The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1917-05-10
CHAPTER xlll-continued.

vol kiss Prudence good night for us.
and tell her we kept praying all the
time? Prudence is such a great hand
for praying, you know"
Fairy promised, and the twins crept
upstairs. 1t was dark in their room.
"Well undress in the dark so as not
to awake poor little Connie" whis-
pered Lark. ITS nice she can sleep
like that, isn't it?'
And the twins went TO bed. and fell
asleep after while, never doubling
that Connie, in her corner of the room,
was already safe and happy in the OBJ
livlon of slumber.
But poor Conniel She had not wax
ened when Fairy closed the dungeon
door. 1t was long afterward when she
sat up and began rubbing her eyes.
She did not know where she was. Then
she remembered! She wondered If
Prudence She scrambled to her
feet, and trotted over to the dungeon
door. 1t was locked she could not
turn the knob. At first she thought of
screaming and pounding on the door,
"But that will arouse Prudence. and
frighten her, and maybe kill her" she
thought wretchedly. "Tll just keep
still until someone passes"
But no one passed for n long time,
and Connie stretched her aching body
snnd sobbed, worrying about Prudence,
fearful on her own account. She had
no idea of the time. She supposed it
was still early. And the parsonage
was dcathly quiet. Maybe Prudence
had died! Connie writhed in agony
on the hard floor, and sobbed bitterly.
Still she would not risk pounding on
the dungeon door.
Upstairs in the front room, Prudence
was wrestling with fever. Higher and
higher it rose, until the doctors looked
very anxious. They held a brief con-
sultation in the corner of the room.
Then they beckoned to Mr.. Starr.
HAS Prudence been worrying about
something this winter?"
"Yes, she has"
ut Is that young man, isn't itf' in
quired the family doctor-a Methodist
member"
"Yes."
"Can you bring him here?"
"Yes-as soon as he can get here
from Des Moines."
you'd better do It. She has worn
herself down nearly to the point of
prostratlon. We think we can break
this fever without serious conse-
quences, but get the young man as soon
as possible. She cannot relax and rest
until she gets relief"
So he went downstairs and over the
telephone dictated short message to
Jerry: "Please come-Prudence."
When he entered the front bedroom
again, Prudence was muttering unin-
telligible words under her breath. He
kneeled down beside the bed and put
his arms around her. She clung to him
with sudden passion.
"Jerry jerry" she cried. Her IA
ther caressed and petted her, but did
not speak.
"Oh, l can't" she cried again. IL
can't, Jerry, can'tw Again her voice
fell to low mumbling. "Yes, go. Go at
once. l promised, you know. They
haven't any mother promised.
Jerry! Jerry" Then, painting, she
fell back en- the pillows.
But Mr.. Starr smiled gently to him
self. So that was the answer! Oh,
foolish little Prudence! oh, sweet
hearted little martyr girl!
Hours later the fever broke and
Prudence drifted into deep sleep.
Then the doctors went downstairs with
Mr.. Starr, talking in quiet, ordinary
tones.
"Oh, she is all right now, no danger
nt all. She'll do fine. Let her sleep.
Send Fairy to bed, too. Keep Prudence
quiet few days-that's all. She's all
right"
They did not hear the timid knock
at the dungeon door. But after they
had gone out, Mr., Starr locked the
door behind them, and started back
through the hall 20 see If the kitchen
doors were locked. He distinctly
heard n soft tapping, and he smiled.
"AIice!" he thought. Then he heard
something else-a family whispered,
"Father!"
With a sharp exclamation he un-
locked and opened the dungeon door,
and Connie fell into his arms, sobbing
piteously. And he did the only wise
thing to do under the circumstances.
He sat down on the hall floor and
cuddled the child against his breast.
He talked to her soothingly until the
sobs quieted, and her voice was under
control.
'Now, tell father" he urged, show
did you get in the dungeon? The
twins"
"Oh, no, father, of course not; the
twins wouldn't do such thing as
that. / went into the dungeon to pray
that Prudence would get wen. And
PRAYED myself to sleep. When l woke