Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-08-16

next door. There was a fog this
morning and even this curtailed pros
pect was obliterated. She stood yawn-
ing drearily. and gazing out with eyes
to which her yawns had brought tears. |
Her hair made q wild brush round her |
head, her face looked pinched and |
old She was one of those women |
whose good looks are dependent on
ANNA ion and millinery. In this fix
ity of inward thought, unobserved in
unbecoming disarray, one could real
ize that she had attained the thirty
four years she could so successfully
deny under the rejuvenating influ-
ences OF full dress and high spirits.
During her toilet her thoughts re-
fused to leave the subject Of last
nights quarrel She and her husband
had had disagreements before-many
| in the last year when they had virtu-
ally separated, though the world did
not know it-but nothing so ignomini-
ously repulsive as the scene Of last
evening had yet degraded their COM
partnership. Bernice was ashamed. In
| the gray light Of the dim, disiIlusion-
ing morning she realized that she
had gone too far. She knew Domi-
nick to be long-suffering, she knew
that the hold she had upon him was
a powerful one, but the most patient
creatures som etimes rebel, the most
compelling sense Of honor would
sometimes break under too severe
strain. AS she trailed down the
long passage to the dining-room she
made up her mind that she would
make the first overture toward recon
ciliation that evening. 1t would be
difficult but she would do 1t.
She was specializing as to how she
would begin, in what manner she
would greet him when he came home.
when her eyes fell on the folded note
against the clock Apprehension
clutched her as she opened it. The
few lines within frightened her still
, more. He had gone-where? She
turned the note ever. looking at the
back, in a sudden tremble of fearful
, ness. He had never done anything
, like this before. left her. suddenly
cut loose from her in proud disgust.
She stood by the clock. staring at the
, paper, her face fallen into scared
Darkness, the artificial hopefulness
! that she had been fostering since she
awoke giving place to a down-drop
> into an abyss of alarm.
: The door into the kitchen creaked
4 and the Chinaman entered with the
r second part of the dainty breakfast
cooked especially for her.
{ What time did Mr. Ryan leave thil
|. morning." she said without turning
a throwing the question over her shout
d der.
e 81 dunno" the man returned, will
the expressionless brevity of his rac'
particularly accentuated in this case
as he did not like his mistress. H
" no take blickfuss here. He no sta.
It here last night"
g She faced round on him. her eye
It full Of a sudden fierce intentnes
1t which marked them in moments O
e angry surprise.
Wasn't here last night?" she de-
II manded. What do you mean?"
ne idn6CQ tHC uiohCc WIN CdiSAu
y precision. not troubling himself t
look up, and speaking with the sam
q dry Indifference.
IT He not here for blickfuss. No on
sleep in his bed. / go make bed-a
made. l think he not here all night.
ol His work being accomplished
re turned without more words and passe
III into the kitchen. Berry stood for
lie moment thinking, then, with a shru
" of defiance, left her buckwheat cake
o. untasted and walked into the hal
d. She went directly to her husband
d. room and looked about with shar
OF glances. She opened drawers an
e. peered into the wardrobes. She we
= a woman who had a curiously. kee
~ memory for small domestic detail
and a few moments investigate
ST proved to her that he had taken SON
cK of his oldest clothes, but had left b
~ hind all the better ones, and that II
silver box of jewelry on the bureau
~ filed with relics Of the days when
ny had been the idolized son Of bis pa
ents-lacked none OF its contents.
oi- More alarmed than she had been
the course of her married life she le
a. the room and passed up the hall
ID the parlor. The brilliant. overfr
er nished apartment in which she hi
OF crowded every fashion in interior dc
grafton that had pleased her fan
me and been within the compass OF b
ny purse, looked slovenly and unattra'
up i've in the gray light Of the mornir
ns The smell of smoke was strong In
Ter and the butts and ashes Of ciga
ns Dominick had been smoking the e'
ing ming before lay in tray on the cent
table She noticed none OF these thinl
IN which under ordinary circumstanc
e would have been ground for scoldiI
e for she was a woman of fastidious p
~ sonal daintiness. A cushioned 81
a was built round the curve of the b
window, and on this she sat dov
drawing back the fall Of thick et
lace that yelled the pane. Her eJ
were fastened with an unwinking
?. ity on the fog-drenched street wi
Der out: her figure motionless.
len Her outward rigidity OF body C
emit, cealed an intense inward energy
,en | thouoht II suddenIv appeared