Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1907-06-21


tered the room he threw up his hands
and fed in mortal fear. He expected
to see his sick wife, but instead he be-
held, seated in the huge armcheir be-
side the window, form part human,
part monster He turned and looked
again No, there was no mistake. He
saw plainly enough the enormous fore
head, the awful nose, the grinn1ng
mouth, the hideous cheekbones. And
Pat was not crazy, nor was he intoxi-
Gated
Rational as he was, he did not be-
lieve his own senses. And, going back
once more, he peered through the half
opened door at the strange figure in the
armchair. He was more startled now
to find that everything but the face
belonged to his wife There was the
lowered waist she had worn when he
left in the morning; there was the
same snowy kerchief about her neck;
there was the same skirt; and there,
clasped upon it's somber folds, we're
yes, those were his wife's hands. OF
this he was as certain as that two
and two are four Even the cloth
slippers protruding from beneath the
skirt belonged to his wife. But the
faee-eh, that awful face! Yes, hf1
wife was sick, but no disease could dis
tort a human countenance into the gro
tesque one that was most certainly his
wife.
Pat went out on the doorstep and
pondered. Then he went and sat on
the bench by the pump. From there
be moved to an old stump opposite the
window at which the strange being was
seated. He tried to look in, but tan
gled growth of vines prevented this.
So he advanced cautiously, and when
he reached the window he peeked
through into the room. There it still
sat, solemn, stolid, awful. Pat made
a hasty retreat. He sat down on the
doorstep again.
He began to wonder where Mary, his
daughter, had gone. Why had she
left '1t''-that's what he now began to
term the figure in the armchair
alone? He had cautioned her before
he left, telling her to be sure to re-
main constantly at his wife's side. This
awful catastrophe would not have oc-
Cured had she needed what he told
her. Well, how could anything like
1t happen, anyway? Pat ran his fingers
through his hair. How could his wife
get another face? How could? Pat
swore under his breath and went back
to the old stump again.
At length Mary came sauntering
down the road. She had a parcel Or
two in her arms. These she placed up
on the step beside her father, and then
asked how her mother was feeling.
why didn' We SHAY to homer" Pat
asked Then with true Irish abrupt
ness he added. Eyer mither's lost her
head. She's gone. Ye got"
But Mary listened no longer. Her
shrill voice rose in wild weeping at
hearing her father say she no longer
had a mother, and she rushed up the
stairs and into the house.
Pat sat on musing, and of a sudden
an awful shrek came from within the
house. A moment later Mary, her face
white, her eyes staring, almost fell out
of the doorway into his arms. She was
bordering on Mysteries
did We liver in your loife see SIGH
a lookin'-mither? Pat asked.
at amt MOTHER Mary sobbed, cit
amt mother But it's her dress, and
and-her hands. But her face! Oh,
It amt mother, it can't be mother!"
tits mither all but the-the fa-ace,"
Pat declared. but how did she git
that fa-ace? Did We liver see wan loike
it? It's enough to scare the divil him
self"
Mary chung to her father. 81 had to
go to the store she began by way of
explanation. 81 went just as the doc
came in so mother wouldn't be alone
for long. hurried as much as could
Oh, if | hadn't only gone if | hadn't
only gonei" "Yis, yis," said Pat, 'if
you'd "a sthayed at home, you could "a
seen how it happened alnyway, even
If We couldn't a stopped it. Mary, you
don't think-No. Oh don't think mesilf
they could gra-aft anither head on;
do We? Shtill, they do wonderful things
these days. If the docthor did put it
on, whoy didn't he put on dacent
one? Oh bet he put ON the worsht one
in the lot Oh won't pay fur it, Mary,
no, Oh won't pay fur it, not till I'm
satisfied. He's got to put on better
lookin' fa'ace than that before he gifts
amy money out me, OF tell ye Did
We liver see sich for-ead? And SIGH
nose! It's plashtered al over the IA
ace. The mouth is laughin' all the
tonne. OF don't want a face loike that
that's grinning all the to' He's
got to put on a dacent ore, & he don't
git no pay
Pat folded his arms and threw back
his head.
HE couldn't do it, Mary now said;
mo. he couldn't put on different