The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1914-06-11
CHAPTER lV,-Continued

Beside sara Wrandall, on the small
pink diTan. sat stranger In this son
Der company: young woman
black whose pale face was uncovered
and whose lashes were lifted so rareI
that one could not know Of the deer
zeal pain that lay behind them, in he
Irish blue eyes.
She had arrived at the house a,
hour or two before the time set fo
the ceremony, in company with tn
widow. True to her resolution. tn
widow OF Challis Wrandall had re
NAMED away from the home of hi
people until the last hour She haf
been consulted, to be sure, in regart
to the final arrangements, but ths
meetings had taken place in her owl
apartment, many blocks distant from
the house in lower Fifth avenue. The
afternoon before she had received
Redmond Wrandall and Leslie. his
son. She had not sent for them. They
came perfunctorily and not through
8Hy sense of obligation. These two
At beast knew that sympathy was not
Il
during the two trying days, Leslie had
come 10 see her, Vivian telephoned.
oI the occasion of his first visit
Leslie had met the guest in the house
The second time he called, he made
1t point to ask Sara all about her
II was he who gently closed the
1oer after the two women when, on
the morning of the funeral. they en-
tered the dark, fower-laden room in
which stood the casket containing the
BODY OF his brother He left them
alone together in that room for half
an hour or more, and it was he who
went forward to meet them when thew
came forth. Sara leaned on his arm
as she assembled the stairs to the room
"heFe the others were waiting. The
asfen-faced girl followed.
MIS-, Nrandall, the elder, kissed
Sara and drew her down beside her
Oh the couch. To her own surprise "a
ven as that of the others, Sara broke
uo"h and Tept bitterly. After all.
one was sorry for Challis' mother II
was the human instinct, she could not
1oIa out against it. And the older
woman put away, the ancient grudge
she held against this mortal enemy
anu u1sSolVed into tears of real com.
passion. VIII
a HtlIe later she whispered broken
~ Ii sara ear: my dear, my dear.
'niS mas brought us together. | hone
'ou VIII learn to love me-"
sara caught her breath, but utterad
~ "ofu' She looked into her mother
.l-id" eyes. and smiled through her
sVa'S' Inc Wrandalls, looking on IN
snld%e saw the smile reflected in the
a. Ue .! the older woman. Then it was
Wa' vivian crossed quickly and mt
nel arms about the shoulders of bar
sides oH "otH
Hetty Castleton stood alone and wa !
's''ng' Just inside the door No
a1seI situation could be imagined
10 14i 'He one in which this unfortunate
81. Iouhd herself at the present mo-
~ She was virtually in the hands
uos s" u; VINO would destroy her; she
49, aa III the house Of those who most
tbot were affected by her act on |
s+oos '"taI night. Among them all sha
mooa, Iaclns them, listening to the
nv ,oAls and sobs. and yet her limbs did
give way beneath her.
7, Ae one gently touched her arm
fesrfa[ Leslie She shrank back. p
dar,. -ui iook in her eyes. In the semi
sinn A-eSS ne failed to note the express
dic,.: ~" you sit here?" he asked in.
tho Ing the little pink divan against
sfsnS oil, Forgive me for letting Won
stand SO long" III '''ns you
sjH hi Il '0ohed about her, the wild light
IN I'M tn ner eyes. She was like q rat
.ban1 hps parted, but the word of
Dartio. 1Id not come forth. A STRANGE
,amo Vuiate sound, almost pasn
jrona instead, Pallid as a ghost CHI
,er 'seu imply to the divan, and dua
( faso5e INTO the satiny seat. AS
,Iack h1n@'ed, she stared over tho
atel, eauS Of the three women imma-
eDstb - 'front.' of her at the fn1l-
igh, 9 poflralt hanging where tha
,ortr. ION The hall fell upon it. tbe
Ops At OF dashing youth in rtdins
,s % D'onent later Sara wranda,, c.na
higeraa0 sat beside her. The girl Il
Ne wor, as with mighty chill when q
err aa1 "a hand of her friend fell unon Il
"Hi. ehVeloped it in a firm cl.sn a
ara 10 me mother kissed me-" WHISPERED Ii
~ DID YOU sep, 'Spereo IL
My sts sn' could not reply. She could a
atcbes t at the open door. A small A
elou ''.iaeed man had come IN fronn
eslte 1 ~, was nodding his head 10
de- DS WV W,Tandall-a man with ea sho TO o,
bis . at-s, and a sepulchral look al
On fro ages' Then, having received o,
ost from rom Leslie, he tiptoed awav away Al 81 81
ngiDg soaiy the voices of peonla ii
nors note softly came from some distant nstpt u
And "a, Part of the house. 9.
city ruen' little later the ner =,
aver 00iated voice of a man in
rs apSas beneath her, trte Ded,d e. her
y would Join With t tann,e' nose a