Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-03-13

on the couch, and his horror..,r,o,
en- eyes stared at his sstcr-in-Iaw
My God. Ellie. what is Tho ,n,,,o-
with you?"
| "a. inc sound OF his voice tho WON
ans wild laughter ceased abrun,,v
and her body relaxed: but she ,o,rr
w MS stare inadvertently. and sheer.
INFINITELY sly and crafty, curlcd her
lip.
Il fooled you all-ail." she crfod.
' freeing one arm by lightning
IKE gesture. she bca; her thin brcas.
Row have laughed Mt you here.
mere In these long years while vou
""'' patronizcd me. thrust mo Into
corners. Me. the old maid. the ono
VINO stood aside. meek and docile and
honcn!ty--but useful, All. raw ~
wanted TO be near you where
could watch you all and think of
wha, had planncd."
The second gencra,ion" s,r,o,
Tithecedse intcrtected solemn,y.
mated her always: that yellow
hared vixen who stole my toy, and
h""ry when was a child, whose doll
| ace claimed the affection which
| sho"id nave been mine. and who nm
any robbed me OF M lover.- Tho
woman had been muttering but nou.
her voice rose to raHping scream.
for / loved him, do you hcnr,
! iofed Halsey Chalmers, and she took
! him from me-"
Eiic Meade broke into ,oft
grooming laugh. more horrible than
her Wild shrieks had been: and when
| she spoke again her voice had sunk
10 muttcr once more.
| Il attended her ut her MARRIAGE %
tho man who should have bcen min.
was present at tho coming or her
children: mine too. though nv ,r,,-
were empty! And all the time
mated her and waited! Waltedl Who,
the baby. tho one that was moat ~.
MN Il let II fall from my arms.
ana u became cripple. a curse,
c"uid have Killed myself from grief
ou' h'ed because had double
purpose now. She, who could endure
ho'hing but beauty around her. turnc,
IN ioathinS from this MANNED thing n,
her mesh; but I loved the little ono
as much as ] hated her and all IN.
other miserable puppets she had
brought into the world: and I mean,
TO sec that he had everything. every
lining which she had hoped 10 civ,
the rcst,'
you hcnd" Rannic started from
MS chair: but Ddeli forced him gently
back and Enie Meade gurgied as IL
he had called her an cndearinE name
lie died. the man she hal taken
from me. and she married again. but
| didn't care: il meant Just SO much
more for Rannic. to make w FOR INF
debt owed him. and there was plen,,1'
OF time. waited. watching ,h.r
money pile UP. watching the other
children near the age when they
could demand theirs; and at last the
hour struck.
How l planned and studied and
worked! Christine l hated most. so
l took her first. ! listened to Rannlc
when he told me about the dear little
Things, smaller than the eye could
see. which he kept in the box, and
which some day would do my bid
ding! ] dipped the pretty needle in
among them one morning, and then
watched her as she drew II in and out
OF her embroidery. waiting until it
entered her flesh; for she was clumsy,
my beautiful sister. as clumsy rs she
was stupid. I was my fathers own
clever daughter though they called
him crazy was crazy. too. but
nobody ever knew 1t: nobody even
ways, always!
she pierced her finger with tn.
needle. and I could have screamed
aloud with JOY. only that they would
have known, and my work had only
just begun. They thought loved
her; they let me stay beside her bed.
and over and over again 7 infected
her with a pin dipped In Rannic's
tube. She thought at first II was
accidental. when l lifted her in bed:
but later she suspected the truth.
saw II in her eyes. although those
fools OF doctors never knew
THE night she died I crept up to
fathers room and hid the needle in
the folds Of the couch on which he
spent so many weary hours. Then
put another needle in that embroid-
cry. in case they looked for IT, and
went to bed. 1t had been so easy. and
part OF her money would be Ran
mes now.
but ii was all Rannie's. All the
money which was being dissipatcd by
Julian and Gene. thrown away on
Scwgaws to deck hcr shallow pretti-
ness by Ciesie, like her mother be-
fore her. learned that Julian meant
TO demand all that had been left him,
and so he had to be the next? The
little death-germs were gone from
Rannie's room: but there were other
ways, and 1 knew that the moment
would come.
"One morning I went upstairs while
Julian was shaving. He hadn't heard
me enter, and as stood watching
him the way was shown to me- I
called him suddenly. and tho razf
slipped and made just n tiny cut
his cheek; but he laid 1t down
started to staunch the blood. or
fered to help him. but snatched up
that razor. and when he bent down
for me to touch the towel to his face