The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-02-13
The Often
Hand
By Annie Hamilton DonneH
Copyright, by Joseph 3. Bowles)

when he kept it in his pocket. He
couldn't see how black it vast had
looked very black when he shut it up
/. there, two hours ago. He remembered
it now with a little shudder. That
nursery soap and water little tenn
pered with heat might possibly have
made it look less guilty had rot oc-
CURED TO him-did not occur TO him
now.
OF course nobody had seen when he
slid his white nightgown over his
little trousers and waist. How else
could he keep his hand-that hand
in his pocket, he meant to. all night?
Jefy felt better about it there. In
sense it was in prison. where hands
that-that-you knoW-ought to be in
carcerated for their sins. IN a sense
he seemed to be making PREPARATION.
Not exactly to EliZabeth-nO-o. but
still-Je:fy twisted about under his
little white covers miserably. Tina.
hand hurt him-maybe because fl Wa
cramped and stiff. maybe not Maybe
because-that. Jefy wondered f..
Elizabeth ached there.
OF course, Elizabeth was TO blame
still, she was very little All at once.
lying there in the dark. Jerv rcmem-
bered how very little Elizabeth was.
Her head just came TO The edge Of the
diningroom table; you're pretty little
when you have to stretch up on tip
toe to see what there is going to ba
for dinner. Perhaps when you were
as little as that you'd have mcddled
with your big brothers things
might have
Elizabeth was very little and JeGy
was her big brother. Jcfy was sew
en-. He had always rather domineered
over Elizabeth. but he had never done
that, before. Oh. no, no, I tell you,
Never!
Does it show, | wonder?' the little
boy in bed thought, among the Other
thoughts.
I'm going in and see, he said with
little premonitoIy SILVER Of dread
Elizabeth, because she was so very
little, slept beside mothers bed in her
dainty white crib Jefy could see
the whiteness of it shining family
through the dark lie crept toward it
very quietly. On the edge or r.,
nestled Elizabeth snuEly. jus. her
small, serene face in its mellow laai-
aAce, jelly could see IT distinctly
She was lying en- tha- check II,
could not see ii at ALL The n,hc.
cheek was fair ana sweet with dim
ME in as hougl 6ream-aanel haa
been theEe ana Kissed Ii minute az"
ana ina. We're the print OF the kiss
ne bug brother stood looking al f.
win a strange Impression that E-.l-
aoe1h was turning the Other eae".
also, ne Has4eb all over his mite
-ul''S lace
somewhere downstairs step
sounded and disturbed Elizabeth iii
,I9i steep 9ii'. 'aIe" up DotA sla-
.'anos, Iheh Win a restless niue hea
lli5 u i'u-' "o'' ana "'l,e covers.
'oIiieu over On htf Pillows.
II SHOWS. Saspea JeH] and ned
oack 10 ms own room IN horror He
idd seen niue parallel red creases In
l4ii1aD7 I'll cheeA-ihai cAeeh. lie
~ NO i'' d moment "ouo' lueIr OFF
-
II sAo"s'-It shows he sroaned
IN inc awful loneliness OF night
reTcneo on me SIDE OF MS bed WITH
ms niue lean pare legs a-dansie he
lhoughJ ABOUT what the Bible said
sen 5 thoughts dld not quote YER
DdJIih;
IL tiny right hand strikesJ thy sis
Ter, cut 1t OIL an cast it into Hell
FIRE, he repeated under his breath,
an there shall be gnashing-an'
there shall be gnashing.
He shuddered The precise signif.
canoe Of crashing puzzled him a little.
but it meant something awfuI-awfun
An cut it off meant-oh, OH
. 'Ur-rr." softly shuddered lefty,
thinking how hot he'll fire must be.
You were to cast il into He'll Fire.
where there would be gnashing-if it
ever struckest thy sister. The Bible
said you were. Md it had struck
her, it had struck Elizabeth.
The darkness seemed to grow dark
or, the stiffness stiller in Jeffy's room
The little figure on the bedside