Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-01-09
CHAPTER XVIII.

tinglng; every now and then her breath
came in gasp of rage. AT that moment
she believed that she hated everybody in
the world-the cruel, foolish. arrogant
world!-even the thought of David
brought no softening. And indeed. when
that first fury had subsidized. she still did
not want to see the little boy: that de-
stroying wind of anger had beaten her
complacency to the dust. and she could
not with dignity meet the child's candid
eyes 1t was not until the next day that
she could find any pleasure in him. or
even in the prospect of Lloyds visit
and when these interests began to revive
sudden gusts of rage would tear her. and
she would fall into abrupt reveries, de-
claring to herself that she would tell
Lloyd how she had been insulted! But
she reminded herself that she must
choose just the right moment to enlist his
sympathy for the affront: she must de-
eide with just what caress she would
tell him that she meant to leave Old
| Chester and come, with David, to live in
Philadelphia. (Oh, would Frederick ever
die0 But little by little. she put
the miserable matter behind her. and
filled the days before Lloyd's arrival
with plans for the few golden hours that
| they were to be together. when he was to
have her "all to himself But, alas. the
plans were all disarranged by David.
| Now Saturday. when you come to think
| OF 1t, is always a day of jOy-even If
there must be a visitor. To begin with.
| there is no school, so you have plenty of
| time to attend to many important at
| fairs connected with playthings. Then,
| the gravel paths must be raked and the
| garden made tidy for Sunday, and so
| there is brush and refuse to be burned
and that means baking potatoes in the
ashes, and Gas you will remember), unless
| you stand. coughing. in the smoke to
watch them, the potatoes are so apt to
| burn. Also. the phaeton is washed with
peculiar care to make it fine for church;
the wheels must be lacked up, one after
| the other. and spun round and round:
then, If you go about it the right way,
| you can induce George to let you take
| the big, gritty sponge out of the black
| water of the stable bucket and, after
| squeezing it hard in your two hands. you
may wipe down the spokes of one wheel
| Besides these things. there are always
| the rabbits. Right after breakfast David
| had run joyously out to see Mr. and Mrs.
Smith, but while he poked lettuce leaves
| between the bars of their hutch the
thought struck him that this was the mo-
ment to demonstrate that interesting fact
in natural history, so well known to those
of your friends who happen to be stable
| men, but doubted by DIR. Lavendar, name
ly, that hair from the pony's tail will,
IL soaked in water, turn into a snake.
David shuddered at the word. but ran to
the stable and carefully pulled two hairs
operation was borne with most oblging
patience, but when he stopped to pick up
another beautiful long hair from the
StraW-fOr when you are making snakes
you might as we'll make plenty-alas. the
pony was SO absent minded as to step
back-and down came the iron-shod hoof
on the small, eager: hand.
David's shrek and Georges outcry
brought the feminine household running
and eXclaiming. and at the sight of the
HANGING hp1
finger. Helena gathered the quvering lit
tie body into her arms and forgot every
thing but the child's pain. George was
rushed off for William King. and Mrs.
Richie and the two women hung over the
boy with tears and tender words and en-
treaties mot to cry. David in point of
fact, stopped crying long before they did;
but, of course. he cried again, poor little
monkey! during the setting of the tiny
bone, though William King was as gentle
and determined as was necessary, and
David, sitting in Helena's lap, responded
to the demand for courage in quite a re-
markable way. Indeed. the doctor no.
ticed that Mrs. Richie quivered more than
the child did. 1t was nearly IL before it
was all over. and William went off. smil-
| ing at Helena's anxiety. for she accom-
| panied him to the gate. begging for d.
| rections for impossible emergencies. When
he had driven away she flew back to the
house. but at the door of David's room
looked at her watch and exclaimed. Lloyd
was due in half hour. What should
she do?
down beside the little boy. Sarah shall
| come and sit with you while Mr.. Pryor
| is here; you won't mind if I am not with
you?"
David, who had begun to whimper
again, was too interested in himself to
| mind in the least. Even when she said,
distractedly, 'Oh, there's the stage!" his
unhappiness was not perceptibly in
creased. Helena. calling Sarah to come
and sit with the invalid. ran downstairs
time to make herself charming; her face
was marked by tears. and her dress tum-
bled by David's little wincing body. Be
fore she could reach the gate Lloyd Pryor
had opened it, and. unwelcomed, was
coming up the path. His surprised glance
brought her tumultuous and apologize
explanation.
"Oh. I'm sorry he said kindly: Il
must console him with a new dollar; don't
you think dollar will be healing?"
She laughed and possessed herself of his
hand
You run sort of hospital. Nelly. don't
you? I must be a Jonah; it was your
cook the last time. How is she? l trust
we are to have enough food to sustain
life?'
II meant to have such a fine dinner"
she said. but we've all been so dis
tracted about David. I'm afraid things
won't be as extraordinary as I planned.
However it will sustain life! Though
you could go to DR. Kings again." she
ended. gayly.
The instant irritation in his face sobered
her. She began. carefully. to talk of this
or that-his journey, the Mercer business,
his health-anything to make him smile
again. Plainly. it was not the moment
to speak of Mr. Benjamin Wright and her
purpose of leaving Old Chester.
Now i must run upstairs just one
minute and see David" she said. in the
middle of sentence. Her minute length
ened to ten. but when she came back OK
planning that she had stopped to wash
Darid's face-"it was all stained by tears
he did not seem impatient.
Your own would be improved by soap
and water. my dear he said, with an
amused look. No. no-don't go now; l
want TO talk to you. and l haven't much
time"
She knew him too well to insist; in
stead, she burst into what gayety she
could summon. for that was how he liked
her. But back in her mind there was a
growing tremor of apprehension-there
was something wrong; she could not tell
what it was. but she felt it. She said to
herself that she would not speak of Mr..
Benjamin Wright until after dinper.
Little by little, however. her uneasness
subsidized. 1t became evident that the ex-
element of the morning had not been
too much for Maggie: things were yery