Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-18
CHAPTER VII.
The Refuoe.

CHAPTER VII.
The Refuge.
l could not tell how long time had
passed, but gradually out of complete
consciousness grew up the sense of a
wretched throbbing. l thought it was
my head. l opened my eyes and found
was looking straight up into the sky.
/ lay staring at 1t, it was SO wonder.
fully soft and blue. Presently the wind
swayed a green branch into my line OF
vision; at sight of that the query OF
where was came into my head.
moved my head and felt the crackle
OF twigs at my cheek. l was lying In Q
mass ofI.vy and lemon verbena bushes.
and at one side Of me rose the great
face of the wall. The memory Of what
had happened returned. scrambled to
a sitting posture. My head was 50
dizzy that had to catch at the bushes
to hold myself upright, but the impulse
to get away from the house, whose
windows overlooking the convent wall
still spied upon me, carried me to my
feet
Through the shrubbery peered at
the garden beyonu. There was level,
green lawn, with sedate paths march
ing around it, but no black hooded fig.
ures were moving there In ones or
twos or in solemn Ale, as had been
wont to see them ] walked rather un-
certainly forward across the grass,
across the dank and messy paths, and
into the shadowy length Of the CORR
dor. This, too, was empty. and at one
end of a little door, with grill across
it. seemed as effectually to, bar me out
as the Spanish woman's house had
shut me in. In my dazed state the only
thing could think of doing to call the
attention of the place to my presence,
was to seize the grill In both hands
and shake 1t with all my weakened
strength. It made quite rafting, and
then heard hurrying feet, and pres.
emily the small, startled face of nun
peering through the grating.
II want to see the Mother Super
Tor" said In a trembling voice.
She looked at me sharply, and ]
thought, littleias if she were fright
ened. why didn't you ring the bell?"
she asked
"The bell? What bell 90 stammered
for the only bell I could call to mind
was the bell the Spanish woman had
rung. Then. as the sister appeared to
be about to draw back, ooh, please,
please" cried, take me to the Mother
Superior! am In great troubled"
There was pause; then a little rust
ling, then whispering of voices be-
hind the grating, and another face,
rounder and larger than the first,
out, uvrv ,ofh ofi Ia
voice said: Poor little creature! and
her hat is all on one side!" u
Then, after some further delibera-
ton, in which one Of the voices seemed
to be protesting that it was afraid OF
something, the nun who had come first
disappeared could hear the sound of
her feet Fastening aWay-and the sec
ond opened the grating and drew me
in. She led me down q narrow, musty-
hall and into a dull little
room where she made me sit down.
and put my hat on straight, and
smoothed my hair very kindly but
rather clumsily with hands like white
At last, with the timid
nun following furtively at her heels,
the Mother Superior came. She was a
thin woman in flowing robes, with a
great white sheer Golf around her deli
cate face; and she looked at me very
kindly and benevolently while STAN
mered out the essentials Of my story
how the Spanish woman had tried to
keep me in her house and how got
out of the window and through a hole
in the wall and SO down to the garden.
When came to this point in my tale,
"But those windows are closed up!'
cried one Of the nuns. "And the wall
is eight feet cried the other, "and
there is no hole in it! 1t would be i'm
possible!'
The Mother Superior shook her head
at them, and said to me: Can you tell
me where you live, thild?"'
thought it odd that there should be
any doubt in her mind as to that, but
! eagerly gave her the number and the
street. ."And if you will only send for a
carriage" said, because am afraid
l am too tired to walk, | should like to
go home"
''It will be best to notify your par
ents," she said in a soothing voice,
"and they will fetch you away"
.'But there is no one there now, ex-
cept Abby, and she is lame and very
old. Father is not in town. He will not
be back until night, and can perfectly
we'll go home alone!" was beginning
to feel desperate. as thought never
should get out Of the place.
She smiled and said, ssWell, we will
see. Give me your; fathers name" She
looked surprised when she heard it and
not quite as If she believed me, but all
she said was, Nov you must lie down
and rest little before you go out"
protested that / did not feel tired,
and indeed my anxiety to get away had
wiped out all memory of my bruises.
But in the end had to follow the
round-faced nun up the bare cement
stairway to another small room. It
seemed strange after the luxurious
glooms OF the Spanish woman's house.
to be in this bare, whitewashed place,
where all the light fell unobstructed
through little narrow windows placed
high up in the walls. There were no
mirrors here, not one, to reflect ones
figure: and 1t was only when had
taken of my hat that / discovered
what wreck it was, crushed Absurdly
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