El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-21
At Mrs. Dolan's Boarding House
Which Ruth Comes Tragedy the Room Below
By MABEL HERBERT URNER

SbND you hear about Mrs. Con-
ner?" whispered Miss Bailey,
leaning over to Ruth.
why. no." answered Ruth. wonder
ingly.
"You haven't heard anything about
last night?''
Ruth shook her head
''Oh." with all the eagerness of I'M
folding choice bit OF gossip. Every
body knows about il. Mrs. Dolan has
asked them to leave
why, what happened?"
Can you reach the mustard? No.
you can't It's too far down Mr..
Holmes. will you shove the mustard
this way? Well, you know, don't you,'
lowering her voice again, that she
takes a little too much every now ana
then?"
Again Ruth shook her head.
Well. she does Mrs. Dolan roio
her husband if it ever happened again
they'd have to leave. And. last night
when she came in. she couldn't get up
stairs. Mr.. Carter found her sitting
on the hatrack in the hall. He didn't
know anything about her drinking
he thought she was III So he called
Mrs Dolan- and they helped her up
stairs.
Mrs. Dolan was furious. and when
Mr. Conner came home she told him
they would have to give Up their room
at the end of the week. And he's
such nice young man." pityfngly.
It's shame she carries on like that .
But why does she?'' asked Ruth. q
thought she seemed so quiet and re-
fined"
Ruth Hears the Story.
Yes. she seems that way: but you
can't always tell about such people.
She's been in her room all day Minnie
said. when she went in there to straigh-
ten up, she was crying. Minnie's real
good-hearted sometimes, so she took her
up some tea, but she wouldn't drink IL
They say her husband was furious
with her, and that he said she'd either
| have to give up drinking or give up
him This custard needs some sugar.
Minnie. can't we have some sugar
here" Miss Bailey covered the custard
with sugar and showed the bowl toward
Ruth. Don't you want some? It
makes it much better"
Ruth finished her dessert hurriedly
and started up to her room. Poor Mrs.
Conner. She had not been in New York
long enough to know the commonness
of such cases, and it had struck her
with chill horror.
And now. as she passed Mrs Corners
door on the second floor, she thought
she heard a faint moan. Yes, she was
crying. The sobs were low. as though
she were trying to smother them. And
Minnie had said she had been crying
all day! And all day she had been
aloneI
Ruth's heart ached with pity. Per-
haps she could do something for her
get her something to eat. for she knew
no meals we're served in the rooms here
Impulsively she turned back and
knocked gently on the door. There
was no answer, but still the faint SCUM
of sobbing. Again she knocked, but
still no answer.
Then. very softly. she opened the
door. The room was in painful disOr-
der. Mrs. Conner was on the bed, her
face buried in the pillow.
Ruth closed the door and hesitating-
" crossed the room. Still Mrs Conner
did not look up. She did not seem to
hear her.
isn't there something I can do for
your" Ruth asked. gently.
Mrs. Conner started ard raised her
tear-stained face. She was really a
very pretty woman. And even now.
with her flushed face and disheveled
hair. she was not unattractive.
She Gavc An Appealing Look
She gave Ruth a wondering, appeal