The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-06-11

tapt}:
1 am really sorry to trouble you
MIS- ScoVille; but if you have time
tms morning, will you clean up my
study before I leave? The carriage
IS ordered for half-past nine"
The task was one she had long de-
sired to perform. Giving Reuther the
rest OF the work to do, she presently
appeared before him with pail and
broom and pile Of fresh linen. Moth
Ing more commonplace could be imag
lned, but to her.. if not to him, there
pnoerlay this special act of ordinary
nouseWifery 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.
Tic sight by poor Bela's dying body.
The great room before her pre.
sented bare floor, whereas on her
first visit it had been very decently,
II not carefully, covered by huge car.
pet rug, The judges chair, which had
once looked immovable, 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 I'M
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 I'D 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 have
nailed up the curtain. l 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 possible
screen behind which anything might
lurk-even his redoubtable 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 sthe
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 cover for
his watchfulness, she moved about in
a matter-of-fact way and did not spare
him the clouds of dust which presently
rose before her broom. But the judge
was impervious to discomfort. He
coughed and shook his head, but did
not bulge an inch. Before she had
begun to put things in order the clock
struck the half-hour.
"Oh!" she protested, with a plead
ing glance his way, I'm no. half
done"
There's another day to follow" he
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. 1t was a yelled one From
some motive of precaution or charac-
.eristic desire for concealment on the
part of the judge, it had been closely |
wrapped about in heavy brown paper
before being hung, and in the encoun-
.er 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 a
glimpse of the canvas beneath.
The shock of what she. saw would
lave unnerved less courageous
1t was highly finished portrait of |