The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-26
Mrs. Wortley's
Secret


door, stepped into the narrow Vestibule
and rang sharply the old-fashioned bell.
Ordinarily he would have deposited a
bottle of milk on the floor, picked up the
empty" that had been set ont ever
night. and departed with the cheerful
bang and clatter that has been anathe-
ma to good sleepers since the days of
-Aristophanes; but this time there was
a variation of the program. He waited.
Handling his basket of unstable bottles
with as much care as if they were eggs,
he placed ii silently in a corner, and
with hunched shoulders, ear to the key
hole, a determined expression on his
blowzy young face, he appeared to be
listening intently to the gradually di-
minishing jingle jingle of his summons
away down in the basement kitchen
Refraining. for reasons of his own,
from advertising the fact that he was
still on the spot by a second pull at the
knob, he crouched in the attitude long
after the tongue of the bell has ceased
its musical clangOr. 1t was fully five
minutes before he moved as much as an
eyelid Then he suddenly gathered him
self. held his breath. and. as the door
opened a crack. pushed 1t wide and
stepped triumphantiy in.
"There." he exclaimed with satisfac-
ton.
Lord a massyl What's all this?"
cried a thin, cracked voice.
The hall was dusky, but the boy could
see that an old woman of untidy APP
pearance stood staring dazedly at him,
her hand on the knob of the door which
he had closed on entering. He gave a
short. sneering chuclzle. Then he began
1aboriously to unbutton his many lay
cred wrapping OF heavy clohing-
This here little bil1.' he said produc-
ing and handing 1t to the woman, has
run three months, an every time the old
man comes round for it it's twenty
three for him. Skiddoo! Nobuddy home.
See? want tn money. I want ii now.
AN I'll git It, too, afore I'll leave, or I'll
hist out tn furniture"
Wen. good Lord" exclaimed the wo-
man, who, though plainly of a meek dis
position, was reused to some degree of
seIf-assertion by the open attack, ''if
YOU want your money guess you can
have IL You needn't tear my head off.
I don't owe you anything. It's Mrs.
wortiey. and she's worth a million dol
liars. You step over here away from her
door end I'll tell her"
The boy jeered at the mention of this
magnificent sum. 1t was easy enough
to call anybody a millionaire. Any
body. She might call him one If she
wanted to. But her manner. presa ged
success for his mission, and, somewhat
Modified, he stood back by the stairs
while the woman raped gently at the
parIor door.
''Mrs. wortIeyl" she cried. not too
loudly. There was no answer.
Mrs Wortley, Mrs. Wortley, The
milkman is here and wants to see you"
This time the voice was stronger, but
there came no sound from within. She
waited a moment and then ratified the
door knob. Still no response.
"She must be fast asleep. She doesn't
like to be woke uD-can't you come
again when"
ooh, sureI" he interrupted. with a
world of expression. All his doubts and
determination were rearOused by these
complex patterns of which he was on
intimate terms. "Oh, sure. I'll come
ag'in An I'll stay right here till I do.
too. You sure got lead pipe cinch on
me in this deal. mOmmer. Me? Why,
You never see me out when the dew is
falling Some rude creature might ac-
cost me-"
With one explosion of this bomb of
sarcasm, picked up last night at the
dime museum. he grinned delightedly,
sat down on the stairs, and leaned COM
fortably against the wall as if he would
he happy to remain there for any indie
finite period.
eff that amt killin'." muttered the
woman ir disgust and Indignation. She
stood irresOlutely, looking at him.
Well" she said, after a moment, "Tn
go in through the other room and wake
her up. but you won't get any thanks
for making me do it, I can tell you.
And it's the last milk you'll ever bring
into this house i'm the bargain
HUH he shifted. Good thing, too,
Swappin' milk fer wind"
He watched warily as she went down
the hall to a sort of cabinet built
against the wall. with a set washbowl
in it, put her hand in, and from cor
ner of high shelf produced a key, with
which she let herself into the rear par
Tor. Then he rose and softly followed
her Rolling back a little one of the
great folding doors between the two
rooms, she thrust her head into the
snectral gloom beyond and again called
MRS. Wortleyr" And still there was
no movement or sound in response
Suddenly she began to sniff.
why, that's chloroforml' the boy be-
hind heard her eXclaim in a startled
whisper
He crept forward, a vague sense OF
something strange impelling him. and
with eyes younger than those of the wO-
man searched the dim interior over her
shoulder.
kinder topsy-turvey. amt ito" he
commented under his breath.
She did not resent his presence star
ing there into her mistress bedroom. Or
the contrary. she flung her hand with q
quick backward movement on his arm
as If to reassure herself that she was
not alone. Then she went in swiftly
paused. and with sudden low cry
threw herself down upon the bed. clasp
ing i'm her arms the still form that lay
there.
The boy gazed a moment with wild.
eys, taking in the significance Of th'
scene Then he withdrew, set the sprinf
lock on the front door, and at the TOT
of his speed splashed and fioundereC
through the drifts to the police station
q block away.
The woman still lay in speechless grie
on the body of her mistress when thu
officers arrived. and they found consid
cradle difficulty i'm removing her. so tina
an examination of the corpse could b.
made Finally they succeeded in piac
ing her in an easy chair. where she sa
with every sign of despairing sorrow OF
her wrinlxIed face, and without appear
ing to take any interest in what wa