The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-12-12

4
had dreaded that visit Mrs. Comstock's
face and hair were 81 white that her
dark eyes seemed burned into their
setting. Silently she stared nj the wo.
man before her long time
Il might have saved myself the trou
BILE Of coming" she said at last II see
you are guilty as sin"
What has Mag Sinton been telling
your painted the miserable woman.
gripping the fence
THE truth" answered Mrs. Com.
stock succinctly. Guilt IL In every
line Of your face, In your eyes, all over
your wrctched body"
III you knew what I've suffered
"sufferedY" jeered Mrs. Comstock.
That's interesting And pray. what
have you sufferedr'
IAN the nelghbors have suspected
! and been down ON me | ain't had q
! friend. I've always felt guilty of his
DEATH I've seen him go down n thou
sand times. plain as ever you did
Mays the night I've stood on the
other bank OF that pool aud listened
TO you. and ! tried 10 throw myself In
TO keep from hearing you. but ! didn't
dare | knew God would send me to
burn forever. but Id better done II.
for now he has set the burning ON my
body. and every hour Il Is slowly eat
ing the life out Of me The doctor
says it's cancer
Mrs Comstock exhalcd u long breath.
Her grip on the hoe relaxed aud her
stature lifted to towering height
IL didn't know OF care when ! came
here Just what ! did" she said "Rui
my way Is beginning to clear. II the
guilt OF your soul has come TO head
In a cancer on your body II looks NJ
" the Almighty didn't need any Of my
help In melting out his punlshments.
I really couldn't IN up anything TO
come anywhere near that II you are
going to burn until your life goes out
with that sort OF Hre. you don't owe
me anything.
"If you will gather n lot OF red clover
bloom and make a tea strong IS I've OF
II and drink quarts ] think likely Il
will help you. II you are not too far
gone. Anyway. Il will cool your blood
and make the burning easier TO bear"
Then she swiftly walked home. En-
ter the lonely cabin she could not,
neither could she sit outside and think.
She attacked bed Of beets and hoed
until the rerspiration ran from her
face and body. then she began on the
potatoes. when she was too tired to
take another stroke she bathed and
put on dry clothing In securing her
dress she noticed her husbands care
fully preserved clothing lining one
wall. She gathered II In a great arm
load and carried II out TO the swamp
Piece by piece she pitched into the
green nav Of the quagmlre all those
articles she had busted carefully and
fought moths from for years and stood
watching as II slowly sucked them
down. She went back 20 her room
and gathered every scrap that had In
any way belonged TO Robert Com
stock. excepting his gun and revolver.
and threw II into the swamp. Then
for the first time she set her door
wide open.
She was too weary now to do more
but an urging unrest drove her. She
wanted ElDora. II seemed to her she
never could wait until the girl came
and delivered her judgment. At last
In an effort to get nearer to her. Mrs.
Comstock climbed the stairs aud stood
looking around Elnora's room. II was
very unfamiliar. The pictures were
strange to her. Commencement had
filled II with packages and bundles.
The walls were covered with cocoons.
moths and dragon flies were pinned
about.
Under the bed she could see a half
dozen large white boxes. She did not
know what they contained. She pulled
out one and lifted the I'D. The bottom
was covered with sheet OF thin cork.
and on long pins sticking In II were
dozens Of great. velvet winged moths.
Each one was labeled, always there
were two OF a kind. In many cases
four. showing under and upper wings
Of both male and female They were
Of every color and shape
Mrs. Comstock carefully closed and
replaced the boxes and again stood
looking around the room. This time
her eyes rested on some books she did
not remember having seen before. 40
she picked up one and found that II
was a moth book. She glanced over
the first pages and was soon eagerly
reading. When the text reached the
classification of species she laid II
down. took up another and read Its In
troductory chapters. Then she found
some papers and studied them.
/ She went downstairs thinking deep
I ly. Being unable TO sit still and hav-
ing nothing else TO do. she glanced at
the clock and prepared supper. She
went out and sat on the front door
step watching night creep all around
her. She started eagerly as the gate
! creakcd. but II was only Wesley Sin
ton coming down the walk.
Katharine. Margaret and Elnora
passed where was working this after
noon. and Margaret got out OF the car
rage and called me to the fence. She
told me what she had done. I've come
TO say TO you that ! am sorry. She has
/ 40. A. |. "a