Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-06-20


the heated seething of her rage keep
ing the peace of repose far from her.
1t was only as the dawn paled the
square of the window that she fell
into a heavy slumber. disturbed by
dreams full of stress and strife.
She looked up at the clock; 1t was
nearly ten. Dominick would have left
for the bank before this, so the
wretched constraint of meeting with
him was postponed. Sallow and heavy
eyed. her head aching, oppressed by a
sense Of the unbearable unpleasant
ness Of the situation, she threw on
her wrapper. and going to the window
drew the curtain and looked out.
The bedroom had but one window,
wedged into an angle of wall, and
affording glimpse of the green lawn
and clipped rose trees of the house
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 wild brush round her
head. her face looked pinched and
| old. She was one Of those women
whose good looks are dependent on
animation 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 infiu-
ences of full dress and high spirits.
During her toilet her thoughts re.
tn 1xaav hA
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, disillusion-
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
powerful one, but the most patient
creatures sometimes 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-
Citation that evening. It would be
difficult but she would do It.
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 1t. The
few lines within frightened her still
more. He had gone-where? She
turned the note over. 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
and the Chinaman entered with the
second part Of the dainty breakfast
cooked especially for her.
What time did Mr.. Ryan leave this
morning?" she said without turning,
throwing the question over her shout
der.
81 dunno" the man returned, with
the expressionless brevity of his race
particularly accentuated in this case.
as he did not like his mistress. He
no take blickfuss here. He no stay
here last night"
Che facad round nm bfp, bar a,,-,,
full of a sudden fierce intentness
angry surprise.
Wasn't here last night?" she de.
manded. What do you inean?"
He arranged the dishes with careful
precision. not troubling himself to
look up, and speaking with the same
dry indifference.
He not here for blickfuss. No one
sleep in his bed ! go make bed-all
made. l think he not here all night"
His work being accomplished he
turned without more words and passed
into the kitchen. Berry stood for a
moment thinking. then, with a shrug
of defiance, left her buckwheat cakes
untasted and walked into the hall.
She went directly to her husbands
room and looked about with sharp
glances. She opened drawers and
peered into the wardrobes. She was
woman who had curiously keen
memory for small domestic details,
and a few moments investigation
proved to her that he had taken some
of his Oldest clothes, but had left be-
hind all the better ones. and that the
filled with relics of the days when he
had haen the idOIfzpd son of HE nor