The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1913-03-22

~ stories about The Spanish Wo-
nal are trueT" I asked.
He looked at me quickly. What
stories!'
why, | heard them talking in court
today, and last night-I didn't mean to
I overheard you and Mr.. Dingley as
you came out OF the study"
Father looked grim. 1T Is with those
stories they will try to convict him."
He took n few more strides before he
added, IF they can prove that Mont
gomery wanted to cut out Rood
they'll have a bad case against him."
He didn't speak again until he put me
in the carriage. Then he said. II hope
your mind. l hate to have you think
about It."
/ said I would try. Indeed, after that
last remark of fathers about Mont
gomery wanting to cut out Rood 1t
seemed to me that, IL l didn't quickly
get something else into my mind l
should go crazy. SO while the carriage
bounded over the cobblestones I was
busy planning the menu for dinner to-
morrow, where to leave my earrings to
be mended, how to do over my blue
silk gown, and where had been the err
ror In the butchers bill. My thoughts
rushed from one little thing to another,
afraid for an instant to let go.
Upon arriving home Abby, hanging
oyer the banisters, wanted to hear
about the court proceedings. but | call
ed out to her that my testimony hadn't
been required. and would she please
get out the apricots, and after luncheon
l would make that sauce she had been
after me to do for the last week.
In the intervals of preserving l Owed
into the cellar and brought up my rose
and lilac plants, and the afternoon was
spent in running hot checked from the
stove to the garden, digging, carefully
sprinkling, while Abby lowered the
roots, then packing the earth and pat
ting with all my might, dartlng back
to the kitchen again to ladle out the
steaming stuff into Jars and strenuous
ly to screw on their covers.
But for all my wearing of myself out
through the steam of the cooking pots
between the leaves of the rose bushes,
the pursuing idea would lift It's head.
The picture of the Spanish woman as
she stood In the witness room, the
golden glimmer of her hair. her
derful white waxy face and the way
her eyes had sparkled at me through
her lashes, returned to my memory,
powerful as the odor of her flower. |
compared her with that fiower-luxuri-
Gus and perfect looking, as IL she had
grown In a dollhouse, and with that
strange overwhelming characteristic
which drew II spite of all d~isliking.
1t was useless to cry. II do no. like
you. and / will not believe in you
There were two things | had to ac-
knowledge-her will and her power of
seduction. Hadn't | felt the light of 1t
as she had stood looking at me?
Finally. when wearied out, | lay In
bed that night the idea | had been
fleeing overlook me. and | gave up and
looked it in the face. well. yes. and
p he does love her, should that
surprise me so much? How should he
help it? She is so beautiful
Still that admission had been forced
out of me in Il moment of weakness
between my pillow and the dark. and |
was determined 1t should not get hold
of ME with its swarm of attendant
tormenting thoughts. was resolved
to 60 into court. thinking Of nothing
but just thai small measure of evidence
which was mine to give, and to come
away again, turning my back upon the
whole matter and taking up again the
round of my daily employments.
This heroic resolution was knocked
on the head the next morning by ia
theirs announcing that | was not sum-
moned for the opening of the court,
and he added parenthetically Lord
knew when-but might be called for
any time that afternoon; so | was to
hold myself in readiness. This left
me in a miserable state of uncertainty,
which was not improved by seeing my
name in the Alta as witness. just
above an exhortation to the people of
San Francisco to see that justice was
done, even if the law failed in its work.
A vigorous sweeping of my room, the
preparation of an elaborate luncheon
salad and the total Encouragement of
the parlor furniture might help to get
rid of that heart beating expectation
soothing and bulwarking me around
with domesticity. But the excitement
of the city kept invading my retreat.
and just before luncheon Halle rushed
in. She had been at the trial all the
morning and had only just seen the
Alta with my name.
She Rugged me a number of times
with ordinations of how awful but
fascinating it must be to be a witness.
aud what was 1t | knew-why hadn't
/ told her-she would never have d.
vulged one word of it-though. OF
course. If | was under oath! Still.
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