She put the garment on
and strode past her mother to the window. Mrs. Floyd followed her
movements with an anxious glance. At the window Harriet turned and
stamped her foot. "Do you think I'm going to bed when I don't
know--oh, my God, I can't bear it! I can't bear it!" She suddenly
approached her bewildered mother, put her hands on her shoulders, and
turned her face to the light. "You hear me, mother? As God in Heaven
is my witness, if a hair of that man's head is harmed to-night, I'll
kill Toot Wambush on sight. I'll kill him, if I hang for it! I swear
it before God! Do you hear? I swear it--no power on earth shall stop
me! I'll _do_ it!"
Her body swayed. She made a step towards the door and sank down in a
swoon. Mrs. Floyd sprang for a pitcher of water and sprinkled her
face. The girl revived a little, and her mother raised her in her
arms, put her on the bed, and drew the covers over her. Harriet closed
her eyes drowsily. She did not seem wholly conscious. Mrs. Floyd went
down-stairs and lighted a fire in the kitchen stove, and put on some
water to heat.
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