The Widowed Bride — page 21: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

12 HE WIDOWED BRIDE courageously hopeful Rena boldly lifted the latch and tried the door. — *Grandpapa, see!’ she cried; ‘fit comes open; it isn’t locked. Let us go in!” A gust of moldy-smelling air streamed out upon the soft twilight atmosphere of the outer world from the confined room, and Rena, straining her eyes into the darkness, could just discern the outlines of a few articles of furniture stand- ing carelessly around, as if recently left by their possessors. ST il open the window shutter s, grandpapa,” she said. ‘See, there’s an old bedstead, and you can lie down and rest “antil somebody comes.’ “Until somebody comes!” Jason Garfield, rising feebly to his feet, felt a vague, bit- ter consciousness that the guest who should soonest cross the threshold to meet him face to face would be Death! ‘Aren't you coming, grandpapa!” pleaded little Alice, laying her soft cheek coaxingly against his hand. ““Yes, directly,” he answered, slowly, as he glanced up at the purple sky where one or two stars were already beginning to shine through the amber glow of the west, for the sun had long been down and the air was full of dewy fragrance from glen, and copse, and fern- carpeted glade. ‘‘But there is something I must do first.” He drew a soiled and crumpled bit of paper from his breast-pocket as he spoke, and using the ledge of the outer window for a desk, hurriedly wrote a few words upon it with a lead pencil. _ “Rena,” he said to the elder child, who stood watching him with grave, dark eyes, ‘‘you are not so tired as Allie; will you take this note for me?” «Where, grandpapa?” — “l'o Lady Glenhampton, at the castle. I can’t leave you alone, my poor little ones, and if I could once see my a Va ARE Ss Alice came close to him, and looked up into his face with a startled glance. ~ «But you’re not going to foave us, grandpapa? I won’t let you go away from me—I’ll follow you. Jason Garfield groaned in spirit. How could he tell this innocent, loving little child, whose warm, clinging fingers closed so tightly round his chill hand whither he knew him- _. gelf to be summoned? What did these babes know of death? ~- comicboo ) co