the boy who waited at the end of the long church aisle-I wanted to run
out and claim her, my own blood, my more than child.

I sat down and covered my face. And from the pew behind me some one
leaned over and patted my shoulder.

"Miss Bess!" old Isaac said gently. "Don't take on, Miss Bess!"

He came the next day and brought me some lilies from the bride's
bouquet, that she had sent me, and a bottle of champagne from the
wedding supper. I had not tasted champagne for twenty years!

That is all of the story. On summer afternoons sometimes, when the
house is hot, I go to the park and sit. I used to take Peter, but now
he is dead. I like to see Lida's little boy; the nurse knows me by
sight, and lets me talk to the child. He can say "Peter" quite
plainly. But he does not call Alma "Grandmother." The nurse says she
does not like it. He calls her "Nana."

Lida does not forget me. Especially at flood-times, she always comes
to see if I am comfortable. The other day she brought me, with
apologies, the chiffon gown her mother had worn at her wedding. Alma
had never worn it but once, and now she was too stout for it. I took
it; I am not proud, and I should like Molly Maguire to see it.

Mr. Holcombe asked me last night to marry him. He says he needs me,
and that I need him.

I am a lonely woman, and getting old, and I'm tired of watching the
gas meter; and besides, with Peter dead, I need a man in the house all
the time. The flood district is none too orderly. Besides, when I have
a wedding dress laid away and a bottle of good wine, it seems a pity
not to use them.

I think I shall do it.

THE END

End of Project Gutenberg's The Case of Jennie Brice, by Mary Roberts Rinehart

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CASE OF JENNIE BRICE ***

***** This file should be named 11127.txt or 11127.zip *****
This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.net/1/1/1/2/11127/

Produced by Audrey Longhurst and Project Gutenberg Distributed
Proofreaders

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules,
set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this