The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-06-12
The House of the
.sS
BY ANNA
KATHARINE
GREEN
Continued)
Copyright. iSfe.
By Anea Katharjne Rohlfs


az tottercd =. ,...s inreat. and she, 81
mother to me from my cradle, started
instinctively to catch me. but the feel
ing left her before she had taken two
steps. and she stopped STILL Drop
your hand. she cried 4 want to sec
your whole face while I ask you one
last question. l could not read the
note. Why did you come hereY
dropped my hand. and she stood star
ing; then she uttered a cry and ran
quickly toward me. What is it?' she
cried. What has happened to you? Is
Ii the shadow or
Il caught her by the hand. 1 could
speak now. adelaide, said I, you
are not the only one to love to the
point Of hurt. 1 love you. Let this
little scar be witness Then, as her
eyes opened and she staggered,
caught her to my ~east anc hid my
face on her shoulder. You say that
tomorrow 1 shall be free to receive
notes. He will not wish to write them
tomorrow. The beauty he liked is gone
If it weighed overmuch with him, then
am on an inferior one. Your joy will
be sweeter for this break
'She started, raised my head from
her shoulder, looked at me and shud-
dered, but no longer with hate. Car
MEL she whispered, the story-the
story 1 read you Of Francis 1. and
Eyes, 1 agreed, that made me
think Her knees bent under her; she
sank at ny feet, but her eyes never
left my face. And land Elwood?'
He knows nothing. did not make up
my mind till tonight. Adelaide, it had
to be. / hadn't the strength TOTO
leave you all or-or to say no If he ever
asked me to my face what he asked
me in that note
''And then 1 tried to lift her, but she
was kissing my feet, kissing my dress.
sobbing out her life on my hands. Oh.
/ was happy. My future looked very
simple TO me. But my cheek began tC
burn, and instinotively l put up my
hand. This brought her to her feet
You are suffering she cried. YOU
must go home at once, at once, while
telephone to DR.. Carpenter We will
go together 1 said. We can telephone
from there But at this the awful
look came back into her face, and, see
ing her forget my hurt, forgot it, too.
in dread Of what she would say when
she found strength to speak.
ut was worse than anything I had
imagined; she refused absolutely to so
back home. Carmel said she, i
hauo dopo in fo ro,,r south
love him, too-not like a child, but a
woman. The tapgle is worse than
thought; your heart is caught in it as
well as mine, and you shall have your
chance. My death will give it to you
AZ tried to dissuade her. I urged
every plea. even that of my own sac
rifce. But she was no more her nat
ural self. She had taken up the note
and read it during my entreaties, and
my words fell on deaf ears. why,
these words have killed me- she cried,
crumpling the note in her hand
What Will little poison do? 1t can
only finish what he has begun
POISON. L remembered how I had
heard her pushing about bottles in the
medicine cabinet and felt my legs
grow weak and my head swim You
will not!' I cried. watching her hand,
in terror of seeing it rise to her breast.
when l came here she said, L
brought bottle of cordial with me
and three glasses. / brought a little |
vial OF poison, too, once ordered for |
sickness. / expected to find Elwood |
here. If, / had l meant to drop the |
poison into one glass and then fill |
them all up with the cordial We |
should have drunk. each one of us his |
glass, and one of us would have |
fallen. 1 did not care which, you or |
Elwood or myself But he is not |
here, and the cast of the die is be- |