Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-04-09
DAVID SPENCER'S LOVE.
BY AUGUSTA LARN ED.

People were in the way of saying
''poor Miss Collins" with signs and
head shakes. Bat Mrs. Collins was
by no means poor in one sense. Her
place being one of the tidiest: since
the old man died had fallen into a
gentle decay which fitted it for artist
eyes. The house and barn had toned
and mellowed more with golden
mosses; the orchard-trees bent their
gnarled boughs together in that after
noon content which belongs to an
cient habitations, and the garden had
lost its primness, at least one corner
Of it, in nettle, burdock and turze.
Such radiant spring, evening rs it
was! The fields were thick with
dandelioIs: a snow had fallen on the
purple-limbed plum trees, and they
were alive with the tlutter of birds.
A red light shone out of the west,
and Furnished the thick pile of the
turf beside the road.
Mrs. Frisbee was driving home
with her sister Ann in the buggy
She was square built and upright, and
handled the reins like a man. She
bulied people unconsciously by the
tones of her voice; and Ann, a meek
little woman, seemed born to echo
her strong sisters opinions.
''There's Dave Spencer" said Mrs.
Fisbee, as man stepped out of the
road and took the dust from her
wheels, with certain amount of con-
tempt in her tone. "He's running to
the widows now pretty steady, but it
wasn't so when the old man was
alive. He was a regular born tyrant
to his women folks, and Miss Collins
never dared peep. Dave is fool, y
she continued with more asperity.
giving a jerk to the lines. Gle might
have married most any steady, re-
spectacle girl round. You wouldn't
have made him bad wife, Ann, if he
hadn't been too particular about
looks, nor cared for Il smart woman.
But he must go and get betwattled
after that Ruth Collins. l always
said she would come to no good.
She was too much of prancer, and
held her head too high in the air, us
if there wasn't but one pink and
white face with pair of black eyes
in it. And then when the old man
made her promise to marry Dave, on
account of the property, and after
Selford came here from the city and
went flourishing around with his fine
clothes and gold chain, and Dragging
about his riches, and Ruth ran away
with him at last, and the dirty bust
ness all came out that Selford had a
wife and children in New York, and
the old man sworc she should darken
his door again, anybody would have
supposed it would have brought
Dave to his senses and made him
thank his stars for lucky escape:
but l believe to gracious he would
pick her up now out of the road. Ii
looks as if he'd always hankered after
her these ten years when she'd made
herself rs common as dirt. Dave
hart got good common sense"
"No, he hasn't" responded Ann
family.
cam, l wish you wouldn't echo
every word l say. You always was
my shadow and | suppose its too late
to expect you to get brains of youl
own"
The buggy wheels at this moment
turned with sharp click in at the
lplace of the Frisbee place, and the
Shadows were lengthening and the
dews we're falling, and in the sofl
brownQf the spring twilight sat ole
lady C0Ilns alone. The corners u
the silent rGSa were dusky. Not SC
| much as q CIT 6tirred across the floor