The San Francisco call., 1910-01-23

any shoddy ideas about being better
than everybody else, So told her how
disappointed Mr.. A. had looked and
how sorry the children had been when
she did not come down to the table
and that for their sakes there was no
struggle too hard to make.
She would stop her crying and pull
herself together and say she knew it
and that she was going to be q woman
worthy the name and overcome her
weakness.
All night long we sat there in her
room with everything around her rich
and handsome as money could buy and
she in her beautiful silk dressing gown
that was stained down the front in tell
tale streaks. l got her to crying when
/ talked about Dorothy growing up to
be like her mother and then she told
me about how broken up and disap-
pointed Mr. A. had been when the
boy died and as she talked along like
this it seemed to do her good TO have
some one she could pour her heart out
to BY the time il had begun to grow
light we had gotten her thoughts di-
verted and she was calmer. 'Norah.
she said. you have helped me more
than 1 would have supposed any one
could Now you go and get wink of
sleep. You have gotten me where
can fight it out myself and I'd rather
do it,"
Seeing she was honest and meant
every word of it I left her. but didn't
go any farther than the divan in the
hall, so I could hear any unusual sound
in her room, and every little while
would slip over to the dressing room
door and look in. Her face was drawn
and gray as she sat there at the foot of
her bed. biting her lips and digging
her nails into her hands She had
T,+ ..f md I lK-aC
sure she was going TO win
About in the morning I went up 20
my room. leaving her sitting like
stone where I had left her and know
ing this was going to be the fight of
her life. At o'clock 1 came back.
Mrs. A. was lying on the floor in
sensible and a cologne bottle. empty, on
the floor beside her showed where she
had gotten the alcohol to finish her
spree.
Mr. A. always went off early to
his Office and so when I told him Mrs.
A. had had bad night and was at
last asleep he didn't suspect a thing,
but charged me to send for Doctor --.
The children had gotten used to not
seeing much of their mother for weeks
at a time. so it was all right with
them.
1t was several days before we got
Mrs. A. around TO being sufficiently
herself to listen 10 me again. Doctor
said we ought 10 tell her hus-
band so she could be sent off to a sana-
torium for the cure" but she was so
afraid of Mr.. A. we promised we
would see to il she did not have an
other attack. At first she was so hum
bled and ashamed she would not look
at me or let me speak to her about it.
she would just say, I'm a disgraced
woman and I've no faith in myself"
But as her nerves began to get quiet
er she got a little stronger and as
she sat up in her room, looking so pale
and pretty all the time, 1 got more and
more interested in her-that's the Irish
in me that gets me into all my trou-
bles. Mrs. A. had been keeping the
children out of her room as much as
she could. but I got Dorothy to slip
into her mothers room a minute every
time she passed her door, and the child
would put her arms around her moth
er's neck and cry because poor mamma
was so sick,
After this spell we got along finely.
Mrs. A--got to coming to her meals
regularly and took an interest in every
thing about the house, and Mr.. A
got to staying home evenings and every
body was happy. Mrs A-went down
town and got six new hats and looked
as pretty as a young girl in every one
Of them. too; then she went to one of
the leading dress makers in those days
and ordered some beautiful new
dresses. Mr. A. was so proud of her
he never haggled over any bill she
sent 10 him; he always said nothing
was too good for her.
One evening the As went to a
dinner and 1 wondered how it would
be with Mrs. A.. / sat up and waited
for them to come home, and when l
heard the carriage drive UP and wait
awhile before ANYBODY got out, / knew
what had happened. l was down at
the door by the time they reached ii.
"Norah." said Mr. A., Mrs. A.
has eaten something that disagreed
with her; il has made her ILL.,"
"Yes. sir" I said, and a glance at