The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-10-10
BRAVE IN ADVERSELY.

At MI. Lonsdale's ar%istocratic man
slon the earliest letters we're brought in
with the rolls and coffee, so that Mrs.
Lonsdale was languidly eating orange
marmalade when her husband read out
the contents of the letter with a black
edge which had Just come from Moon
Mountain.
Left a widow!" echoed Mrs. Ions
dale. "And with six daughters. What
q very unpleasant circumstance"
"She was my favorite cousin" said
Mr.. Lonsdale. Gas brighta girl as I
over saw. 1 suppose, Naomi'-with a
little hesitation-"we couldn't take
her in here ?"
"Take her in here?" repeated Mrs.
Lonsdale almost in q scream. "Why,
where could we put widow and six
young women? We actually haven't
space enough to accommodate ourselves"
well, we'll, I'm sorry for poor
Mary" said Mr.. Lonsdale, II think
she had the bluest eyes I ever saw.
Six daughters, and we never had one.
Perhaps, Naomi"-with the old hesitat-
ing formula-"you wouldn't like to
adopt one?"
"Thank YOU" satirically observed
his wife. "When I do receive an
adopted child into my house, it will
not be the country article"
At the solitary little farm on Moon
Mountain, however, the same topic was
being discussed while Mrs. Dirk was
sewing on the simple mourning which
the bereaved family could afford.
Helen was washing the dishes, Rosie
was darning the carpet with a piece of
woollen yarn of the same color, and Liz
zle was trimming sever plain straw hats
with bands of Grape, as inexpensively
as possible. Susy was picking over a
shining tin-pan of dandelion greens for
dinner. Esther, the youngest and
rosiest of all, was feeding a little flock
O. downy chickens, and Sarah, the eld-
est, was absent at a neighbours, helping
to make up the spring outfits of half a
dozen boys.
"Sarah was always so handy with the
needle" said Mrs. Dirk with pardonable
pride.
But mother" said Rosie, looking up
from her work with a troubled c%ounten-
ance, ''what are we to do?"
Mother said Lizzy, our Lonsdale
rorJcipc p r;,b (No,1l,sA 800 L.
them?"
Certainly not" said Mrs. Dirk with
a sparkle of the eye which had not yet
lost their forget-me-not blue. II wrote
to them, telling them of Il affection,
and they sent back a letter full of com
monplaces, without ever offering TO
help u.s."
"But they are rich and we are poor"
Yes, and they live in splendid style,
Hattie Cooley says" added Susy.
Very likely" said Mrs. Dirk, "But
MS long as there are seven pairs of hands
in this family. and God spares our
health, I donot propose to turn genteel
beggar!"
"But, mother" began Rosa who was
the caretaking member of the family.
l. Gn10k-
GIVE settled it all in my cwn mind"
said Mrs. Dirk, stitching away until her
needle looked like a CLEAN of steel
lightning. ''The house is large, al
though it isn't built after the latest fash
ion. The air is wholesome, and there
is the Black Spring, where people come
to get the water for ten miles around.
/ mean To keen hoardersln
"Hurrrh for the little mother!" cried
Essie, clapping her plump hands.
t.And I may help you make custards
and do up preserves, mayn't mamma"
"Susy and Esther shall help me-.
declared Mrs. Dirk. "Sarah can al
ways earn her living at tailoring work.
Helen shall go into the glove factory;
Tn told they need new hands there.
Lizzie "a help Drs. Dart, the mil
liner, and Rosie is to be nursery gov
ness at Mrs. MiIlingham's. And if,
between us, we can't earn a decent
livelihood, it will be very strange
Susy and Essie we're delighted. Ro-
sic naturally regarded her position as a
decided promotion. Helen, however,
dropped a tear into the pan of hot wa
ter which she had just poured out.
"Ille glove factory, motherY' she re-
peated. "But it will be such a strange
lonesome place. I don't think / shall
like it,"
'sWe must all of u.s. try to like u duty
child" said the brisk little widow.
MARY is going to open a boarding
house," said Mr.. Lonsdale again to his
wife. "She has requested me to insert
an Advertisement in the dailies for her"
Every laudible of her, 1 am sure"
said Mrs. Lonsdale, with a yawn.
Suppose you were to go there a few
weeks before the Saratoga season
opens?" suggested Mr.. Lonsdale. You
can't very we'll stay here while the
painting and repairs are going on"
IL don't know that / can endure that
sort of living" said Mrs. Lonsdale au-
oiously.
'Mary Dirk used to be the best
aousekeeper I ever knew" answered her
husband.
"Do you suppose she VIII take me-
cheapw
Il should imagine so.'
So Mrs. Lonsdale wrote a p%atroniz-
ing letter to her husbands cousin, be-
speaking the best room.
But when she got to Moon Mountain
'shere was only n little square room
eft. The fame Of the Black Spring
1ad gone forth in all directions. and a
newspaper editor had promulgated an
article praising the delicious, pine
scented air and we'll populated trout
brooks Of the mountain, and the conse-
auenee was that the farm house was
full.
"But this room is too SMALL" said
Mrs. Lonsdale, fretfuliy, as she looked
around.
cts all I have left" said Mrs. Dirk,
"and I could have let it half a dozen
times over II it hadn't been reserved
for ynu Cousin Naomin