Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-01-14

"a =
on earth + it?" she replied.
A wayee,ng Ugh, appeared az 'hs
stair.top perceived candle burn
ing. held in an emaciated hand, saw
a gaunt arm then the old woman her.
SELF. She stood there in tEat absurd
,uanel night.dress, looihleas and II.
sheyeled, gaping. with bare arms
whats the matter nov in this
cursed place, IA IKE TO aaAw' she
demanded ooh, Lord "a massy me!
l."
"Stop that d, once" ordered.
go dress yourself. Get your son Up
and have him dress Immediately, III
fifteen minutes YOU must both leaye
this house. Take everything YOU own,
or you will never see ii again
i What what's the matter nov !?
Il What's happened? She--she amt
Eyes. Alexandra is deaG.'
- My land The doctors II blame
= me for II partly, an
Roth doctor are dead, 90
'Huh""
"They are lead. tell you How
It h pp ned s i,arp Of Your tai4.
bu, sou i oa. no, ar. ia'Io 70 &c
\ hell. for H. he Oh want 20 . to 5.dI
\ for lie OF not'"
Il She could make no ansVcl, bat .est
\ stood there gawkine al me, with the
] raw candle flame wayering over that
hollow old lace Her iaccid moutl,
worked. She tried 10 utter somotlins
btt failed,
Come start snapped at ner
III will soon be daylight, and We must
ali be gone
Laws "a massv me- tho fu,'lt
creature began a-ain.
but IAN up he stairs with savage
strength and shook her violently by
the arm
IT'S murGar, / tell Aou," / th'eai
ened. Accessory before tn" tact
no Won want 10 be- jailed lof life ana
see Joel hanged
She did not penetrate he tSi-e
hood, but began to CHOKE and cry M
wildly, beating her hands against he
head and giving indicGtions OF hyS
,er,cs. showed her roughly ahead O
me into her squalid room, and se@tit
ulated with hot anger al her clot hes
which were dropping over chalr.
'If YOU and your son aren't OUT 0
lore in twenty minutes at the ou
side" | mcnaced. "Ill telephone IN
notice 10 core and take YOU. An
whatever happens to this house,
either OF YOU ever IA long as you IiN
breathe a word aboAl It, 10 jail you
for life. and your boy to he scaiiold
NO power on earth can save YOU
knew that had wol felt pos
tive that 20 long az life should endui
in either OF them M word would q
cane their lips TIL old dame SET
dressing with many incohnrent prom
ises to get her 10 into his clothes
once and many protestation8 OF q
creey. Trembling with cXclleme an
ueryr.stran. turned and cropped II
way down TO the upper hail, TOOK m
yyIise and descended again into T.
lower han where lay the body
Vial Erqa2$
There | sat down on The couch mex
al NJ a
eut 10 it-und waited for Mrs. Spras
and her son to leave. The old clo'
on the landing, still Indifferent to
things. deliberately licked It's mesaa'
at lime that, once passed could neN
come again.
| now felt no nervousness, no'hi'
h,t a great and burning eagerness
nave the task over and done with e
aver So | waited, while ever mo
apd more plainly the gray dawn ere
into that ghastly place. round 7
name. beside the big front door, ~
through the ianlieht over 1t.
after an inlerminablc timc--lhou
,bo clock called II only fifteen IN
uos---thc STATE creaked There, sile
and strange as morning wra''fH,
neared mother and son.
Tho old woman was clad III M
and bonnet She was pale and scar
and weeping with senile futllity.
hind her skulked the oyergrown l'
Of a son. a foolish fellow of indet