Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1908-02-18

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too long in the miserable atmosphere
of the life you affect; they are no
longer infants, and | claim them. They
will come to my home, and be reared
in the way they should be reared and
If you conform to my commands you
may live with them. But let us under
stand one another clearly. Here there
will be permitted no reckless folly,
no sinful waste; none of those things
which have brought you to where you
are. You will be given place with
my daughters, because you are the
children's mother, and of no other rea-
son; your life will be ordered entirely
by me, and in accordance with what
hold to be proper and fit for woman
in your position. Refuse this, and
wash my hands of you; you may sink
to the depths you like. But the chill
dren shall not sink. l have been pa
tient too long. hoped too long. l now
see that there Is no good in you, and
mean to stand between these chill
dren and the harm you would do
them
Camilla stood like one transfxed.
The lettre fluttered fro her hand
and lay on the floor.
The strong light of the electric light
that was placed above her long mirror
fell mercilessly upon her.
Her radiant charm seemed blotted
out in this moment. She was like a
woman blanched with some acute
physical suffering.
This blow had fallen so suddenly
so unexpectedly. She had always
known that she was an object Of dis
like, even Of hatred, to all her hus-
bands people, except perhaps his
brother, that her claim upon them was
recognized grudgingly; but she had
quickly taught herself to think about
them as little as possible. Her depend
ence only angered her when it had
seemed to demand something of her.
1t was not the hurt to herself that sent
the blood like Ice in her veins; it was
this stern rexelation of authority, this
demand for her children and the know
ledge that, placed as she was, defiance
to that authority was absolutely out OF
the question.
She put out her hand and steadied
herself by the toilette-table; but she
and once her eyes turned to the door
In hunted way, as though she could
fashion out of the shadows on the
landing the figure or the stern old
man, who denounced her in words she
| dared not repeat to herself, who claim
| ed from her the dearest possession life
held for her. 4as
The silent emptiness of the room
l@n l. I -. IL
on the mantlepiece chimed three. -Four
hours of solitude stretched before her
Four hours before she could expect
Dennis to knock at her door! -Four
hours of heart degradation and an
guish, and deadly sickening fear! She
put up one cold hand and pushed her
hair back from her brow.
1t seemed to her as if already she
were alone; already she had been rob.
bed of those little lives that made
everything sweet, even the darkest
hour.
81 am frightened" she said to her
self, 81 am frightened! frightened! :.
What shall I do?"
She began to pace the room, avert
ing her eyes from the letter that lay
on the floor. Once she said with he1
pale lips:
violet has done this!'
Another time she almost cried alouG
as if with a sudden pain. Then all al
once she stood still Her expression
changed. Her. face famed with color
and she commenced with cold, feeble
fingers to get out of her beautiful
gown.
l. A feverish intension born of tha
sudden thought began to run like wild
fire in her veins. She tore at the hooks
she had no thought for the delicacy ot
I the lace, or the fragility of the ma
terial. She spurned the gown with hel
foot as it slipped from her, and she
veritably threw aside the jewelry she
had worn.
On her way to the door she only
paused to fold herself in her warn
dressing gown and to shed her high
heeled satin shoes. Then softly, anc
with that same curious fever urging
her on, she mounted the stairs eau
tiously till she stood outside the room
where her children slept.
Katherine was a light sleeper. Shs
startled up in bed nervously as she
heard the door open and some one
move softly into the room.
"Who is it," she asked "Who i:
there? Is it you, Dennis? Has any
thing happened?'
Camilla came to the foot of the bed
She could not speak; she was breath
ing hardly, with difficulty At first thu
girl could not distinguish her clearly
the light was so dim; but almost i'm
mediately she recognized that it wa
not Dennis who had come, and, slip
ping in haste from the bed, she wen
, at once to the bowed figure that sa
rocking itself to and fro, breathing il
that painful fashion. as if strugglin,
with some great suffering
You are i'll; what can | do for you
Tell me- Oh please tell mel" Kath
crime said, her nerves all ajar
Camilla caught at her two hands
|