St. Tammany farmer., 1906-08-25

I'm the name of the blessed lamb"
CALCULATED Mrs. Lawson, staring at
him over the gate pickets, whatever
has happened? What do you want to
60 anywhere and board for? Amt the
Catalpas-"
1T is a wrench to me to leave the
sid place." Sinclair interrupted, "and
my father will be very lonely now that
my mother is dead. But Katharine
has set her heart on it, and if you will
take US" 2
II haven't sign of room left,
Alick," Mrs. Lawson broke in, except
the room on the roof" she added
dubiously. es~ ''@'r @- "~
well, what is the matter with the
room on the roof?" demanded Sinclair.
whimsically.
He threw back his head as he spoke.
and screwed his eyes up at the box
like structure planted on the roof OF
the low cottage.
Nothing" returned Mrs. Lawson,
hastily, nothing at all, except that 1t
Is 80 small. Besides, the stair is like
a ladder. Katharine would never = 4
"All right; I'll take it at your own
price, Mrs. Lawson"
She was very beautiful, the golden
haired girl whom Alick Sinclair had
brought, bride, to his fathers house
less than two years before. The mys-
terious malady which developed short
ly after her marriage, and which con-
tinued to battle her physician, had
robbed her cheeks ct their color and
bloom. But it added an indescribable
charm to her delicate face and fragile
figure. An unearth1y- expression
dawned into her large blue eyes-a
prescient gaze, as II ner vision, like
her sense of hearing, had become alb
normally acute. Something almost
akin to awe filled those around this
exquisite young creature at sight OF
her strange and inexplicable suffer-
ings. She had, apparently, no bodily
ailment. But the slightest irregular
sound thrilled her with nervous alarm;
her attenuated frame shook with con-
| vulsions at any unexpected appear
ance; she paled at Whit Of unaccus-
toned perfume. She ate but little,
and seemed to have lost the faculty of
sleep. Latterly, a morbid distaste for
the old Sinclair homestead had pos
sessed her. She breathed with diff
Guilty within its lofty walls: she. was
oppressed by the atmosphere Of its
shadowy garden.
The same night saw them installed
in Mrs. Lawson's room on the roof.
The room was small. A four-posted,
mahogany bedstead, with balduchin
and side steps, occupied at least one
quarter Of the floor space.
Sinclair, seated on the side of the
bed, smiled as he compared this
cramped rookery with his wife's ample
dressing-room at the Catalpas. But
he felt an unwonted lightness of spir-
1t. He could see the reflection OF
Katharine's face in the mirror oppo-
site. She stood with her back to him,
brushing out her long hair. There
was look of content on her white
| brow; he even fancied a touch of color
in her lips; her golden hair seemed to
have regained somewhat OF its lost
luster.
"She was right" he thought; ''the
change has already helped her"
He watched with delight the rhyth-
mic motion of her slender arms.
Meanwhile he chatted gayly of his
boyhood days, and the recollections
aroused by Mrs. Lawson's motherly
gossip. Katharine listened, turning
from time to time with a nod or a
smile.
He stopped abruptly, staring con-
fusedly into space. He passed ls
hand across his forehead and contin-
ued his story. But the words were ut
tered mechanically. Was there-he
was asking himself-was there some
thing moving between Katharine and
himself? Something faint and shad-
owy?-cloudlike? misty? Yes! No.
He shut his eyelids tightly and opened
them again. Yes! He could see It
plainly now, the gray-clad figure of a
woman with head dropped to her
breast and arms hanging at her side.
"My God!" he groaned, inwardly,
''now Katharine will turn around!
She will see it! The shock will kill
her! She will die! She will drop
dead before my eyes!"
"Katharine!" the words burst inyol-
unfairly from his lips. He sprang for
ward with outstretched arms.
did you speak, Alick?" asked his
wife, looking over her shoulder.
"Yes-no-that 10, -" he stam-
mersd, 4 cold sweat beading his fore
head. g
The visitor had resumed her ghostly
walk.
Dear Alick." said Katharine, ca
ressingly. 7 know You must be tired.
n will be ready for bed in one mo-
ment."
"She sees nothing! She hears moth
ing! oh. thank God!" thought Sim
clair, turning his hot eyes from the
white-robed figure kneeling in prayer
by the bedside to the gray-clad shadow
moving up and down the room.
Katharine nestled like a tired child
among the pillows and fell instantly
asleep. Her husband hung over her In
an agony Of amazement and incredul-
ity. Could it really be that she was
sleeping? Was she not rather dead!
Her regular breathing, the smile on
her slightly parted lips, the soft aban-
donment Of her limbs, reassured him.
Yet, how strange! How long sincs
she had slept thus! 'Thank God!" he