The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-09-01

| right nowi"
Mildred lay with her eyes on the
clock, waiting for Crittenden's COM
ing. She did not know what he would
| do when he came. why she wanted
him so: but her sick soul turned to
him as her only refuge. Finally she
heard the sound of his steps. the click
OF the gate. his hand on the knob OF
the front door, and she brushed back
the hair from her face and straight
ened up with certain trembling ca
| gerneSs.
How good the corn bread smells!"
he called out pleasantly as he came in
Then-why. he had passed the door
/ OF her room-was going out into the
kitchen! A minute later she heard
the kitchen door open and shut again;
then, after considerable space OF
time. she heard a low. rumbling sound.
Crittenden was filling the wood box.
talking TO Anne the while.
When he finally came to the door OF
his wife's room Mildred was lying'very
still, gazing at the wall with wide
eyes. he asked her IL she was awake
when she answered. stumbled In.
Its awfully close in here" he said.
But L suppose that it wouldn't be
safe to open a window"
Mildred did not answer.
He made his way TO the babys side.
and kissed one tiny hand; then he
began TO talk with a certain forced
cheerfulness about a piece OF land
that he had bought that day, and of
how il would undoubtedly rise in
value every year. till by the time their
girl was old enough TO go TO college
they could sell il and have the money
with which to send her. He told of
several funny incidents that had hap
pened that morning; he had carefully
stored them up in his mind with the
hope that they would amuSe Mildred;
his account OF them had the same lack
of spontaneous gayety that had char
acterized his earlier conversation. He
was unused 10 a sick room, unused to
sick people; he felt out of place. help
less, depressed. in this silent twilight.
with Mildred so utterly unlike herself
so drained of all mischief, all ami
nation. all sympathy. When he was
away from Mildred he could make
buoyant plans. build for the future,
breathe and talk in the old free way;
btu here, looking at her changed face.
hearing her changed voice. the same
chill gloom always seized him. He
rose with evident relief when Anne
called him to dinner.
After dinner he came again 70 the
door OF Mildred's room. and stood
there for a short time listening. she's
asleep" Anne said. and after a mo-
ment's hesitation he. went on. Anne
walked TO the gate with him Mildred
could hear their voices. their laugh
ter. There was no sound of Anne's
footsteps returning, of her entry into
the house. Mildred did not feel in
the least lonely. The loneliness had
come when Crittenden had passed her
door and had gone into the kitchen.
She had listened to his footsteps as
/ he had walked away from the house
with as much indifference as If he
/ had been stranger. AS she lay there
her feeling OF detachment grew upon
I her. The rebellions, the longings OF
the morning died within her. She was
nothing. MISUNDERSTANDING, and yet
/ lifeless. Then suddenly ii seemed TO
her that a great needle, welded by
an enormous hand, pierced her; she
/ felt the thread follow the needle. She
! lay unresisting; she was only a part
of some huge piece of cloth now.
Again the needle came-again-
again! Soon she had hardly time to
take breath between one stitch and
the next. She gathered herself to-
away from her as she could. that il
might be safe. One. two. three
shorter and shorter the stitches grew
Quicker and quicker the needle came.
One, two. three One, two. three.
Not so fast, Not so FAST" she cried
| "Oh, not so fast"
1t seemed to her that she had suf-
fered for ages, when suddenly she
| felt warm hands rubbing her-bcat-
| ing back, lighting back, that terrible
needle. II came fast, but the hands
were everywhere at once-soft, warm.
Mama" she cried. and opened her
eyes. 1t was strange. but her mother
had dark hair like Mrs. Errol's. and
a scarlet waist like hers. Mildred
noted il wonderingly. Still the warm
hands rubbed persistently. Mildred
closed her eyes-then started up.
You won't so away, will you?" she
cried, and her mother answered: mo.
l won't go away; I'll stay right here
as long as you want mel" After a
while, in some strange way. the doc
/ tor was there, too, and Mildred lean
ed her head on the shoulder covered
/ by the red waist and took docilely the
medicine that he gave her.
Mrs. Enrol came out of Mildred's
/ room at o'clock to issue orders TO
the maid from Judge Benefits. into
/ whose charge she had given the baby.
and found herself face to face with
Anne. AS Mrs. Enrol had opened the
] door she had looked utterly exhaust
ed; her face was a dirty gray; her
! forehead was wet with perspiration.
her hair dripping; the lines about her
mouth were as deep and fixed as
though craven on stone. But at sign
of Anne a sudden change came over
her; animation, color, life, came into
her face.
rs there anything that I can do?"
Anne asked. She looked pale and a
little frightened.
Mrs. Enrol smiled.
Has your magazine palled on you
all of sudden?" she inquired. with
silken civility. Then her tone changed.
| Anything you can do? Not one thing,
You've had eight days TO do some
thing-and you've sat and read
Haven't 1 seen you? Haven't 1 known
what was going on? Oh, l know
mighty well what she's been Through,
these eight days, with nobody but you
TO do anything for her! You wonder
how i know, perhaps. Go over TO
that mirror in the corner and take
a good long look at yourself, and you
will understand It's written on your
face, as plain as can be, what you
are-your ugly temper, and your de-
ceitfulness, and your seIhshness-
they're all there! Go back to your
magazines noW-Pd cut off my hand
before I'd let you cross the threshold
of her rOOm-do the tiniest thing for
her or for the baby Go back &c
your magaZine-or think up what
you'll say TO her brother, if you can
after I've shown him some Of the
things that / carried out of her room
the breakfast that you brought her
the nasty rags that 1 got from under
the bed, the nightgown that she was
wearing! He's going to see the bottle
Iof L. 10 hvra 1T =