Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-03-25
Sing Me to Sleep
BY AGNES C. HERBERrsoN

There was silence.
"Do you hear, Margot? ?" said
Jane Greet.
The other woman did not reply.
But for the moving needle she might
have been carved from stone.
The old woman looked from the
girl to her son, from one dark face
to the other. They were curiously
alike, those two faces, both showing
the impress of a strong and stubborn
will. They were curiously unlike,
too, the varying fires in the girls
eyes leaping out to meet a sober
practically and steadfastness in
those of the man.
"Margot, are you ready?" said
David.
He waited again, and again the
needle went in and out, his only re-
ply.
After pause, "She says she is
not going back to you," said Jane
Greet unwillingly.
"She has said that to me, too"
said David Greet-''that is to say,
she has written it. She wrote it in
8 hard, cruel letter, which she left
for me to read when l came in"
In spite of himself his voice shook.
He paused for a moment to steady
It. 81 shall not believe that letter,
Margot. 1t was unworthy of you. l
shall not believe that you mean to
do anything so cruel and wickedl"
The words came out with a jerk
"Margot, l am waiting to take you
home"
She would not answer.
With a quick stride he crossed
the room. "You shall speak to
me-" he cried. Il am not dog that
i do not deserve a word-though
you are not woman, but a stone,
or you would not sit there and re-
fuse to utter it, Speak, Are you
or are you not coming home? ?"
Without raising her eyes, 81 am
not coming" said Margot Greet.
David turned away, breathing
heavily. There's the weakness of
strength and the weakness of weak
ness" he said. "You can give in to
a woman because you're stronger
than her, and that's the way l went
about it with Margot. But she
thought it was the other kind of
way, the weak way, and she's had
to learn different There are tipes
when. man must show himself
man if he's to remain one"
He STROBE away, and Jane Greet
brushed the tears from her eyes.
GWell, she's with me-hfs mothep--
anyway. Folks can't talk to any
great length" she thought, with
sigh. Then she went back to the
stubborn girl who was her sons wife.
Margot was sitting where she had
left her, still sewing.
p "What arg You going to do?"
asked Jane. A harshness had crept
into her tone.
81 have already told you. l shall
find something to do, and / am not
going back" said the younger wo-
man.
IF you are not going back you
shall find nothing TO do. You must
stay here with me" said Jane Greet.
81 Gamma have the whole of Keston
talkin' about my sons wife"
And so things went on. Margot
worked for her mother-in-law only,
and her passivity ate into her very
soul. But she would not go back to
the man to whom she had not yet
been welded a year.
There came day when Jane
Greet met her with an odd look on
her withered face.
She had not mentioned the name
of the girls husband since that dark
night, deeming it better so. But to-
day she spoke.
He is going away-my son and
your man." she said fercely. 'May-
hap the cruise will take him far and
keep him long. Mayhap it will take
him so far and keep him so long
that he will never return. And to-
morrow he goes. She went away,
trying to hide her tears. But the
lads wife spoke never a word.
Jane never knew that that ni~ht
Margot went to look at her old
home. For a few short moments
she stood in the darkness looking al
the windows of the little house
which had seen her greatest banni-
ness and her passionate rebellion.
There was no light in it, and she
thought David was out till she heard
him begin to sing. That was an old
trick of his-to sing in the dark.
And on the old harmonium he could
pick out just the few notes he need
ed.
How well she knew the song! He
sang it with a little break in his