The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1884-01-18
NUMBER FIFTEEN.

NUMBER FIFTEEN.
! always begin at the beginning when
4 write a story. Some authors like to
commence 9 story in the middle and
work .. both ends; but that isn't my
way. or, rather it wouldn't be my way if
! was in the habit of writing stories,
which, thank Heaven, / am not. I get
living in q respectable way, by the
sweat OF my brow, not by writing liesfor
newspapers. Consequently I've but n
story to write, and that is my own.
My.name is Roderick McStivers. and
I'm a native Of the good old town ofTad-
month; I'm forty years old if I'm day,
ana II do say it, as good looking for
my age as any man you ever set eyes On.
twenty years ago I was fully as hand
some as am now, and ut that time /
was engaged to the charming Mary Black,
tne belle OF falmouth. That was the
beginning of all my woe--that engage
ment. | was poor then(I own the largest
DOC mandatory in Falmouth to-day
ana the Lord only knew when I should
De able to marry Mary. But she said
she didn't care, she could wait two or
three centuries Just us well as not, if I'd
only be true TO her meantime
sooner shall the blue ocean melt to air,
sooner shall earth resolve itself to sea,
1aan ! resign thine image, oh my fairl
a Of Ellnx sf onvfhi,,p nvoa~t sr. xho~ ~
that's Just what said. You wouldn't
Inlhk, 10 look at me now, that l could
say anything quite SO soft as the above.
would you, eh? Bless you! l had more
poetry IN my head twenty years ago
than you could shake a stick at.
Many are poets who have never penn'd
1heir inspirations, and perchance the best.
That's what's the trouble with me. If
should have played the deuce with :the
nine" Well. you understand from the
above that Mary aud l were all right. I
sWore that I'd be true, and she di:toed;
out, bless me, my dear. sir, the sweet
girl mad a father, and he was not SO
?onng as we were by several years.
THOSE were days when my heart was
Volcanic" but the old gentleman's palpi-
tator was as hard and cold as a cast-iron
Rrindstone. The pa%ternal Black did not
belleve much in love, you see.
He had married for money, and, in.
his opinion, that was the only thing
sorth marrying for; and so, instead OF
throwing his only child away upon a
miserable vagaoond like myself, he very
unceremoniously showed me the door
Dne evening, and the very next day
brought q lover of his W choosing
home to Mary. The lovers name was
Bunsby, and he rolled ingold, metaphor
!caily speaking; owned a fine house in
New DIRK, AMI lad horses, carriages
and servants too numerous to mem
t,on." Oh, why should / linger over
this period of my existence Pm sure /
don't know why, and hang me if | do.
You guess the rest. Mary was daz-
sled with her new lovers wealth. She
forgot poor Roderick McStivers, and
married fhos: Binsby, ESD, and IL,
alas, was not invited to the weddingl
Anything more beartless than the above
can scarcely be Imagined, Isuppose I
might have sgone into. Mourning
They told me I couldn't be a nun on ac-
count OF my sex.
cob, what shall 1 do?D asked, in a
voice that sounded horribly strange, not
w~ithstanding that it was my own. I
iefy you to tell me what / did DO. In
:he light ofmy twenty years experience
am convinced that l did the best thing
| could under the circumstances. [
carried my boarding mistress. She
vas 80 and l was 20 years Of age; she
mad unmatched IN manners as in face,
Skilled i'll each art, and crowned with every
grace.
And fhp,,nh 7 ,,c,-,, To-, ~, n 4 @~ 1o., H.,
sNtravagantly, | must confess that she
could make the best apple dumplinss
slmt | ever ate. In the course of time 1
became q father. a daughter was born
e US, and we called her Julia, after my
grandmother, who was the most beattti-
Ml woman in the country, to judge of
ner portrait low before me. NY daugh-
Ter looks much as my grandma her did
at her age. Well, as l said, IL daughter
vas born to us and q soa was born to
Bunsby, and they called him Tom. We
heard OF the aforementioned event up
here in falmouth, but for Years | never
saw either Mary or her son, notwith-
standing they used to visit her father
quite often while the old gentleman
lived. But at last Mr.. Black was
gathered to his fathers. and about the
same time my wife was gathered to hel
mothers, and | was lett alone with my
little Julia. was rich then-the most
wealthy man in Tadlnouth--and / bad
quilt me a fine house, the same that J.
ave lived in ever since, with my little
Julia as houspkeane~ Well. how things
will come about Last summer youn;
Tom Bunsby came out to falmouth ant
put up at the hotel-they have quite (
number of summer boarders.there-ant
the first thing the young ma did was t.
fall in love with my daughter Julia. 0
course the poor fellow was not to blame
He corldn't help it. Tor she was the
most bewitching little woman that yo1
eve, saw, not withstanding that old Nc
Stivors is her father.
He saw her first at a picnic, danced
with her, kissed her in the ring, ant
walked home with her at night. Ire
member the evening very well. wa
sitting in my library smoking a cigar an
thinking of the late Mrs. Nc Stiyers-of
those apple dumplings! my mouth we
tiers every time | think o them-wher
the windows being open. ! heard voice
at the door. / knew it was Julia, and
knew she had n young fellow with heI
and, tear my wig, if he wasn't begging
for d kiss.
How silvery sweet sound lovers tongues b
night,
Like sottest music to attending ears.
REMARKED earnestly to Mr.. McStivers
Inal)outt five minutes Julia eamein blush
ing like q ten-acre flower garden, an,
looking us lovely as a fairy queen.
"Oh, papa! I've had such q splendi
time!n said she, throwing herself int
my arms and kissing the eutiele of IN
right cheek.
Eyes, / should think SO. particular
during the last five minutes,nI re