The St. Mary banner., 1906-12-01

invalid. "Oh, mother. do cheer me
up with the awful tale. and SO maze
me forget my aches, She was called
Lovely Betty, wasn't she. and became
the most talked Of woman OF her day
the idol of princes. poets ana paint
ers? Began life as a tramp's chiia
did she not, and ended it as 2 bar
onets wife, after du!res and all sorts
had gone mad over her? How came
sreat-grandfather to marry her
mother?"
Because he was silier than
the rest, replied Mrs. Eattersla. in
dignantly. Il never saw the creature
put once, though | heard all about
;1r. She was getting very stout,
losing her beauty, and taking to
drink; and she married foolish old
man to have home and behave ex-
actly as she liked. Well. she drank
more and more, spent and gambled.
beat him and knocked him about If
he expostulated-and then died in a
MT one week before he did. There
was an inquest and scandal without
end; and very little of the Arlington
fortune came to my mother. who Was
the second wife's daughter, So un-
| fair too, that of three wives, the last
and worst should make the title OF
Lady Arlington one to be remem
bered."
The mother quilted the room, and
the daughter was left alone. Though
free from bodily pain. Alice was still
feeble; and she feared that months
might pass before she could be
about again. She would have to lie
there with dingy wall paper to look
at as she turned to her right, while
on the left stood the large. old ward
robe which had been her mothers SO
many years
Coming along the narrow garden
wife Of the chaplain to the county
asylum; the chaplain himself; his
brother, the naval officer who had
so admired poor Alice some three
years ago, and young jay, q youth
at home for his holidays
and insisted they must como in and
see her mother. 1t was worth while,
after all, to keep up with nice people
who had known them in better days.
Mrs. Jay was one of those women
who depart slowly. and her leavetak-
ing had not quite finished-her hus- !
band, son and brOther-in-law waiting
patiently the while-when a loud
scream rang through the cottage, fol
lowed by calls for Mother" in
Alice's voice
Mrs. Battersley, Mrs. Jay and
Maria ran up the stairs, and found
the ailing girl in a dazed, half-fainting
condition, trembling and hardly
awake
"Oh, the horrible woman" she
gasped. The great. blOated creature
who crawled out of the wardrobe and
then lay across my chest! Make her
go, mother or | must diei"
"A dream" Mrs. Jay calculated: cor
perhaps touch Of Mysteries. Wen
stay with you, my dear. and nothing
shall hurt yoI! Plenty of men down
stairs to drive anything away. She
will be herself soon. though. Mrs. Bat
tersley."
Il am myself now" sobbed the in
valid somewhat angrily; "but | know
that woman is hiding somewhere. and
will come back to me If you go. For
days and nights | have heard her
rustling and feeling about counting
too, over and over again.
She's Lovely Betty, I'm sure, and she
hides in that WARDROBE"
She must be humored, the same as
unatics have to be-" whispered Mrs.
Jay to the mother. Let us open the
cupboard and pretend to search. and
hen show her nobody is there!"
Some dresses and bandboxes were
removed from the myster-
ous piece of furniture and piled on
Mrs. Battersley's bed till very little
seemed left behind. With great as
of cheerfulness. Mrs. Jay
affected to listen for possible sounds =
when, to her establishment and, that
# Mrs. Battersley and Maria a graf .
ing noise was plainly heard for
or two, then a rattle of small
metallic objects falling IN a shower
plaster or mice!" exclaimed the
visitor, somewhat startled at the ,
sounds.
Lovely Betty!' answered Alice, ,
now well awake and recovered from 9
Ter previous alarm. you are all .
lere, three Of you, and can bear wit ,
less to her noises. She began max =,
ng them as soon as my bed was :
moved to this corner and the ward ,
ODE dragged nearer the door" >
"Mv dear LET Mr.. Jay come up and