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

er. at shall remain there, mother
as something you have no further need |
Of. That is done with now. 1t was a |
great temptation when you were living |
In lodgings in a town, not In good air;
and you were very weak and ill; but
soon you will be strong enough to get
over your fits of faintness OF depression
without that" She put her hand on her
mothers shoulder. "It is for my sake
that you have put it away"
In answer she took her daughters hand
In both hers, and covered 1t with kisses.
"Yes, yes, yes! l have put 1t away,
Yolande, for your sake. l have put
1t away forever now. But you have a
little excuse for me? You do not think
80 hardly of me as the others? | have
been near dying-and alone. did not
know had such beautiful daughter
coming to take care of me, too! And |
don't want you to go away now-not for
q while at least. Stay with me for
little time-until-unti l have got to.ba
Just Ike every one else and then shall
have no fear of being alone-l shall nev-
er, never touch that"
She glanced at the battle on the man
telshelf with a sort of horror. She held
her daughters hand tight. And Yo-
lande kept by her until not thinking it
was prudent to make too much of this
little incident, she begged her mother to
come and get her things on for another
short stroll before tea.
Toward the evening, however, It was
clear that this poor woman was suffer-
ing more and more, although she endeav-
ored to put brave face on 1t, and only
desired that Yolande should be In the
room with her. At dinner, she took
next to nothing; and Yolande, on her own
responsibility, begged to be allowed to
send for some wine for her. But no; she
seemed to think that there was some
thing to be got through, and she would
20 through with it. .ometimes she went
to the window and looked out-listening
to the sound of the sea in the darkness
Then she would come back and sit down
by the fire, and ask Yolande to read to
her-this, that, or the other thing.
Yolande did not go quickly to sleep,
for she knew that her mother was suffer
ing-the labored sighs from time to time
told her as much. She lay and listened
to the wash of the sea along the shingle
and to the tramp Of the last wayfarers
along the pavement. She heard the peo-
pie Of the house go upstairs to bed. And
then, by-and-by, the stiffness Of the room,
and the effects of the fresh air, and the
natural healthiness of youth combined to
make her drowsy, and, rather against
her inclination, her eyes slowly closed.
She was woke by a moan, as of soul
In mortal agony. But even In her alarm
che did not start up, she took time to re-
cover her senses. And If the poor moth
er were really in such suffering, would 1t
not be better for her to lie as If she were
asleep? No appeal could be made to her
for any relaxation of the promise that
had been given her.
Then she became aware Of a stealthy
noise, and a strange terror took posses
sion of her. She opened her eyes ever so
slightly-glimmering through the lashes
only-and there she saw that her worst
fears were being realized. Her mother
had got out of bed and stolen across
the room to the sideboard in the parlor
returning with a glass. Yolande, all
trembling, lay and watched. She was
not going to interfere, it was not part OF
her plan; and you may be sure she had
contemplated this possibility before now
And very soon 1t appeared why the poor
woman had taken the trouble to go for q
glass; it was to measure out the small
est quantity that she thought would al
leviate her anguish. She poured a Ger
tain quantity Of the black-looking fluid
Into the glass; then she regarded 1t as II
with hesitation; then she deliberately
poured back one drop, two drops, three
drops; and drank the rest at gulp
Then, in the same stealthy fashion, she
took the glass to the parlor and left \
there; and crept silently back again ant
into bed.
Yolande rose. Her face was pale; hel
lips firm. She did not look at her moth
er; but, Just as II she were assuming
her to be asleep. she quietly went out o.
the room and presently returned with I
glass In her hand. She went to tn,
chimney piece. Very well she knew tina
her mothers eyes were fixed on her
and intently watching her; and, as sh,
poured some Of that dark fluid into th'
glass, no doubt she guessed the poo
woman was imag gining that this was al
experiment to see what had been taker
out of the bottle. But that was no
quite Yolande's purpose. When she haC
poured out, as nearly as she could calcu
late, the same quantity that her mothe
had taken, she turned her face to tn,
light and deliberately drank the content
of the glass. It was done In a second
there was sweet, mawkish, pungen
taste In the mouth, and a shiver Of dis
gust as she swallowed the thing; thel
she calmly replaced the bottle on tn
chimney piece.
But the mother had sprung from he
bed with a wild shrek, and caught tn
girl by both hands.
"Yolande, Yolande, what have yol
donew
"what Is right for you, mother.