The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1917-05-14
CHAPTER I
Life at NY Aunt Reeds

/ hlN'N ol thhlng Walk ihRt dhN.
never liked long walks. especially on
chilly afternoons. II wns dreadful TO
m" To come home In the raw twilight
with urpcd fingers and toes and II heart
stddcncd by the chidinEs of Bessie, IN"
nurse. and humbled 10y the consciousness
or my intcrlori'y 10 Eliza, John and
GcOrgiann Reed.
The aforesaid Eliza. John and Gror-
Chna were now with their mamma In
the drawing room. she luy rcCliucd upon
u sofa hy the ftrcsde with her durllngs
clustered around her (for the time being
neither fighting nor crying and looking
perfectly happy M" she had dispensed
from the group, saying she regretted 10
be under the necessity of keeping me nj
q distance but that until shr heard from
Rcsslc or could discover from her own
uhs"rNntiuus-thnt | was cudcNvoring, In
good earnest 10 acquire more socinhle
ana Childlkc disposition, u more attTRC-
live and Hprightiy manuer--somethlng
lighter frnuktr more natural, as II were
she really must exclude me from the
privileges Intended 'or happy and con
tented children
This will give an idea Of the esteem
I'm which | vas held Nv my nuui--or
rather my uu"lc.s widow Mrs Reed.
upon whom | had been ioistcd by fate
NJ the death o' my parents And from
dI that my glass tnld me, ana from all
That everybody told me-, ! was, prohn
hl' not AN attractive child. had too
many angles WAS too small ana too shy
10 De attractive. How I euyied my COus-
iN. I'rorElau1, Tor her piumpn"ss, her
great blue eyes and her wonderful COM
plr\0on. How I ouyrd ELIZA Tor her self
possession. And for John Reed, | was
simply, ana very much HfruidNut him.
And now whom Aunt REed dismissed
mo from tho family circle IN such a con-
iouptlhc manner | took refuge In my
fnvorlto hooks which J got uu con, out
Uf the library "BewiCk's History ~
Brllish Birds "Gullvcrs Travels" and
"Goldsmlth's History ~ Rome made
tho rather curious combination which
mostly appealed TO me-, So taking book
from the library shelves ! stole into the
smlll breakfast room which opened OF
~ the drawing room. mounted 10 y hrOnd
window seat and sitting cross-lrgged lko
a Turk, began to read and look at pic
turcs.
had drawn the heavy, rcd curtains
which shut or the window from the rest
" I'M room aud feared nothing but in
corruption which clne too soon The
door uf the breakfast room opened and
John Reeds voice cried out. Hey. Mad
anne Nope where AZ" YOU Li2Ey
GeOrgy calling his Astcrs) Jane is not
here at all Tel mamma that rhh has
run nWay into tho rnln-tho bad ami
mall
But Eliza just put her hend inside tho
#
scat ~ course. Jack" | came out I'm
mcllntcly. Tor did not lko the idea or
being dragged out hy John Reed.
What do YOU want | asked
Say. what did YOU want, Master
Reed WAS IN" response. Il want you
10 come here" And seating himself In
an arm chair he lntimated hy gestures
that was to approach and stand before
him
'what wrrr YOU doing behind that cur
tain he asked.
II waE reading
"Shuw me the book" ! returned TO the
window aud fetched II FOR him "Nou
have. no business to read our hooks You
are dependent mamma says 30. You
have 10 money You. ought TO hrg In
stead ~ living with gcntlemcu's chil-
drcu. Now III teach YOU to rummage my
boukEhulNes for they are mne-pll the
huouse belongs TO me, or will m n few
years Go and stand by thr door there
iuftu,tlv,ly uhcycd- he hurled
/ tho heavy book at me. n MT me and
! fell striking my head against tho door
and cutting H. Tn" cut hlrd; NV pain
was sharp. my terror had passed n =
climax, other feelings succeeded. wicked
and cruel boy ! cried; you are like q
slave. driver! You are Ike the Roman
cmprrors" From Goldsmith had
framed my opinion OF Nero. Caligula, ct
al
what what" shouted John. Docs
she say that TO me- Did YOU hear, El2-
abcth .Gcurgianhi won't | tell mamma
but. first lie ran hcadlong nj me,
| felt him grasp my hair and shoulder
lie had coned with "A desperate thing.
really saw him Il tyrant a murderer.
felt "A drop Of two Of blood from my
head trickle down my neck and was sen
slblr ~ pungent suffering | received
him with u frantic effort I don't know
very well what | did with my hands, but
hc called me RAT rRt'' and beloved
aloud Aid was near him-EllEa and
Gcorel0nU had run for Mrs. Reed, who
had gone upstairs, ana she now cam,
upon the scene followed by Bcssie ant
her maid, Abbot ! heard the words
Dear dear What "a fury to nv nj Mas,
tor John pii anybody ever see such
|p picture ~ passion" And then Mrs
Reed sud mr9ksS he aw9SS aud lock hr'
I up iu the Red Room" The Red Room
/ was q spare chamber very seldom slep'
/ iu n was there that my uuclr had died
/ and h',u laid out NJ fear and suffer,
Iug were iWu'usr ! had an idea that II
Nr Reed had been alive hc would hay,
treated me Kindly. and. ~ ! at looking
4 ui the great white bed. ] thought al
. stories | had heard, or read. " dead mel
/ Wing uneasy lu their graves beCAus,
, their last wishes were not ohrycd
Then saw ray Of ligm O wNnderin,
ray come IN Vt the window and NOV,
lll "a klNN'N lhNUloN ABOUT INt room
/ ! know now what II vast was merely
the light from u lnuoru being carrie,
| across the lawn Hut did not know thri
and | shtiekcd nluud My shrlcks hrouch
lirSsir tn the door aud after her Aun
Reed and Abbot "Ob Nuut have pit,
i Forgive me- | cannot endure let m,
h' punished some other way I pleaded
silence this violence IN most rcpuls,y.
she replied She thrust mo back into IN,
room and locked the door ON me again
was finally allowed 10 be taken int,
the nursery, my hySlUria, apparently be
coming su great that my aunt was ruth
cr scared at my condition Ana, be
sides Bessie, although she was not char
. ui her seedlings would not SEE mo abuse,
N sNc could helu a. n WAS this NH
lnttrwpt uf mine a, revolt az Aunt Rec,
declared, hy assault and battery upol
nor beloved John. that brought mo l.
l.uwuod school
They sent for doctor for me tho da
after my hattie nud my imprisonhcn
and while | wus waiting Tor the medIcn
man tu appear Ncssic wrapped mc IN
blanket ana sat me beside the nurser
fitc Then she sang song of hcr
which ! had always heard with great I'm
iercst, tho burden ~ which was
In the days when We were gNpsysn
long time ago
From this she passed into another bal
had witch was really,muururu aud mad
me cry II went the first Htnura-
My fcct Hre sore and my limbs mr.
weary,
Long Is the way and thc mountains ar
Wild