Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1913-04-10


gan, speaking with great voluD1Ity,
as person will do who has an awk-
ward explanation or apology to get
through; in even telling your land
lady that I was a friend from Lon
don, and persuading her to let me
come unannounced. / heard that you
were i'll, and | was afraid that a mes
sage might be sent down that you
were not we'll enough to see me.
And it was important that l should
see you at once-highly important.
| did not know how long | might stay
here-hours or minutes was
the next train back to London-any-
thing"
You have come from London to-
day."
YES"
And return to London forth
WITH"
Yes. That is imperative"
Indeed! Are you strong enough
to udertake so long and fatiguing a
Journey, Miss Nash?" I asked.
Miss Nash was opening and shut
ting the cover of a book upon my Ia
BILE with a nervous hand. | could see
that she was agitated, although pos
sessed of considerable powers of
self-repression. She was in deep
mourning for her father, too; she
had been aware of his death, then
l thought at once. 1t had not fallen
upon her as surprise; she had not
come down to visit her father and
been confronted with the news that
he was no longer of this world.
'Oh, / am strong enough, Mr.. Lis
samer. Nothing affects me much"
she said, looking very steadily at me
with two dark, reassuring eyes; "and
weak or strong, I must get back to
my sister"
II should have thought that
She
l paused, feeling that I had no
right to express an opinion, but she
completed my sentence for me.
Would have been better able to
undertake the Journey" she said
well, yes, for she bears fatigue,
troubles, disappointments, reverses,
Affections, better than with a
stronger nerve and more resOlute
outlook, thank God! But then she is
younger and has more faith. If 1t
were not for Della, T But [ am in
trenching on your time, and not ex-
planning the object of my visit. Pray
forgive me-"
She said it quickly and gracefully;
there was the manner born of the
actress in her, / thought; she spoke
like a highly cultured woman, and
that was hardly possible, consider
ing her antecendents, and judging
even from my little knowledge of the
family. But she interested me
strangely already, or my weakness
had rendered me either impression
able or emotional. / felt that
had a difficulty in keeping for
some unknown reason, the tears
out OF my eyes as she went on,
and I was conscious that when /
should be able to answer her it
would be with an ugly break in my
voice Yes | was hampered by a
weakness which l was anathematiZ-
ing in my secret heart. | wanted to
be cool and bsuiness-like and gentle
manly and critical If necessary; and
I thought that that might be neces-
sary. / was not certain yet. l was
only convinced that Hyacintha Nash
was regarding me critically in her
turn, and looking as if she would
analyze my character to the depths,
and, if it were possible, by a deliber-
ate survey of me. She was very pref
ty, and looked very young stiIl;
much suffering had not told on her
five-and-twenty years of life-the
last five years of torture, as l could
very we'll imagine.
II need not tell you, Mr.. LISA
mer," she continued, that it was
only late last night that my sister
and I heard of the death of our poor
father-we have not been in a posi-
ton to hear before. There have been
circumstances conspiring to keep us
for a while dead to the stage world,
or &nv world for the matter of that.