Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-13


then? No?"
After other questions and tests, the
old doctor was looking puzzled, when.
not finding it in my heart to keep him
in the dark any longer, | told him
there was nothing amiss with my
health, but l was unhappy and had
been so since the time of my mar
riage
4 see" he said. IT'S your mind
and not your body that is sick?"
Yes"
I'm speak to Father DAN he said.
Good bye! God bless you!"
Less than half an hour after he
had gone Alma came to me in hel
softest mode, saying the doctor had
said / was suffering from extreme
nervous exhaustion and ought to be
kept from worries and anxieties of
every kind.
so if there's anything | can do
while I'm here, dearest such
al look after the house and the ser
wants. . No, no, don't deny me
it will be a pleasure, assure you
-. So Wen say that's settled, shall
We? You dear, sweet darling
creature"
was too much out of heart to care
what happened, but inside two days
| realized that Alma had taken pos
session of the house, and was order
ing and controlling everything
Apparently this pleased such Of the
servants as had anything to gain by
it-tne housekeeping in particular
for Alma was no skinflint and she
was making my husbands money flow
like water but ii was less agreeable
TO nv maid who said:
This is a nice place, to be sure.
where the mistress takes no interest
in anything, and the guest walks over
everybody. She'll walk over the mis-
tress herself before long-mark my
word but she will"
1t would be about a week after our
arrival at Castle Raa that Price
came to my room to say that a priest
was asking for me, and he was such
a strange looking thing that she was
puzzled to know if his face was that
of a child, a woman or a dear old
man.
| knew in a moment 1t must be Fa-
Their Dan, so l went flying down
stairs and found him in the hall
wearing the same sack coat Cor so 1t
seemed) as when l was a child and
made cupboards of its vertical pock-
which he had taken to Rome and
used for his surpiice at funerals, and
hopping his forehead and Ticking his
boots with a red print handkerchief
for the day was hot and the roads
were dusty.
He was as glad to see me as I to
see him, and when asked if he would
have tea, he said yes, for he had
walked all the way from the presby
terry, after fasting the day before;
and when asked If he would not stay
overnight he said yes to that, too. IF
it would not be troublesome and in
convenient"
So l took his bag and gave 1t to
maid, telling her to take it to the
guests room on my landing, and to
bring tea to my boudoir Immediately.
But hardly had | taken him up
stairs and we had not seated in my
private room, when the maid knocked
at the door to say that the house
keeper wished to speak with me, ana
on going out and closing the door be-
hind me, l found her on the landing,
prim little fiinty person, with quick
eyes, thin lips and an upward lift
of her head.
Sorry. my lady, but 1t won't be
convenient for his reverence to stay
in the house tonight" she said.
why 500" l said.
Because Madame has ordered all
the rooms to be got ready for the
house party. and this one" (pointing
to the guests room opposite), is pre-
pared for Mr.. and Mrs. Eastcliff. and
we don't know how soon they may
arrive"
l felt myself flushing up to the eyes
at the woman's impudence, and II
added TO my anger that Alma herself
was standing at the head Of the stairs,
looking on and listening. So with
little squirt of injured pride [ turned
severely on the one while really
speaking to the other, and said:
BE good enough to make this room
ready for his reverence without one
moments delay, and please remember
for the future that l am mistress IN
this house and your duty is to obey
me and nobody else whatever"
AS ] said this and turned back to
my boudoir, ] saw that Alma's deep
eyes had a sullen look, and | felt that
she meant to square accounts with
me some day; but what she did was
done at once, for going downstairs (as
| afterward heard from PRICE, she
met my husband in the hall, where,
womanlke, she opened her battery
upon him at his weakest spot, saying:
ooh, | didn't know your wife was
priest ridden"
"Priest-ridden?
Precisely" and then followed an
explanation Of what had happened,
with astonishing embellishments
which made my husband pale with
fury.
Meantime | was alone with Father
Dan in my room, and while | poured
out his tea and served him with
bread and butter, he talked first about
Martin (as everybody seemed to do
when speaking to me-, saying:
He was always my golden-headed
boy, and it's a mighty proud man /
am entirely to hear the good news of
him"
More Of the same kind there was,
all music to my ears and then Fa-
Their Dan came to closer quarters,
saying Doctor Conrad had dropped a
hint that | was not very happy.
Tell your old priest everything,
my child, and If there is anything he
can do. g..
without waiting for more words I
sank to my knees at his feet, and
poured out all my troubles-telling
him my marriage had been a failure;
that the sanctifying grace which he
had foretold as the result Of the sac
rament Of holy wedlock had not come
to pass; that not only did I not love
my husband. but my husband loved
H. Il