The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-08-24
CHAPTER XIV.
THE STORM BREAKS.


'Wo more days went placidIy by
without a word to lend conviction
to our fears of a possible outbreak
from Lizzie while at the Rogerses.
In all fiTe days had passed since the
girl left US. And 1 will here state that
never in my life before had even
imagined living through & space Of time
which seemed so long drawn ont he
cause fraught with such constant.
destroying dread.
a thousand time in every twenty
-FOUR hours / wished that Lizzie was
pack. And as often / thanked nv stars
tnat she was where she was-only to
IeuDie once again at the thought of
what might be happening with her out
OF my sight and beyond my reach.
W nat II she should forget the fear I
had drilled into her by my lecture on
the subject Of the tTansgressOr's hard.
il way-a treatise, by, the way. I
was able 70 give with detailed vivid
ness by simply imagining what would
happen to re If Lzzie's depredations
were discovered while she was in my
charge.
Aye, what would happen If she should
nave my teachings driven out Of her
mind by the distractions Of Mrs. Rog-
eIs' belongings, so temptingiy within
her reach? ] had thought to frighten
her by the eloquent picture ] drew of
the penalties Of crime as administered
IN this country, not forgetting a men
ton Of the electric chair, with ali its
horrors. and the teTTors the States
prison held for the offenders Il vel
coined with hungry nav.
i had coled out to her 2 sufficient
quantity OF bloodcurdling information
on the subject, i thought, to keep her
frightened for a reasonable length of
tme-say a year and three months. /
knew al that time that my talk would
not permanently cure her But 1 hoped
that at least I had administered a dose
or fright that would temporarily stay
the spread Of her disease, check the in
sttnCt of kleptOmania.
But suppose I had failed? or suppose
temptation proved stronger than my
arguments? Suppose any one of doZ-
en- reasons made her steal from our
frlends-what would happen them
Jack Rogers and I had been friends
Tor years. as had his wife and mine be-
rore their marriage, and after, Of
course.
What would he think of me-what
would bis wife think Of mine-if they
discovered that we had sent into their
home girl We knew TO be a thief
l could see a vision CT our double
friendship dissolving into thin air
something in the manner, probably. Of
q bomb exploding. and with all the at
lendant uproac and pyrotechnic feat
ures.
/ mentally closed my eyes to the view
OF this possible outcome should Lizzie
get her hand back into the game. as it
were. i could not contemplate this Ger
tain smash-up Of the Rogers and Norris
affairs without an anticipatory shud-
der
And so. figuratively blindfoIding my
self TO the worst that could happen. I
thought only OF the brighter side Of
the affair-Lizzie would not disgrace US
till my responsibility for her was over
and / could help Rogers get rid of her,
some way, without rousing his suspi-
cions OF my completely.
And at the end of the fifth unevent-
ful day I hattered myself that I was
secure IN backing my judgment TO the
limit Of belief In LizZie's reforma zion.
Nothing seems 10 be happening" I
said mesningly to my wife across the