FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45  
46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   >>   >|  
e got to do something! If I don't, I'll go right out of my mind!" But what? She stared about her, then went to the windows and threw back the curtains. It was well along toward noon. Daylight flooded into the room, with one yellow path of light which came down from the distant sun. "I'll go out and get her some flowers." When she came back a half hour later, Ethel still had that resolute look. The door of Joe's room was still closed and she saw Nourse's hat in the hall. She turned and went to the telephone, stopped and frowned. "Yes, that's the next thing." She called up Amy's friend Fanny Carr. But at the sound of the woman's voice which came back over the wire, Ethel gave a start of dismay. For it had a jarring quality, and although it was prompt in its exclamations of shocked surprise and sympathy and proffers of help--the words, "You poor child, I'll come over at once!"--made Ethel inwardly beseech her, "Oh, no, no! Please stay away!" Aloud she said, "Thank you," put up the receiver and stood staring at the wall. Was this Amy's best friend? "I want some one I know!" She thought of Susette. She went at once to the nursery, kissed the wee girl and sat down on the floor. And as they built a house of blocks, Ethel could feel herself softening, the strained tight sensation going. Suddenly in her hot dry eyes she felt in a moment the tears would come. "What's to become of me and this child?" She turned with a start and met the unfriendly eyes of the nurse. They had a jealous light in them. "You'll stay here, of course," said Ethel. "Surely you are not thinking of going--" "No. Are you?" A little cold sensation struck into her spine at the tone of that question. "I haven't decided yet on my plans. Hadn't you better take Susette out to the Park?" "All right." "And keep her there as much as you can--till it's over." "All right," said the nurse again. Ethel went out of the room. Were there only strangers here? Just after that Fanny Carr arrived, and Ethel had a feeling at once of a shrewd strong personality. A woman of about medium height, still young but rather over-developed, artificial and overdressed, with a full bust and thick red lips and lustrous eyes of greenish grey--her beauty was of the obtrusive type that is made to catch the eye on the street and in noisy crowded rooms. When Fanny kissed her, Ethel shrank. "I mustn't do that!" she exclaimed to herself. But the other woman had
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45  
46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
friend
 

turned

 
Susette
 

kissed

 
sensation
 
thinking
 
struck
 

decided

 

question

 

Surely


moment

 

Suddenly

 

jealous

 

unfriendly

 

beauty

 

obtrusive

 

greenish

 

lustrous

 

shrank

 

exclaimed


crowded

 

street

 

overdressed

 

strangers

 
arrived
 
feeling
 

shrewd

 

developed

 

artificial

 

height


strong

 
personality
 
medium
 

dismay

 

jarring

 

yellow

 

quality

 

sympathy

 

proffers

 
surprise

shocked
 
prompt
 

exclamations

 

distant

 
flowers
 

closed

 

resolute

 

Nourse

 

called

 
frowned