The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-04-28
on T OF T HE
NIGH
by
Mrs. Baltic Reynolds
Author of
ssBroI1en Off," ''The Supreme Test,"
"a Phantom Wife," Etc.
Copyright, 1910
BY George III. Doran Company
Continued from page 100


a very curious idea. 1 suddenly re-
solved that 1 must go down to the
asylum where Cecil's wife was, and
see her.
""The idea of my doing so was to
him very touching, and he was quite
willing for me to go If it could be
done without risk. was entirely my
own mistress, and accustomed to go
and come as I pleased; and 1 had a
friend in the north-not an intimate
friend, but a. girl who had been at the
same school in Lausanne, and now
lived at Alnwick. She had long
and ! planned to go to her, and make
g. small detour upon my homeward
Journey When it came to the point,
it was so terrible to tear myself from
Cecil, even for a few days, that I wish
ed 1 had not said that I would go.
But we thought it a wise move that
I should leave town, as a sign of de-
tachment, in case people might be be-
ginning to talk. So I went. The
asylum was in most beautiful part
of the country, and the management
sent a carriage to the station for me.
Cecil had written that a cousin of his
q Miss Smith, was coming to see his
wife.
"They showed me into a pretty
dro nd q f.
ter a while a nurse brought In a slim
creature who looked almost a child.
It was impossible to believe that she
was thirty years old. She was very
and deep soft hazel eyes. They were
full of a fathomless sadness. L have
never in my life seen a creature so
pathetic. She did not smile, nor did
she frown, but could see that she
had no wish to see me, and that the
nurse had been coaxing her to come
down, and to behave well. She would
not give mo her hand, nor say a
word; she simply stood there, her
eyes seeming to probe the depths of
my soul, full of a woe unspeakable.
"'Talk to me Bit said the nurse
to me, and seem to forget her. Then
very likely she will try and attract
your attention. She's very like a
child
81 asked if she were always quite
gentle, and the answer was yes, but
that she would, in some moods, be-
come suicidal and they had to be very
careful with her, going up or down
stairs, for instance; she had twice
tried to throw herself over. Though
one of the most docile, she was
among those patients who needed the
most continual supervision. She was
a beautiful needlewoman, always
making little garments for her baby,
which she never believed was dead.
She thought she would be allowed to
see it when she was we'll enough, and
with tears and sobs be-
sought them to let her look, if but for
a moment. But Of her husband she
stare at him when he came to visit |
her, with the same mournful, unrec-
ognizing appeal that I had encounter
ed
1--WE had been conversing thus in
an undertone for some while, when
felt small hand-oh, so small and |
into mine; and the girl
said, speaking as sensibly and as
quietly as any person in full posses
sion of their reason
ct should like to tell you about my
baby
81 had no words in which to reply.
L felt as if I must burst into tears;
but I managed to give her a quaver-
ing smile and a glance of sympathy,
which 1 think meant more than words
to her
&c Shall I tell you all about it?' she
said, earnestly. Tt was like this: Ce-
Gil told me it would be all right, so
of course I thought it would. But
all the time 1 could see a great black
bar right across the world, and
knew well that, to get my baby, I
should have to go into the dark; and
1 was always afraid of the dark. I
did try to explain to Cecil. But he
said 1t was nerves, and that when the
baby came I should see the daylight
quite clear, out on the other side. All
1 knew best, you see, though he is
strong man and I am only silly girl.
The time came, and I went into the
dark. I felt the black come round me
and shut me out. My baby did try
to cling to mel felt his hands and
his little, little body-but the dark
shut me out, as I knew it would She
stopped speaking a moment, pushing
up her hair on her forehead, as if
in an effort to collect her thoughts
What should you do, in my place?
she asked me, confidentially.
81 answered as we'll as could, for
my feelings had me by the throat, BE
patient. The day will break at last
"She had sat down on the hearth
rug at my feet, and she made a. ges-