The Washington times., 1912-05-29
House Of the Purple Windows
- By ----------
MARY KATHARINE MAULE
copyright. The Frank A. Munsey Coz

l siOn OF crylng tnat frightened Annabel.
Don't, oh, don't, deariel'' she begged,
kneeling beside the child and gathering
her In her arms. please don't cry so!
Tell me all about II; Perhaps I can
70 her. she raised oeh the ehiids Ss head cad and
| looked into her face
Listen. .darling!' she said earnestly.
sos3binss tog iG,s'nsi wbeyc want You to tell me
WHY did she go away and leave You
The child stopped sobbing and raised
,,on mea hsne sSs siES ii,SSnE big oewildered eyes
don't YOU know7 NV mother is dead
The E'rf dropped back and caught a
quick glspinF breath,
"Your-.r1othcr- --is-dead?" che ejacu-
lated, "Child-child-tell me-was She
Hnt the child did not hear her. with
wild eyes, and face from which every
vestigc Of color had fed. che stopped
her fagcts. her small. iacorated hands,
her whole tiny body, shaking with ter
ror.
tweer shaking lips, she's coIning-go-
run-get away from here quick before
| she sees youi II she sees you talking to
me here she will kill me! She told me
she .foi,nI me talking to ' rtrarsersy" s ~ "
| There was such terror In the whis-
T, nered tnne-such an agony Of fear in
not resist her plea She hurried away
through = by-path N the wood. and an
instant later Mrs. Jennings came
rnrfnn Of thf The Hoss eSpss the %
dows.
with -arns akimbo she stood and
looked fnsn down pGn the itn lissI o,nE s
! pile Of fagots. .
"Pick them up again. YOU lazy brat"
che said. with an ill-naturcd chuckle;
Then In tone Of rising fury. What
have YOU. been doing here SO long?
Been gabblipg to. somebody?. Rernem-
ssa atc nd tsnv sH vSS you'll %s es o TO sny
body around here I'll fay you alive,
The child's face went white as death.
Her big blue eyes dilated with terror
ton where Annabell had disappeared.
Fortunately the woman did not pur-
sue her questions. The wood about
them seemed silent and deserted. and
after a keen glance about she went on
Pick UP that wood now and get
along home with It: It's time to light
the fire for dinner"
Shaking like an aspen leaf. the little
figure stopped to life the heavy load.
Twice she tried before she could move II
from the ground; the third time she
raised the pile in her arms, staggered
with II a few steps. then fell. scattering
the fagots on the ground. with a Shrek
OF fury the woman sprang upon her,
stick that she caught up from the pile
she began to beat her about her head
and shoulders.
Annabel could bear no more Forget
but her own boiling Indignation. she
burst through the hazel copse where she
had been hiding and ran toward them:
| When, the woman saw her she hastily
l tNlr saI A1x NAI fNx aK-I
her.
"Oh. how do you do. Miss chisleigh."
she said In a conciliatory tone, "out for
a walk this morningr was just trying
She's been playing out in the woods all
morning. and when tried to get her to
come in to her dinner she threw herself
fat on the ground and wouldn't stir
step. She surely Is the meanest. spoil
edest, hatefulest young one I ever came
across"
sobbing, and looked up in her face with
wide. fearful, bewtldered eyes
"Oh. no. have not been playing
she protested in a pathetic. quivering
little voice .rd u never PLAY yu,o now ,ndssd was
indeed was" .-. -.... ..
Mrs. Jennings broke in roughly,
Listen to that now!, Was there
ly. Miss Chislelgh, you can't believe
a word that child says. Why, II peo-
pie was to hear her they would think
she was crazy. I don't know what
makes her do 1t, unless 1t Is Just nat
ural meanness and because she was
brought up in the streets Of London"
brought up in the streets of Lon
dom" broke in Annabel, unable to
listen to more, "4hy, surely you must
be mistaken in that. Mrs. Jennings.
| That child was never brought up in
the streets. Her looks, her voice, her
| complexion, her language. the way
she moves and carries herself"
The woman's face flushed, and she
bit her lip.
"That don't count for nothing" she
interrupted. "Her-her father was one
of them swells, and I suppose she"
"My father?' the child's small, pale
face was flushed now, and the sensi-
tive blue eyes looked almost black
with their distended pupils. She
clutched at the woman's dress with
her small, shaking hands. and her
voice trembled with eagerness as she
cried: "oh, do you know my father?
'T know it's time for youngsters
like you to be at home" replied Mrs.
} Jennings roughly. shaking off the
| clinging hand. Pick up that wood
| now, and look sharp about it."
, Annabel spranR forward, scarcely
able to restrain the words that were
forcing themselves to her lips
} a Continuation OF This Story VIII
u BE Found In Tomorrow
Issue of The Times.