Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1915-04-01

underIay this special act Of ordinary
housewifery a possible enlightenment
on subject which had held the whole
community in a state Of curiosity for
years. She was going TO enter the
room which had been barred from pub
lie sight by poor BeIa's dying body.
The great room before her pre-
scented a bare floor, whereas on her
first visit it had been very decently,
if not carefully, covered by huge car
pet rug. The judges chair, which had
once looked immovabIe, had been
dragged forward into such a position
that he could keep his own eye on the
bedroom door. Manifestly she was not
to be allowed to pursue her duties IN
watched. Certainly she had to take
more than one look at the everyday
implements she carried to retain that
balance of judgment which should pre-
vent her from becoming the dupe of
her own expectations.
Il do not expect you to clean up here
as thoroughly as you have your own
rooms upstairs" he remarked, as she
passed him. And, Mrs. Scoville," he
called out as she slipped through the
doorway, leave the door open and
keep away as much as possible from
the side of the room where I have
nailed up the curtain. I had rather
not have that touched"
Not touch the curtain! Why, that
was the one thing in the room she
wanted to touch; for in it she not only
saw the carpet which had been taken
up from the floor, but a possible
screen behind which anything might
lurk-even his redoubtabIe secret.
There is no window" she observed,
looking back at the judge.
NO" was his short reply.
Slowly she set down her pail. One
thing was settled. 1t was Bela's cot
she saw before her-a cot without any
sheets. These had been left behind
in the dead negro's room, and the
judge had been sleeping just as she
had feared, wrapped in a rug and with
uncovered pillow. This pillow was his
own it had not been brought down
with the bed. She hastily slipped
cover on it, and without calling any
further attention to her act, began
to make up the bed.
Conscious that the papers he made
a feint of reading were but a cover for
his watchfulness, she moved about in
a matter-of-fact way and did not spare
him the clouds of dust which presently
rOCo bafOra bov- broom D7,t tho i,d1o
was impervious to discomfort. He
coughed and shook his head, but die
not bulge an inch. Before she had
begun to put things in order the clock
struck the haIf-hour.
"Oh!" she protested, with a plead
ing glance his way, I'm not half
done"
There's another day to follow" he
! remarked, rising and taking a key
from his pocket
The act expressed his wishes; and
he was proceeding to carry out her
things when a quick. sliding noise
from the wall she was passing drew
her attention and caused her to spring
forward in an involuntary effort to
catch a picture which had slipped its
| cord and was falling to the floor.
A shout from the judge of Stand
aside, let me comet" reached her too
late. She had grasped and lifted the
picture and seen
But first let me explain. This pic
| ture was not like the others hanging
about. It was a yelled one From
some motive of precaution or charac-
| teristic desire for conceaIment on the
part of the judge, it had been closely
wrapped about in heavy brown paper
before being hung, and in the encoun-
ter which ensued between the falling
picture and the spear of an image
standing on the table underneath, this
paper had received a slit through
which Deborah had been given
glimpse of the canvas beneath.
The shock of what she saw would
have unnerved a less courageous
woman.
1t was highly finished portrait of
Oliver in his youth, with a broad band
of black painted directly across the
eyes.
In recalling this startling moment
Deborah wondered as much at her own
| aplomb as at that of Judge Ostran-
| der. Not only had she succeeded in
suppressing all recognition of what
had thus been discovered to her, but
had carried her powers of self-repres-
sion so far as to offer, and with good
| grace, too, to assist him in rehanging
| the picture. This perfection of act
| ing had its full reward. With equal
| composure he excused her from the
task, and, adding some expression of
regret at his well-known carelessness
in not looking better after his effects,
! bowed her from the room with only a
slight increase of his usual courteous
reserve.
But later, when thought came and
with it certain recollections, what sig
nifcance the incident acquired in her
| mind, and what long line of terrors
| it brought in its train!
1t was no casual act, this defacing
of a sons wellloved features. It had
q meaning-a dark and desperate
meaning. 1t had played its heavy part
in his long torment-a CALLING remind
er of-what?
1t was to answer this question-to
1 faPa this now x-iau- ~ NIsv~o- - ~