Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-12
1915, Mrs. Wilson woodrow
SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING CHAPTER.
CONTINUED From sundayD


s She looked DULY around the squalid
cabin, with its dust and its pile Of un-
washed dishes and the heap of soiled
clothes that lay beside the untitled
washtub And her heart WAS sick
within her.
1T isn't fair she muttered, half
aloud. cit isn't fair"
Broodingly she sat there, the letter
clutched in her hands. her pretty face
dark with angry discomfort. Sha was
drudge. an unpaid servant, the wife
of respondent failure. And she might
so easily have married n man who could
have lavished on her all the countless
little Injuries that she had never real
lied she cared for until she had had
to give them up.
Love in cottage" she whispered.
Its all we'll enough in poetry. But in
real life. it's-it's horrible"
Presently, with sigh. she got to
her feet and crossed the room to the
shabby dresser that stood in n corner.
She smiled cynically at the unkept
image the dresser mirror revealed to
her.
Then, thrusting the letter and the
postscript sheet into half-open
drawer. she went back to her hateful
task OF dish-washing.
But to-day tho routine of household
labor was tenfold more irksome than
ever before Ever between her and
her work arose visions evoked by Nellie
Collins letter. dozen times Leila
caught herself quoting the postscript's
words:
81 hear your old sweetheart. Halsey
Brent, has cleaned up "a million"
There had been another line or two
after the postscript's end. But Nellie
had painstakingly crossed them out,
linking away every syllable, to make
the obliterated words wholly unreada-
BILE. This second postscript had read:
''Your mother tells me she and your
father are starting from New York in
n day or two to pay you a flying visit
I'm sending my love by them"
Nellie had belatedly remembered at
this point that Mrs. Austin had told
her the visit was to be surprise to
Leila. Hence the careful erasure.
After an interminable time. the last
of the cheap. thick dishes was washed
and dried. Juggling boiler of hot
water from the back of the stove, Leila
filled the wooden washtub and pro-
ceeded to toss carelessly into 1t the pile
of soiled clothes.
The lifting of the heavy boiler was
acute pain TO her tired back. The swir
of steam from the tub set her to chok.
ing. She dreaded the labor Of rubbinc
the rough garments over the wash.
boards corrugated plane. She had not
even bothered TO soak the wash owe,
night.
Always this housekeeping routine
was rank drudgcry to Leila. But, or
this particular Monday. with her MIND
full of the pictures evoked by Nellie's
letter. she found it unbearable. Fierce
rebellion sprang up In her heart She
hated her work. She hated her squalit
home She hated cvcrything-every.
body
The cabin door swung open and Ton
Garter tramped in-the mud on hi.
boots blotching the none too clean floor
ut isn't time to get dinner ready
said Leila. definntly. as she glanced a
the chimney shelf clock. Tim
Il know 1t isn't" he returned, life
lessly. as he threw his broad brimmet
hat on peE.and. Slumped into tn,
nearest chaiI+ :iAnd we'll be lucky Il
we get any more dinners at all"
What's the matter" she asked
sharply. nettled by his weary hopeless
ness. "A cave-in?"
yes" with mirthless laugh. "1