Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1905-02-09

puIuiu1 ANN icttNAe $50 oef.e"b
Tor q long stay, for she had decided -
once that she would stay as long q
Cousin Mary would keep her.
She left home three days before
Thanksgiving. It was four-hour triH
to Porter ,apc she was kept busy rec
ognixing things along the way. BY
the time she reached the little station
she was very pleasantly excited ana
Rugged Cousin Alb enthusiastically. But
the ride to the farm was long and Il
was cold and some Of her high spirits
died away by the time they. reached
the warm house.
The first day things were all right.
Bettina was kept SO busy exploring the
farm that she had no time to be lone
some The next day things were not
quite SO nice. There wasn't anything
to read and the fields and woods did
not look quite SO. inviting as Bettina
had thought they would. She was glad
to 60 to bed early and walked the next
day, the day before Thanksgiving, IN
very bad temper It had turned much
colder and her fingers were SO stif
that she could hardly dress, there be-
ing no fire in the room. The day
dragged on, and Bettina in sheer de-
spair helped cook the dainties that
she was to eat the next day. At dusk
the farmer brought the tri-weekly pa
per from the city and tossed 1t over ia
Betty. who was eager to read the news
Of home. She glanced at the first page
and then something caught her eye
that sent the blood back to her heart
and left her pale and sick. What
Should she do. In big headlines was
announced the Accident in the White
hall Brothers wholesale house. Three
injured fatally and among them one
Of the firm, John Whitehall, Jr." She
read no further, but tossed the paper
to the wondering cousins and dashed
to her room to pack her suit case. This
evening train could be caught If they
hurried and Cousin Alb hitched up the
team quicker than he had in his life
Neither he nor Bettina will forget that
ride to town. She was nearly wild and
kept saying; ITS my fault, all my
fault" But they reached the station
in time to get the train and in due sea
son the train reached the city, though
Bettina thought the four hours eight.
1t was midnight when they got there.
She took cab and went straight to
the Whitehall house, only to find 1t
dark and lifeless. After ringing three
times and getting no response, she d.
rected the cab driver to take her to the
Mercy hospital, rejecting that they
would probably have taken him there
and that the family was there to say
good-by to him. She hoped she would
be in time to have him speak to her
again. The cab waited for her at the
door of the hospital, while she made
inquiries, finding that there was no pa
tient of that name in the building
The matron looked at her rather Sc
verely and Bettina began to recognize
that II was after midnight and that
she was alone-hafdly conventional
situation. Nearly frantic with grief
and suspense, and not knowing what
else to do she went home and her as
onished father let her in at one o'clock
and asked rather sternly for an ex-
PLANTATION. He looked at her rather
strangely as she explained, and then
he told her to go to bed and he would
take her to the house in the morning,
II she wanted to relieve her mind by
being forgiven. She plead TO 60 now.
and then told him that she had been
to the house and could rouse no one.
All the comfort she got was that she
probably had got the wrong house, and
she was not sure that this was not
true. So she went to bed, and her
father told her mother that Bsttina
had learned her lesson and that he was
going to rub It in q little in the ,morn-
Ing.
Bettina spent a genuinely wakeful
night for the first time in her life.
She vas up betimes and her pale tear
swollen face almost made her father
relent, but he foresaw greater happi-
ness for her by letting things take
their course. So as soon as breakfast
was over he told her to get her things
On and they started The servant who
opened the door OF the Whitehall man.
zion was too well trained to show any
surprise as he let them In ard asked
hem to wait a little. Bettina was so
nervous she could not sit down, but
stood watching the door, waiting the
summons to the sick-bed. The servant
presently and asked them to
wait a little longer. Bettina's father
old her that he was due at the once
md now that she was announced he
would leave her. So she was left
llone. Then after what seemed hours
he heard a step and turned toward the
ioor what did, this meanf It was
John, as hearty and wen as ever, hold
ng out both hands to Bettina Bettina
iank into the nearest chair.
The servant who came to the door
o call them to breakfast, tip-tosd away