The sweet daylight brightening over all the familiar things had its moment of trying to convince that the strange and terrible must be unreal. Only, there upon the carriage-seat lay the proof that the past belief was true. Celia stood, her eyes held by it, a chill from it stealing congealingly upon her. And as at the sight, with the horror, the sorrowfulness of it all smote her directly upon the heart,—and the sense, at last fully brought home, of the ruin of the most adorable thing the earth had given her to know wrung from her a scalding quintessence of tears,—her eyes closed against the image that would form of what the grey folds concealed, and her figure swayed. Judith, beside her, had been struggling to screw her nerve to the point where it might be subjected once more to the strain that had broken it down; but at the sight in accusing daylight of the burden which must be taken up again, her whole being recoiled with such violence that her head jerked convulsively back and her hand reached out for something steadying—and the two women, in a common anguish before their work, clung to each other for support.
HIS NEED OF MIS’ SIMONS
BY
LUCY PRATT
ILLUSTRATIONS BY FREDERIC DORR STEELE
“Jes look, Miss No’th! Looker w’at’s comin’ down de road!”
Miss North turned her head inquiringly, and Ezekiel continued to comment enthusiastically.