The Argosy — page 321: what you’re looking at

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

300 A Little Maid, an Old Maid and the Major. pangs of ungratified curiosity no longer, had stepped over “‘ to beg for a skein of wool.” She sat down, looking at the stranger inquisitively, and calmly disregarding the scowl with which Miss Dodson had signified her ° displeasure at the intrusion. ‘Introduce me,” said Miss Tippany, sotto voce, as she noted the unknown one’s elegant attire, and carefully threw back the bonnet strings which obscured ‘‘poor mamma’s” portrait mounted as a brooch. The lady carelessly nodded in acknowledgment of the _intro- duction. ‘Then turning her back on poor Miss Tippany with as little ceremony as she would have bestowed on a window-pane, she said. impatiently: ‘You have not told me that girl’s name.” “The name of Major Murdoch’s delle passton? Really, I hardly know if I should be justified ——- Miss Tippany will tell you how all her curiosity never elicits a word of gossip from me.” ‘“My curiosity, Miss Dodson? Upon my word, you have the strangest notions! Poor mamma—one of the Delagommes of Sark, a name, I fancy, not guzfe unknown in the best circles —— ” ‘*T must go to this girl: take me to her. I have something to tell her. Good heavens, woman, don’t sit staring at me in that way! Hither finish the statement your slanderous tongue has begun, or take me where I can hear the truth.” The lady had risen, and was standing over the petrified Miss Dodson. With her shrunken frame, trembling all over, her eyes glittering, her breath coming in quick, agonised gasps, she presented a pathetic spectacle of fury made impotent by weakness. Miss Dedson was frightened, and she hated to be frightened: it: made her rude at once. ‘Who ave you?” she exclaimed coarsely. ‘‘ What is Major Mur- doch to you, I should like to know? If you think you will make a cat’s-paw of me, you are much mistaken, I can tell you. I asked you in here out of kindness, and I was a fool for my pains. ‘There’s. the door, madam : you'll be so good as to walk through it at once.” A shriek from Miss Tippany interrupted her. The lady had staggered backwards, and now fell in a heap to the ground. They rushed to her, and on raising her head found that a thin stream of blood was trickling slowly from her mouth. Miss Tippany, frightened. out of her wits, began to wring her hands and sob. Miss Dodson was half-demented with rage, but she kept her presence of mind, and hastened to apply such remedies as she could think of. The stranger opened her eyes at last, but remained speechless, and the bleeding increased. Presently her gaze became fixed and glassy, and then even Miss Dodson nearly lost her head. She had sent in hot haste for her brother; and presently, to her infinite relief, he arrived. The lady had again lost all consciousness, and was lying, as her hostess viciously expressed it, “like a log of wood.” At his COMMICLOOOKS.E@) m