Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-07-31
MISS HIGGINS MAN.
EN CAROLYN a.

EE C.hROLISA.
For thirty Years Miss Higgins had
looked under her bed every night,
and had never found Il man there yet:
still She looked. Whether ii was fear
that inprllcd that ,lcathleSs research.
or fatality that was bcckonin. her
to her fate. | know not. 1t would
seem. however. to be the former, for
she had ortcE been heard to observe:
That of all the denominations on
earth, man is the most ;,bominablc."
Indeed. at the informal tea drink
ing of the allied forces of ChcStcrvillc.
the three Misses Wheeler aud the two
Misses Jones, she had often cXcrllc,l
them all i'll the whitening tone with
which she would repeat: Man
man - and no one could breathe
greater defiance at this fucruan than
She. Ii was at one OF these tea par
ties that they had cnirrcd into Il
solemn compact that. i'll the event OF
woman ; rights giving either of these
allies sovereign power over the IA.
lion. az Eastern law was to be by
them imported and improved. and
husbands buried with thc dead body
of their wives.
A> Eumicc Higgins we'll remarked
That would put an end to widow
crs pretty lively" And with this re
mark the lIvson flowed, and the WAS
sail went ou-witll such spirit, thai
Aurclia Wilder, the most radical, al
dcd another clause THAT the chill
drcn of wihowrrs should be throwl
in. too. and not he bolhcrin.' Other
Women" This was also well re
crivcd.
Now. If amy one thinks Miss Eu
nice IIiwminS WAS Il woman devoid o
virtues and womanly "racc>, l pit,
them--tllcv are 50 utterly mistaken
She assisted drunken father through
the world, till he made his exit
sustained and supported fcrbl'
mother, and three or four children
older. but more helpless tl!an she, Ii!
the mother had found tlourishin:
homes for themselves with the cXrcp
| ton of the oldest son. who had fol
lowed in the footsteps This father
| literally. Indeed. when one contcm
plates the specimens of manhood s:i
had been most familiar with, he
aversion to the sex does not seem s
wonderful. She WA, now shrcW
eyed. but good and kindly looking
No home was brighter than hers. y
farm better managed.
The night on which commences III
humble history. Miss Higgins wen
to her room III unsua. good humol
She had had Il tea party. The allie
had Ion" been present, and admittc
unanimously that such fragrant tc:
such snowy biscuits and honey, sue
golden butter, such cakes and sweet
meats had not been pavtaken of th:
season. The srcLr of her benign vi,
tory rose before her Is she took o
The little switch oihair 1T the bar
side OF her head. and pcnSivcly role
il up ere she put it i'll the top burca
drawer.
She saw again the sinking sun sh
ming in through her house plants
the window, upon the crimson dru:
ret of the dinim1-roonI the SHOW
tca-tablc with its silver and priy.c
china the admiring faces of ht
friends a> they partOok of her del
riouS food. But one memory diSGu
ctsl her: e" She almost miSiru>tc
her lemon cNuart-thc truslinw O
the fruit cake didn't seem to he flow
cred quite enough But this haun
in" manner was soilrncd by Il
thought that " she could get anc
bottle Tomorrow.
BY this time she WAS arraycd in Ii,
lon" lli,c night dress and night ca
She folded up every article of ciot)
ing and laid it down at right angle
>lc locked UP her lrras!p:n, and the
= impellcd by fate. She calmly advant
to the side Of the bed, and raised II
snowy valanccs, gave one slrick. n
tell back ward on the carpet, hittiI
t her head badly as She did so OH cha
=; rocker. There was her man und,
/! the bed.
Miss Higgins had often fancicd ho
:, she would awe such 4 robber, such
. burglar, with her fearless aud scare
u in. chances how she would dcfcI
: her property with her life. Let ,
, not bc too hard with hcr-slc is II,
|" the only one of us who has found tn
: il is more easy to dream of gre
: achievements than to accompli:
i them. She is not the only one VIII
= at the first shock, has slirickcd al
L tumbled down before adverse fate.
But Eunice Higgins was not one
withcr away before calamity. n
long did she lie there but as short
time as it was when she lifted h
head, her man confronted her.
was q very little man, indeed, !
more than seven years old, and sm,
at that very good looking, and W,
y clothed, although exceedingly dishe
eled and uncomfortable in appea
ance.