The Shoulders of Atlas

e of tragedy which her own consciousness threw before her eyes. No tragedy had ever been known in East Westland since she could remember. It had been a peaceful

even her husband's face in the window had an expression which she had never seen before. So also had Horace Allen's. Both men were in the south room. There was in their faces no expression which seemed to denote a cessation of conversation. In fact, nothing ha

eady boarder, much as she

o possible motive," he said. "The arrest

stand, for my part, why she is a

s no one else to arrest, and the situation

ust have so

art gave Miss Farrel some essence of peppermint last night, and the fact that the stable-boy seems to be in love with Hannah, and j

to kill Miss Farrel, and folks don't do such awful things without reason, unless they're crazy, and it isn't likely that Lucinda and Hannah have both come down crazy together, and I know it ain't in

s in the peppermint," said Horace,

t when he was out hunting. Lucinda thought somebody mistook him for a skunk. She felt real bad about it. I feel kind of guilty myself. I can't help thinking if I'd just looked round then and hunted up a kitten for poor Lucinda, she never would have had any need to keep rat poison, and nobody wou

id, soothingly, for Sylvia was beginning to show signs

shrilly. "Men ain't so awful conscientiou

d Henry. "Don't get all w

ot on my mind, with moving and everything, but I might have done it. Albion Bennet never had t

e to see about din

ke a scared bird, and the two men were left alone. Silence came over

rable are either heaped upon the shoulders of the innocent, or they assume them.

lot," said Horace,

denly, and Sylvia's thin

they'll send them t

ted," said Horace. "Don

lots of folks will always believe it, and her boarders will drop away, and as

oo much over it, Sylvia. Maybe she killed herself, and if

ve that opinion

ugh to fix herself up," she said. "I saw her only yesterday in a brand-new

" said Henry,

and maybe it wasn't true," said Sylvia. "But it's just as I say: when a woman is fixed up the way Miss Eliza Farrel was yesterday, she a

ned deeply as he sat by the window. He, too, was bearing in some measure the burden of which he had spoken. It seemed to him very strange that under the circumstances Horace had not explained his mysteri

ssibly guilty secret which might have led to the tragedy. "I couldn't feel worse if he was my own son," he thought. He wished desperately that he had gon

stiffly towards the window, and did not look up when the young man entered th

for me from her when I arrived yesterday, and-well, she wanted to see me alone about something very particular, and she-" Horace paused and reddened. "Well, you know what women are, and of course there was really no place at the hotel where I could have been sure of a private interview with her. I couldn't go to her room, and one might as well talk in a trolley-car as that hotel parlor; and she didn't want to come here to the house and be closeted with me, and she didn't want to linger after school, for those school

looked at Horace, and there w

nd she had been married some twenty years ago. She was older than she looked. For some reason she did not get on with him, and he left her. I don't myself feel that I know what the reason was, although she pretended to tell me. She seemed to have a feeling, poor soul, that, beautiful as

s of a philosopher. "Maybe it was b

ything like that from Henry, even though he had long said to

much, so that people dimly realized it and were repelled instead of being attracted. I think she loved her husband for a long time after he left her. I think she loved m

Ayres girl with

is not one of the school-

via say that Mrs. Ayres h

s the Ayres family have paid some atten

girl with her a good de

bout her very much. She told me that none of her pupils did, and I could not gainsay he

. He spoke briefly

s she had not inherited one cent. Miss Farrel gave up her entire fortune to the child. She then, with the nervous dread of awakening dislike instead of love which filled her very soul, managed to have the child, in her character of an heiress, established in a family moving in the best circles, but sadly in need of money. Then she left her, and began supporting herself by teaching. The girl is now grown to be a young woman, and Miss Farrel has not dared see her more than twice since she heaped such benefits upon her. It has been her dream that some day she might reveal the truth, and that gratitude might induce love, but

ome here,"

er place," said Horace.

started up to speak to Syl

portunity of doing so, of what she had done for her. 'Let her come just because she thinks I am her relative,' she said, 'and because she

the door and called, and Mrs. Whitman immediately responded. Her hands were whi

o pay now?

d her in

ed, and Miss Farrel got a place for her to live with some New York folks, and you m

bly. Horace stood look

n't," sa

, Sy

e. She couldn't have been unless she was related to me, too, on my mother's side, and she wa'n't. I know all about my mother's family. But I sha'n't tell her. I'm glad Miss Farrel got a home for her. It was awful that the chil

ch Henry had noticed lately in everything she said and did seemed intensified. She talked about what room she should make ready for

't be here until night. Now you had better get dinner. It's past twelve." Sylvia

not seem well," H

n and woman have lived past their youth, and made up their minds to bread and butter, and nothing else, and be thankful if you get that much, it seems more like a slap than

dead and gone, I wouldn't believe one word of such a tomfool sto

ith feverish energy all the afternoon setting a room in order for her expected guest. It was a pretty room, with an old-fashioned paper-a sprawling rose pattern on a tarnished satin ground. The room overlooked the grove, and green branches pressed close a

ont of the house was Leander Willard, who kept the livery-stable of East Westland. He was descending in shambling fashion over the front wheels, steadying at the same time