The Washington herald., 1913-03-16
MIRACLE PLAY

Of the chair! I told him you wasn't
home. and you had gone out to the Col
Inns spring, He said when would you
be home, and said I didn't know. And
he went OF mad. Oh-h! oh-h-h! jimmy
says Carrie March says she saw him
! downtown riding on his bicycle with
Susan Baker. O-h-h-h-h! How can
talk when I'm SO sicke Girls don't
know about young men. Bert wouldn't
like you to see him sometimes. be sure
Of that" She paused to moan. and
Emmy looked at her in a misery of
doubt, Was she telling the truth? 1t
had come to that, since Mrs. Darter had
grown to take her soothing drops in
every ailment-there was no surety
that either she saw things straight or
told them straight.
Il guess I'll go make you some cof-
fee. mother" said Emmy; you need
it."
The girls self-control was like tim
der to the .woman's fire. Mrs. Darter
coffee. I won't drink 1t. What's more,
1 won't eat one bite until you promise
me to break with Bert Glenn-not II I
starve to death! II you're willing to
let those Glenns insult me and tri-
umph over me. / amt willing to live
to see it." Her feeble accents shrilled
to scream. as-she flung out her arms
with reminiscence Af the behavior of
her favorite of her Sfavorite heroines
in novels. GO. Emmeline Darter,
marry him IL you dare: but you will
pass to the altar over your only moth
er's grave" She had a confused sense
that her syntax had played her false
and that she had no: gotten the words
precisely right; but she covered any
embarrassment by sinking back and
moaning.
Emmy looked at her with a mount
ing terror in her heart. She told her
self that 1t was impossible that her
mother could carry out such a hideous
nous obstinacy which had not a place
firm enough for a reason to get a hold
And she won't want to eat, either"
unused Emmy. wretchedly, for that
nasy medicine has made her awful
sick. She's got a fever now: that will
burn away her strength. And II It
comes to a choice between letting my
mother stsrve and giving up Bert. I
shall have to give him up
Emmy sprans out of her chair. The
thought was like a lash on raw
wound.
She ran to the window: IT seemed
TO her that she couldn't breathe: and
her mothers whimpering irritated her
past patience. She knew IL she smoke
that she would let the bars down for
her anger. and II she were angry her
mother would be upset physically. and
grow so much worse that she would
feel like a murderer. She felt the
goading of that furious petulance
which torments woman often into
sacrificing herself out OF very anger
IL was her 70 a
er die myself than give up Bert, and
You know IL: and I'll never forgive
you as long as live but rather than
see you die before my eyes will give
him up.
There were a thousand witcheries of
light and shade. there was a radiant
lavishn"ss of color: II was a landscape
like multitude all over the Middle
West, nevertheless sight to make the
heart beat the quicker for sheer delight
But II might have been a stone wall for
poor Emmy. who loved each
growing thing. saw in II this moment.
To live without Bert, perhaps to learn
that Susy Baker had the love which she
would seem to have flung away-Emmy
would have groaned IL she had not hear
Mrs. Darter's piteous din, and thought
grimly that her mother did enough groaa-
ing for their small family.
Yet at this very instant Of despair a
minister of grace was lifting the latch
OF the Darter gate. and Emmy was un-
eyeing her. The minister OF
grace was short of stature and very
plump. She had a round. fair. freckled
face, which looked the rounder for its
glittering spectacles. Her hair was a yell
lowiSh gray, but she covered II with a
small white sailor hat. She wore a neat
brown and white calico frock. To escape
the dew she held her skirts high; one
could see that her preference was for
black alpaca slippers and white cotton