Lower coast gazette., 1913-09-13

IN his OutStreLcneQ paws. ne loohou
m at her and wagged his tail in well {
come. Inside nothing appeared to
have been touched. Yet when she
went shyly to the big chest for a peep
at her dear gown, she did not find 1t.
Nobody found it-or any a OF
the thief. Mrs. Tazewell laughed sour
w.. and limited that Sam or Hannah
might know more than they told. She
made no pretense Of sympathy. All
along she had ignored Molly n the
gown. Indeed, since the day when
Molly had deied her, they had spoken
to one another only when necessafy
More than ever Mrs. Tazewel had
coddled and pampered Dump. "'Prlde
eoeth before er fall I've heard the
preachers say that over and over"
she commented.
Molly had nowhere to turn for help;
her father was away on a long hunting
trip. There was only n thing to
do-spin and weave a new gown. She
could finish it in time for the wedding
not such a gown as the lost one,
but a plain white homespun, clean if
coarse.
The next day she began spinning.
Toward afternoon Mrs. TazeWen be-
came ill. She sat holding her head,
shivering, shaking, until at last she
was seized with stupor and delirium.
The brothers and their wives came
once, but fearing isis Betsy had SOM
nm catchin'," cravenly left the nurs-
ing to Molly and Hannah.
They did what they could with herb
teas, cold water and simple nourish-
ment. or help they had the patients
iron constitution. Mrs. Tazewell, al
though no larger than Molly, was wiry
and very strong. Happily she lay
quiet for the most part. Once, near
midnight, she sat up, staring straight
ahead with unseeing eyes, and mutter'
ing:
aMine! / tell ye it's mine! 1t was
owed to me, l tell We! l amt ever had
anything pretty! l can't make any
thing pretty! don't know how! Lool
) at my hands," -,
Later she had odd fancies. Mol!
! was Good Gal"; Hannah, "Old Mis-
Crow" Molly, her stepdaughter, sh,
: insisted, was dead; the sun was dead
! too, and the moon had got lost in tn
: brier patch. Unless it came Dacl
soon, she would go and look for it.
Look for something else, too"-aft
y er that there came a chucKle ina
$ made Molly shiver.
y The fever came and went. Ther
,. were days when Mrs. Tazewelps min
was almost clear, although she was a
, weak as a child. Then the fever woul
:. return, and with it strength. IoWar
= the end of the fourth week, Mol
y thought she saw a change. The moo
= was almost full now, and Mrs. a
u !. well, who usually slept only b
= snatches in the daytime, lay close t
> her cherished windows, staring GU t.
!. the radiant world. Molly was neve
= frightened SO long as she stared, {
y Itossed, or talked, conscious OF tnos
about her. 1t was when she went o.
. OF her head that she was terrible.
All Saturday she was at her wors
Jerking, twitching, now shivering, no
!" burning. She refused everything eve
l7 cold water. Hannah, c%rouching by II
u hearth. whispered to Molly, "RecKt
~ she'll 20 as de Sunday comes in"
Molly nodded and opened her lips
speak: but she shut them when 81
W saw her stepmother spring from u
10 he'd. wrap a blanket about her, al
e.. dash outdoors.
- Lik ca shadow the sick woman r
~ :. through the small yard, down the 70
On for a short distance and then strale
into the woods. Molly and Ham
~, ~ could not have followed her had
not been for Dash. At last, a m
~ from the house, they came up W
ot her, in a little glade that was floot
with moonlight.
She had dropped the blanket,
en., stood full in the light; her arms W
aly raised. and her hands fumbled at
roy neck. She had on Molly's wedd
~. gown, and was trying desperately
.ne fasten it. But soon her arms dropp
''app she stretched them out at her 81
Lnu. then she turned slowly around, loo
ALe down at herself, anu smiled as M
.no had never before seen her smile.
pie muttered "Ole Miss Grow said )
.. day was coming-time to wear :
day clothes" ,,n
"She's walking in her sleep" M
whispered. Hannah, we must
her back, and never let her know
was the fever that made her take
frock; it would kill her if she KIN
Don't see how you gwine help
lknowin-less'n she up and Dies"
nah said, almost sullenly.
Molly crept up to her 'stepmotl
elbow.
aWhy how fine you are! Come b
and let Good Gal look at YOU"
said. and put her arm about the y
ed figure.
"You-you won't take it away
me?" the sick woman demanded.
for Molly? Molly's young-and :
"Why, Molly gave it to yon,' \
said, as steadily as she could 81
"Come right along. Your fine
will get widowed and dirty II
stgII leave it longer in the hollow tree
x f. 81 know! l came to git it 10
shroud. You say ! may have It.
er die' the sleep-walker asked.
Live or die" Molly answered
emily, and if her voice shook, II
MI from pity.
Mrs. Tazewell went to sleep
i Molly's dress cuddled against
! breast as if it had been a chill
lHl first the sleep was fitful, but pr
" it grew. deep and saving. Her
head was moist, and she lay re
and at peace. BY slow degrees
ektal slipped the frock from e grasp
21 hoped that her stepmother woul
I remember, but if she did, the CIR
@z ready to keep her word. 1t was