The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-04-01

Of the Leyden jar, the lOosing of the
tense bowstring and it brought re-
lief After time she grew quieter.
He would get we'll! The thought
that perhaps she had saved his life
gave her thrill that ran over her
whole body. And until yesterday she
had never seen him! She kneeled in
the blurred half-light, pushing her wet
hair back from her forehead and smil.
ing up in the rain that still fell fast.
In few moments she rose and went on
At the gate Of the Rosewood lane
stood a mail-box on a cedar post and
she paused to fish out a draggled Rich.
mond newspaper AS she thrust Il un.
der her arm her eye caught a word of
headline. With a flush she tore it
from it's soggy wrapper, the wetted
nDer parting In her eager fingers, and
resting her foot on the lower rail of
the gate, spread it open on her knee.
She stood stock-still until she had
read the whole. 1t was the story of
John Valiant's sacrifice of his private
fortune to save the ruin of the in
volved corporation.
Its effect upon her was a shock She
felt her throat swell as she read: then
sne was chilled by the memory of
what she had said to him: What
mas he ever done except play polo and
furnish spicy paragraphs for the So
ciety columns?"
What beast I vast" she said. ad.
dressing the wet hedge. "He had inst
done that splendid thing. 1t was be.
cause OF that that he was little better
than a beggar. and l said those hor.
rible things!" Again she bent her
eyes, rereading the sentences: Took
his detractors by surprise =
mad Just sustained grilling at the
hands of the states examiner which
might we'll have dried at their fount
the springs Of sympathy"
She crushed up the paper in her
hand and rested her forehead on the
wet rail. 1diotically rich--a vandal-
useless, purse-proud flaneur. She
had called him all that! She could
still see the paleness Of his look as
she had said it.
Shirley. overexcited as she still was
1elt the sobs returning. These, how.
ever did not last long and in a mo.
ment she found herself smiling again.
Though she had hurt him. she had
saved him, too! When she Whispered
this over to herself it still thrilled and
startled her. She folded the paper
and hastened on under the cherry.
trees.
Emmaline, the negro maid was wait.
Ing anxiously on the porch. She was
thin to spareness. with face as
Drown as tobacco leaf, restless black
eyes and wool neatly pinned and set
on by an amber comb.
Honey" called Emmaline, Use
been fearin' TO yo' wild all that light.
min r'arin' eroun'. Yo' got tn Jess
min? Give 'em to Em'line. She'll fix
'em all nice. jes' how Mis- Judith like"
All right, Emmaline," replied Shir.
ley. And I'll go and dress. Has
mother missed me?"
Nom. SLo ain lef huh room this
whole blessed day. Now yo' barths
all ready--all 'cep'n tn hot watah,
en- / SEN Ranston with that tn fus'
thing. Yo' hurry en- peel them wet
close on yo'sef, or yo' have one O.
sthem digested chills."
Her young mistress flown and the
hot water despatched, the negro WON.
an spread a cloth on the floor and
hegan to cut and dress the long stalks
OF the flowers. This done she fetched
Dowls and vases, and set the pearly-
white clumps here and thereon the
dinlng-room sideboard, the hall man.
tel and the desk Of the living-room-
Till the delicate fragrance filled the
house. quite vanQuishing the rose
scent from the arbors.
AS the trim colored wol,.an moved
lightly about in the growing dusk,
with the low click of glass and muf-
ned clash OF silver, the light tat-tat Of
cane sounded, and she ran to the
hall, where Mrs. cambridge was de-
scending the stairway one slim white
hand holding the banister, under the
edge OF a white silk shawl which
dropped its heavy fringes to her daint-
ily-shod feet. On the lower step she
halted, looking smilingly about at the
blossoming bowls.
Don they smell up tn whole
house" said Emmaline. 81 know'd
70 be pleas, Mis- Judith Now nut
yo' han on nah shouldah en- I'll take
yo' to yO' big cha'h"
They crossed the hall, the dusky
form bending to the fragile pressure OF
the fingers. Nov heah's yo' cha'h.
Ranston he made up a little fab les
to take tn damp out, en- tn big lamps
lit, en- Miss Shirleyll be down right
quick"
A moment later, in fact, Shirley de.
scended the stair. In a filmy gown Of
lndia-muslin, with q narrow betting of