Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-28
sae held out her hand shaklly.

|
bad" She repeated the words over and
over In sort of wall.
'oh, oh, GRAMMAR" she gasped scram-
| bling 10 her feet and taking a swift step
back II want to gor'
"But he sball-he shall COLTS easy--
he snail go away. It's easy-as death"
But, grammar" she broke out excited
~, you don't understand. It's not Kari:
| don't want you to touch Karl. It's father
come about want you to make father
feel different. just want you 10 change
him. The old figure was rocking back
and forth, now slowly. 1t was as IL she
were alone end had not heard Rose.
An, yes. yes, yes, yes. That's good; It's
good Therell be revenge-for she loves
him; she looked into his eyes, and she can
not sleep. Ha. ha Ia! An. what's thisY
An old man2-with white hair?-oh. there's
but one way-revenge. ha. hal revengel re-
venge!"
Don't do anything. l want to go.-But.
oh. it's father 1 come about. You won't
touch him, will you? He's kind and good
and jolly II you don't cross him. He'd do
anything for me, but he can't be crossed.
II isn't his fault; he was made so. But
you haven't any Idea how set he is. He's
a man of iron. and he's set aganst-hlm.
and he's going to ruin him, and he can do
it-and l want you 20 make him stop
hating him. on, you can, can't you,
gran maw?"
And she'll look in her cap-the cap she
wore In the rain and shell find a hair
gray Harlan old mans hair" Auto
matically Rose looked into the cap which
she held in her hand 1t was her fathers
cap which she had taken on account of the
storm In the crown was n thick gray
hair. She had II In her fingers before she
was aware OF what she was doing.
Here. give It to met The command was
! like hiss
| For the first time she saw the woman's
! eyes. Piercing and snaky they were fixed
| upon hers. and not foot away. The eager
| ness and glitter in them were wholly ami
| NAL Rose extended her hand, powerless
| to do otherwise. The creature took the
| hair and with 1t the handkerchief which
| Rose had bound about the scratch received
| In the thorns. There was blood in the CEN
| ter.
oh gran'maw-" But the eyes of the
woman. fastened full upon her. took away
| her powers of speech. She could only gasp
| and hold herself rigid.
! Wait for me- The command had in IL
almost hypnotic power Then with a fee
! Bile movement the bowed figure gathered
| itself together with the aid of a long staff
| and arose to its feet. Then, taking the
candle In It's shaky hand. It hobbled to
door at the end of the room.
! oh grammar, you won't harm any
! body-you won't harm father? Promise
me. grammar. You won't do anything
upon her appeal
She turned about In a tremor The room
was now in darkness, save for the Goals
in the fireplace. Everything was silent
| She had an impulse TO flee from the uu-
canny house headlong, nor stop until she
! was IN her own room, but she was power
I
deeper than she knew.
To her the affair was unspeakably awful.
| FOR, despite her good sense, she had deem
| below all more than trace of the valley
| superstition. Gran NAV Miller had ever in
! her imagination been "a fearful parsonage
The nurses of her childhood were RESPONSE.
! bic, and her neighbors who had Whispered
wild tales of THE power and even her
father, who in most ways was a trlIe SON
of the valley.
Beyond the fireplace Poppy Miller, asleep
I odd a1T
| out recovering himself each time at the
| critical instant She watched him for a
moment with a strange fascination. Sud
! osnly something caused her to glance up
! and she looked full into the black ewes OF
Iona Heller. She started as she had never
before started in her life, and gave a
nervous scream.
why. why, Iona. You here? didn't
| hear you"
Here's chair. Don't stand" She
pushed kitchen rocker in her direction
| ''Oh. Iona, do you know about IL? She
| isn't going to harm papa, is sheer any
body? You won't let her. will your"
She'll do what she'll do" The girl took
low seat before the glover of the Goals
and began to stroke cat that had come
noiselessly from the darkness.
/ But what do you think, Lona?"
Gran maw'll help you." she answered
evasively. It's coming right"
but how can it? I've thought it all over
S ana d oyer ,..n rather a won't give inland IL
Better che than two" yhe low purring
OF the cat resounded through the room in
| the silence.
| What do yog mean?" she asked, turning
| quickly.
Nothing. You'll be happy; you haven't
| any trouble I wish to God you did know
what trouble was for just one day" There
was strange squirt Of bitterness in the
! tone.
why. Iona" She cast swift look
| at the girl. What-what do you mean,
| Lona?'
Nothing"
There's something wrong. Tell me.
| Iona. 1mpulsively she crossed over to
! her and laid her hand on her arm There
was no reply.
Tell me, Iona" she whispered For
| single instant the girl looked eagerly up at
Rose, but she dropped her glance as
| quickly.
ITS nothing" she said carelessly, aris-
| Ing with a quick movement and throwing
more wood on the Goals.
''Hark! sh-h-h-ht" The door opened and
Gran NAV Miller hobbled out With al
most painful effort she regained her seat
! by the fireplace
Loney," she wheezed.
instantly the girl sprang forward. scooped
up IN the pipe bowl a hot coal, and
i placed the pipe in her hand Then, for
what seemed to Rose like an hour, there
w waso silence save for the spasmodic puffs.
was much bowed. she noted. and the face
| mad the leathery appearance which char
acterizes very dark people in extreme old
A
! eyes deeply sunken in the sockets and the
mar, despite her seeming great age, scarce
| ~ touched with gray. The silence at length
became uncomfortable
"Gran'maw." the girl began shakilv
What have you done? What is it? Tell
me about 1t. What you going to do?
| It's nothing bad, is it? Tell me- gran'maw''
Again there was silence, broken suddenly
by the woman's voice this time with a
| touch of excitement In it.
"Ah. lookl It's death-death-death. Ha
| ha hat See him. Look! see there, His
| eyes are wide open. See the purple i'm
MS face All, reyenge!-revenge!-reven
| Ha, ha. har
"Oh, gram NAV what is #? Tell me-
| Quick. What have you done? Again Rose
kneeled inpulsively. but there was no an
swer now. The shriveled figure seemed TO
| bow lower and lower in its chair; the pipe
| dropped with a rattle on the hearth and
the head fell forward.
Gran NAV has said all she will tonight
Lena laid her hand lightly Roses arm.
I'D go now"