Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-04-16
i The Honor of
i Nurse Joyce
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CHAPTER vi.
A Troubled Spirit.

~ sympathy could suggest to allay
Mary Sisterson's extraordinary agita-
tion. 1t was some time, however, be-
fore the hard, painful, choking sobs
ceased, and Mary was able to speak.
You must forget what / have said,
Christabel, but I'm so unhappy and
miserable that / hardly know what l
am saying" she at length gasped out
in a voice that was harsh with pain
full emotion.
II don't wonder at it when your
father is so ILL.," returned Christabel;
you can't help being completely up
set"
Still ChristabeI could not but feel
surprised at the wild words Mary had
uttered when she had broken down so
suddenly. She thought it conceivable
that Mary, knowing that Sir John S
condition was hopeless. might come
to the conclusion that it would be far
better for himself if the end came
speedily Yet that was rather Curl
GUS thing for the mans own daughter
to say, especially to one who was
practically a total stranger to her
And why should she say that she
wished she was dead, too? Was it
that her nerves had gone completely
wrong? That was possible enough;
indeed, it could be the only explana-
ton. The strain had been too great.
Christabel looked at her intently, and
seeing that she was suffering cruelty
she ceased to ask herself questions,
and only longed to comfort and sus-
tain that troubled spirit
I am very much attached to my
father" said Mary. seemingly supply
ing an answer to the questionings that
had passed through Christabers mind.
He has been always very good to me.
I loved and admired him" Christabel
observed that Mary now used the past
tense and was speaking Of her father
as il he were already dead. Il love
him still" she went on in trembling
tones. HE was SO strong and master
ful-quite different from me! And to
see him nOwi Poor father | was-I
am very fond of him. Christabel, and
you must not mind what | said just
now. | am not we'll: my heart is
weak, and the accident to him was
such a shock. 1t was dreadful beyond
all words l had been out paying
some calls, and not knowing what had
happened came home-to hear of it.
I thought should die of grief when I
knew there was no prospect of his re-
covely; it was awful"
Z think I can understand something
of what you must have felt and must
feel" said Christabel. in gentle
voice, taking Mary's hands lin hers
and stroking them soothingly.
, |'Do you? No, you can't under
stand: you could not put yourself in
my place: no one could do that" said
Mary. in accents of despair. Perhaps
YOU think that time will assuage my
grief, that because am rich woman
/ shall be happy again, but money can
not give me happiness. [ see my life
before me lonely and terrible; | am
afraid of it-afraid of what it may
bring"
Her voice dropped pathetically;
she appeared to be on the verge of
fainting, as she looked past Christa-
bel with eyes that seemed to see
something far away. and that were
actually full of fear of what they saw
81 cannot bear it" she cried, wildly
.=The burden of it is too much for
me-"
do try to calm yourself, Mary, .
urged Christabel, ''or you will certain
" make yourself very ILL.,
Il wish | were dead" cried Mary,
passionately mo, don't mean that,
Christabel" she said. almost in the
same breath, Il don't mean it, but l
am not myself to-night-not myself, .
and her sobs broke out afresh.
After a time Christabel persuaded
her to get into bed, and sat by her
side until she had fallen asleep, after
first receiving a promise that the
nurse would come to see her in the
morning.
AS Christabel in her own room re-
viewed her impressions of 36 Hans
Square she had the uncomfortable
feeling that she had come into very
strange household. For two of its
members she felt sincerely sorry; for
the other two she had nothing but de-
testation-she thought them detesta-
BILE people, as they were, as the purely
selfish always are.
There was Sir John, dying by
inches, obessed by the frightful night
mare in which he killed his partner
and stole his secret-the secret, it
might be gathered from what Maxwell
had said, which had made him enor
mously wealthy. How strange was
that fixed idea of his, the idea which
kept on repeating itself.
There was Lady SistersOn, whom
Christabel characterized as a "horrid
woman"-a woman who had not hest
tated to warn her against her own
son Maxwell. though probably with 6
view to being merely nasty to her; {
horrible woman, who seemed to care
very little for her dying husband. an(
vet had been considerate enough t.
fell her of the delusion from whici
he suffered That was also very
strange.
And Maxwell Sisterson. the cold
blooded young man, with his hateful
rude ill-timed compliments. Well, she
had had to put up with something like
that before: it was no new thing il
the life of nurse who happened e