Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-12

/ ICY nanuS.
"I will write you prescription. Be-
yond that, will only advise you to
avoid strong excitement and excessive
fatigue"
rs It dangerous?" she faltered.
"Yes; that Is, with reasonable care,
my dear madam, you may live twenty
five years, but, on the other hand-life
is at best an insure thing, as we
| physicians learn"
| Her lips shook in a smile.
Il may live? Ahl I will be very
| careful I want to live"
He explained to her how to take the
medicine-ten drops i'm a little water.
Warn your husband, or whoever
will be apt to give you the drops. to
be very careful not to give you more
than the ten. The medicine is a pow
erful poison"
She folded the prescription and put It
in her purse
"Goodby," she said in her rough,
| gutteral voice
Good morning, madam"
Rosie sat by the window, sewing. It
nose was covered with beads OF mois-
ture, which she wiped away from time
to time with the back of her hand. 1t
did not occur to her to open the win
dow. with the Jewish idea of COM
| fort, she had taken off her dress and
her corsets, and wore a little, loose
| Jacket of striped flannel On her feet
were pair of kid slippers, down at
the heel and rubbed.
Her mind was full of contentment.
The newly awakened consciousness of
her own beauty gave her great satis-
faction. Benno Stern had told her
that he had never seen such a beauti-
full girl as she, and he had travelled.
He was rich, and she would probably
marry him. But she wished he was
handsome like Uncle Leo. Then she
thought of other things. She wished
she had q red dress like Clara Elm
STEMS.
She could imagine it. cut square and
lower than her pink. She dropped her
work. 1t was too dark to sew.
Cut square and fastened under the
| arm.
She rose and lit the lamp. On the
| table was a red cotton cover with
fringe. AS she set down the lamp an
idea struck the girl.
| She drew the cover off and, taking
off her jacket, draped the soft cotton
about herself, tucking the mass in her
corsets.
| She stood in front of her glass, a
smile of delight on her radiant face.
Two minutes after, Baum came in;
then his wife entered, going to her
room to take off her cloak and to hide
her medicine.
She was very tired. Too tired to go
at once through with the long recital
which would be necessary if she
| showed, the bottle to the two in the
other room. She sank down in the
chair by the door and let her muscles
relax She could hear Baum's voice,
and she smiled.
Poor Leo!" she thought Hell feel
awful bad. 1 must break it gently to
| him."
! The door was ajar. Without NOV
| ing, she pushed it a little so she could
see into the next room. Rosie was sit
| ting on the arm of chair, holding the
red table cover about her.
Baum stood watching her with fold
ed arms. His face was in shadow.
Don't you laugh at me, Uncle Leo"
said the girl II wanted to see how
it'd be. Don't you think 1 look awful
nice in a red dress?"
You look awful nice in most any
thing, Rosie"
"You wait! Some day I'll have lots
of dresses she went on, looking at
herself over her shoulder.
"How?" he asked roughly.
Him. When I'm married"
Don't you go accounting your
chickens before they're Matched, Miss
Strauss"
She rose and went to him. Don't
be cross, Uncle Leo" Perhaps you
think don't know Benno Sterns dead
gone on me-"
Clara listened, amazed, too lazy to
speak There was short pause. Then
Baum said: "Damn Benno Stern"
"Oh shame on you!
"Its you ought to be ashamed. You
wouldn't marry him, now, would you,
Rosie?"
"Yes, I would. 1 like him. And he's
rich"
But you don't love him." Baum
caught her hands and looked into her
eyes.
She gave a little gasping sigh and
hid her face. Clara leaned forward.
She could not move. "Oh, what do you
want to look at me like that for,
Uncle Leo?" whispered the girl.
Il amt your uncle" he answered.
'I amt no relation to you, Rosie"
Then he caught her round the waist
and kissed her mouth.
Clara Baum saw in that one second
all eternity She knew her husband.
She knew before he moved that in one