Sunlight On a Broken Column by Catherine M. Rae

Author:Catherine M. Rae
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781466878051
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

Part V

Caroline

Chapter 12

During the early part of Laurel’s very difficult pregnancy I spent as much time as I could at the house on Sixty-ninth Street. Not that I enjoyed my visits there—quite the contrary. As I told Brad, it had become the most dismal house imaginable, with Miss Prentice helpless in her room, Leland hardly ever in evidence, and my sister the very picture of despair. She no longer took care with her appearance, some days not bothering to brush her hair or to dress in anything other than a soiled negligee.

The sight of her tear-stained face and unkempt blond hair frightened me, so far removed was it from that of the well-groomed, beautifully dressed sister she had been. Her only interest those days was in food; she was, after all, the mistress of the household, and could order up creamed chicken, potato puffs, all kinds of biscuits, muffins, and breads, pastries and chocolates—anything she fancied. She seemed to crave sweet, creamy foods, and once told me that fruits and vegetables caused her to become nauseated. I could do nothing with her.

Laurel was not the only sorry sight in that house: Poor Miss Prentice seemed to be fading away. I think she tried to smile at times as I sat holding her nerveless fingers in my hand, but since one side of her tired, gray face was drawn down, it was hard to tell. In the past she had enjoyed hearing about my studies, so during the short time I was allowed in the sickroom I would tell her little stories concerning the girls and teachers at the Normal College.

I may have imagined it, but I thought her eyes lit up when I told her that John Rambush, one of the professors, sometimes walked home with me when school was over for the day.

“You’d like him, Miss Prentice,” I said, keeping my eyes on her dark ones. “He’s teaching history in order to make money while he studies for the bar—you know, the examination that Brad took. And Brad likes him. He thinks he’ll do well.”

I, too, thought John would do well, but I didn’t know whether he singled me out—there were lots of prettier girls in the class—because I was Brad’s sister or for myself. Then, one afternoon after classes were over I was walking down Lexington Avenue thinking I’d rather spend a few hours alone with my books than endure the clouds of despair that hung over the Prentice house, when suddenly I heard footsteps behind me. A moment later John Rambush was beside me.

“Caroline!” he exclaimed breathlessly, “I thought I’d missed you, and I did want to talk to you. Will you have a cup of tea with me? There’s a nice little place down on Sixty-fourth Street near Third.”

Why, he really does want to see me, I thought with some surprise as I accepted his invitation. Wouldn’t Laurel have been amazed? He and Brad had known each other in college, and John had stopped in at

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.