The Washington herald., 1910-06-30
CHAPTER Xxx.


Hunger reused everybody early the
next morning. Friday. Leila Mercer had
discovered box of bonbons that she had
forgotten, and we divided them around.
Aunt Selma asked for the candied fruit
and got it-quite third of the box. We
gathered In the lower hall and on the
stairs and nibbled nauseating sweets
while Mr.. HARRISON examined the tele-
phone.
He did not glance in my direction.
Betty and Dial were helping him. and he
seemed very cheerful Max sat with me
on the stairs. Mr.. HARRISON had just
unscrewed the telephone box from the
wall and was squirting into it, when
Bella came downstairs. It was her
first appearance. but as she was always
late, nobody noticed. When she stopped.
Just above US on the stairs however. we
looked UP. and she was holding to the
rail- and trembling psrceptihly.
Mr.. HARRISON, will you-ean you come
upstairs?" she asked. Her voice was
strained, almost reedy. and her lips were
white.
Mr.. HARRISON stared up at her. with
the telephone box in his hands.
'Why-er-certainly." he said. but, I'M
less it's very important. I'd like TO fix
this talking machine. We want to make
a food record"
'Td like to break a food record" Max
put In, but Bella created a diversion by
sitting down suddenly on the stair Just
above rs and bgrying her face IL her
handkerchief.
Jim Is sick" she said. with a sob.
'He-he doesn't want anything TO eat,
and his head aches. He-said for me-to
go away and let him diel'
Dial dropped the hammer Immediately,
and Loilie Mercer sat petrified. with a
! bonbon halfway TO her mouth. For. OF
/ course. il was unexpected, finding senti-
ment OF any kind IN Bella, and none OF
! them knew about the scene in the den
in the small hours of the morning.
"SickI" Aunt Selma cried, from hal
chair. "Sicki Where?"
IAN over" Bella quavered. His poor
head is hot. and he's thirsty. but he
| doesn't want anything but water
| Great Scotti" Dial said suddenly
Suppose he should-Bella, are you tell
| ing US all his symptoms?'
| Bella put down her handkerchief and
| got-up. From her position on the stairs
she looked down on us with something
4 OF her old naughty manner.
IF he is i'll. you may blame yourselves
all OF you" she said cruelty. you
tainted him with being-fat, and laughed
at him. until he stopped eating the
/ things he should eat And ne has beer
| exercising-on the roof. until he has
worn himself out. And now-he is Ill
/ He-he has a rash"
| Everybody jumpted at that. and we In
stinctively moved away from Bella She
was quite cold and scornfUi by that
| time.
"A rashr' Max exclaimed. what sort
Of rash?"
II did not see IT," Bella said with
dignity. and turning she went up the
stairs.
/ There was a great deal OF excitement
and nobody except Mr.. HARRISON was
willing 10 go near Jim. He went up al
once with Bella, while Max and Dial saI
| cravenly downstairs and wondered II
we would all take it, and Anne told abou;
a man she knew who had 1t. and was
deaf and dumb and blind when he re-
covered.
/ Mr.. HARRISON came down after a while
and said that the rash was there, right
enough. and that Jim absolutely refused
to be quarantined: that he insisted that
/ he always got rash from early straw
/ berries and that If he did have any
thing, since they were so touchy he
hoped they would all get Il. II they
locked him in he would kick the door
Down.
1 We had a long conference in the hall
with Bella sitting red-eyed and object
| ing &C every suggestion we made. And
! finally we arranged TO shut Jim up iT
| one Of the servants bedrooms with q
| sheet wrung out Of disinfectant hunt
over the door. Bella said she would sit
outside in the hall and read to hin
| through the closed door, so finally hs
gave a grudging consent. But he was
in an awful humor. Max and Dial put
on rubber gloves and helped him over
and they said afterward that the way
| he talked was fearful. And there was q
/ telephone in the maids room, and he
kept asking for things every five min
utes
When the doctor came he said It wa;
too early 10 tell positively, and he or
dereG him liquid diet and said he would
be back that evening.
! Which-the diet-takes me back to tht
famine. After they had moved Jim, Mr.
HARRISON went back TO the telephone, and
found everything as It should be. So h'
followed the telephone wire, and the
rest followed him. did not: he haC
! systematically ignored me all morning
after having dared 10 kiss me the nigh
before. And any other man I knew
after looking at me the way he haC
looked a dozen times. would have beer
at least reasonably glad to find me FREE
and unmarried. But is was clear that h,
was not; wondered If he was the kint
of man who always makes love to th'
other mans wife and runs like ma'
when she is left a widow, or gets a Of
vorce.
And just when I had decided that
hated him. and that there was one maj
I knew who would never make love L
a woman whom he thought married ant
then be very dignifed and aloof when h
found she wasn't, I heard what wa
wrong with the telephone wire.
It had been cut Cut through with
pair of silver manicure scissors from tn
dressing-table IN Bella's room. wher
Aunt Selma slept. The wire had bee