, In a passion of tears, ant
clasped her hands.
Save her, save her!-save my chilt
to me!-if you can give her back to m,
, l will die hundred times before harm
shall come to her-my beautiful chilt
that came to me like an angel, with kind
, ness and open hands-and this is wha
I've done"
Hush, hush" said the doctor, an,
, he took her by the hand and gently rails
ed her. Now You must be quiet. I an
not going to wake your daughter. l
that Is what she took, she will sleep
, off; she Is young, and should sa.
. healthy. l am going to let nature worl
the cure; though l fear the young lad
!. will have a bad headache In the morn
ing. 1t Is most mischievous thing t
= have such drugs in tie house. You ar
: her maid, I understandr he said, turn
4 ing to Jane.
"Yes, sir"
"Ah. Well, I think for tonight yo
had better occupy that other bed there
: and the young lady's mother can hav
: a bed elsewhere. don't think you nee
1 fear anything-except headache In tn
morning. Let her sleep as long as sh
e may. In the morning let her 20 for
drive In the fresh air, II she Is too lar
:, guild to walk"
But the mother cried 30 bitterly O
v hearing of this arrangement that the
had to consent to her retaining her plac
II in the room, while Jane said she coul
u u make herself comfortable enough in a
', : armchair. As for the poor mother, sh
u did not go back to her own bed at all
: she sat at the side Of Yolandes bed
u at the foot Of 1t, lest the sound Of he
: sobbing should disturb the sleeper; an
: : sometimes she put her hand ever so nght
:, ly on the bedclothes, with kind Of pa
u as 1t were, while the tears were runnin
down her face.
Yolande passed from one vision q
terror to another all through the lon
u night; until In the gray Of the mornin
20 she slowly awoke to sort Of half-stup,
fed consciousness. She had q headach
u so frightful that at first she coul
scarcely open her eyss But she did ne
d mind that; she was ovsrjoysd that sh