by Mary E Wilkins Freeman

"Henry had words with Edward study the night before Edward died," said Caroline Glynn

She was elderly, tall, and harshly thin, with hard colourlessness of face She spoke not with acrimony, but with grave severity Rebecca Ann Glynn, younger, stouter and rosy of face between her crinkling puffs of gray hair, gasped, by way of assent She sat in wide flounce of black silk corner sofa, and rolled terrified eyes from her sister Caroline to her sister Mrs Stephen Brigham, who Emma Glynn, the one beauty family She was beautiful still, with large, splendid, full-blown beauty; she filled great rocking-chair with her superb bulk of femininity, and swayed gently back and forth, her black silks whispering and her black frills fluttering Even the shock of death (for her brother Edward lay dead house,) disturb her outward serenity of demeanor She was grieved over the loss of her brother: he the youngest, and she fond of him, but never had Emma Brigham lost sight of her own importance amidst the waters of tribulation She was always awake consciousness of her own stability midst of vicissitudes splendor of her permanent bearing

But even her expression of masterly placidity changed before her sister Caroline's announcement and her sister Rebecca Ann's gasp of terror and distress in response

" Henry controlled his temper, when poor Edward was so near his end," said she with an asperity which disturbed slightly the roseate curves of her beautiful mouth

" KNOW," murmured Rebecca Ann in faint tone strangely out of keeping with her appearance

One involuntarily looked again that such feeble pipe came full-swelling chest

" know it," said Caroline quickly She turned on her sister with strange sharp look of suspicion "How could he have known it ? " said she Then she shrank other's possible answer " you and I both know ," said she conclusively, but her pale face was paler than it before

Rebecca gasped again The married sister, Mrs Emma Brigham, was now sitting up straight in her chair; she had ceased rocking, and was eyeing them both intently with sudden accentuation of family likeness in her face Given one common intensity of emotion and similar lines showed forth, three sisters of one race were evident

"What ? " said she impartially both Then she, too, seemed to shrink before possible answer She even laughed an evasive sort of laugh "I guess you don't mean anything," said she, but her face wore still the expression of shrinking horror

"Nobody means anything," said Caroline firmly She rose and crossed the room toward the door with grim decisiveness

"Where going ? " asked Mrs Brigham

" something to," replied Caroline, others at once knew by her tone that she had some solemn and sad duty to perform chamber of death

"Oh," said Mrs Brigham

door had closed behind Caroline, she turned to Rebecca

"Did Henry have many words ? " she asked

"They were talking very loud," replied Rebecca evasively, yet with an answering gleam of ready response other's curiosity quick lift of her soft blue eyes

Mrs Brigham looked at her She resumed rocking She still sat up straight with slight knitting of intensity on her fair forehead, pretty rippling curves of her auburn hair

"Did you--hear anything ? " she asked in low voice with glance toward the door

" just across the hall south parlor, door was open and this door ajar," replied Rebecca with slight flush

"Then --"

"I couldn't help it "

"Everything ? "

"Most of it "

" it ? "

"The old story "

"I suppose Henry was mad, as he always was, because Edward was living on here for nothing, when he had wasted all the money father left him "

Rebecca nodded with fearful glance door

When Emma spoke again her voice was still more hushed " how ," said she "He had always been so prudent himself, and worked hard at his profession, and there Edward had never done anything but spend, and it looked to him Edward was living at his expense, but he wasn't "

"No, he wasn't "

"It way father left the property--that all the children home here--and he left money enough the food and all had all come home "

"Yes "

"And Edward had right here according terms of father's will, and Henry remembered it "

"Yes, he ought "

"Did he say hard things ? "

"Pretty hard from what I heard "

"What ? "

"I heard him tell Edward that he had no business here at all, and he thought he had better go away "

"What did Edward say ? "

"That stay here as long as he lived and afterward, too, if mind to, and like Henry get him out; and then--"

"What ? "

"Then he laughed "

"What did Henry say "

"I didn't hear him say anything, but--"

"But what ? "

" him when out room "

"He looked mad ? "

"You've seen him when he looked so "

Emma nodded; the expression of horror on her face had deepened

" remember he killed the cat because she had scratched him ? "

"Yes Don't ! "

Then Caroline reentered the room She went stove wood fire was burning-- cold, gloomy day of fall-- and she warmed her hands, which were reddened from recent washing in cold water

Mrs Brigham looked at her and hesitated She glanced door, still ajar, as it easily shut, being still swollen damp weather summer She rose and pushed it together with sharp thud which jarred the house Rebecca started painfully with half exclamation Caroline looked at her disapprovingly

" time you controlled your nerves, Rebecca," said she

" 't help it," replied Rebecca with almost wail " nervous There's enough me so, the Lord knows "

"What ? " asked Caroline with her old air of sharp suspicion, and something between challenge and dread being met

Rebecca shrank

"Nothing," said she

"Then I wouldn't keep speaking fashion "

Emma, returning closed door, said imperiously fixed, it shut so hard

" shrink enough after the fire ," replied Caroline "If anything is done too small; crack sill "

" Henry ashamed of himself for talking as to Edward," said Mrs Brigham abruptly, but in an almost inaudible voice

"Hush ! " said Caroline, with glance of actual fear closed door

"Nobody can hear door shut "

" heard it shut, and--"

"Well, what to before he comes down, and not afraid of him "

"I don't know afraid of him ! What reason for anybody afraid of Henry ? " demanded Caroline

Mrs Brigham trembled before her sister's look Rebecca gasped again "There isn't any reason, Why should there be ? "

"I wouldn't speak so, then Somebody might overhear you and think queer Miranda Joy is south parlor sewing, "

" she went upstairs to stitch machine "

"She did, but she down again "

"Well, 't hear "

" again Henry ashamed of himself I shouldn't think he'd ever get over it, having words with poor Edward the very night before he died Edward was enough sight better disposition than Henry, with all his faults I always thought great deal of poor Edward, myself "

Mrs Brigham passed large fluff of handkerchief across her eyes; Rebecca sobbed outright

"Rebecca," said Caroline admonishingly, keeping her mouth stiff and swallowing determinately

"I never heard him speak cross word, unless he spoke cross to Henry that last night I don't know, but from what Rebecca overheard," said Emma

"Not cross as sort of soft, and sweet, and aggravating," sniffled Rebecca

"He never raised his voice," said Caroline; "but he had his way "

"He had right to in "

"Yes, "

"He had of right here as Henry," sobbed Rebecca, "and now he's gone, and never be home that poor father left him rest of us again "

"What really think ailed Edward ? " asked Emma in hardly more than whisper She look at her sister

Caroline sat down in nearby armchair, and clutched the arms convulsively until her thin knuckles whitened

" you," said she

Rebecca held her handkerchief over her mouth, and looked at them above it with terrified, streaming eyes

" you said that he had terrible pains stomach, and had spasms, but what made him have them ? "

"Henry called it gastric trouble Edward has always had dyspepsia "

Mrs Brigham hesitated moment "Was there any talk of an-- examination ? " said she

Then Caroline turned on her fiercely

"No," said she in terrible voice "No "

The three sisters' souls seemed to meet on one common ground of terrified understanding through their eyes The old-fashioned latch door was heard to rattle, and push from without made the door shake ineffectually "It's Henry," Rebecca sighed rather than whispered Mrs Brigham settled herself after noiseless rush across the floor into her rocking-chair again, and was swaying back and forth with her head comfortably leaning back, door at last yielded and Henry Glynn entered He cast covertly sharp, comprehensive glance at Mrs Brigham with her elaborate calm; at Rebecca quietly huddled corner sofa with her handkerchief to her face and small reddened ear as attentive as dog's uncovered and revealing her alertness presence; at Caroline sitting with strained composure in her armchair stove She met his eyes quite firmly with look of inscrutable fear, and defiance fear and of him

Henry Glynn looked more like this sister others Both had the same hard delicacy of form and feature, both were tall and almost emaciated, both had sparse growth of gray blond hair far back from high intellectual foreheads, both had an almost noble aquilinity of feature They confronted pitiless immovability of two statues in whose marble lineaments emotions were fixed for all eternity

Then Henry Glynn smiled smile transformed his face He looked suddenly years younger, and an almost boyish recklessness and irresolution appeared face He flung himself into chair with gesture bewildering from its incongruity general appearance He leaned his head back, flung one leg over the other, and looked laughingly at Mrs Brigham

"I declare, Emma, you grow younger every year,"

She flushed little, and her placid mouth widened corners She was susceptible to praise

"Our thoughts to-day ought to belong one of us NEVER grow older," said Caroline in hard voice

Henry looked at her, still smiling " , we none of us forget that," said he, in deep, gentle voice, "but living, Caroline, and seen Emma , living are as dear dead "