The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-06-24
LITTLE MANS FORTUNE.

LITTLE MANS FORTUNE
"Come in,n called Miss Morrin il
her pleasant voice. w
So the door opened and LITTLE
Nan, song and dance artistic, appear
ed on the threshold. II a
Her thick red hair was twisted in
a tight knot on the top of her head
a row of curl papers fringed her fore
head, little dabs of powder we're lefl
on her cheeks, her calico Mother
Hubbard was faded and there was q
long rent in the skirt. She. came
timidly into the room and laid q
large white envelope down on the
table.
"It's fur you," she said, quickly
turning away. II heard you tellin
Mrs. Spratt twas your birthday"
Then the door closed upon little
Nan.
Miss Morrin laid down Emerson
and took up the attractive white en-
velope. 1t contained a birthday
card, very pretty card. On one
side were a landscape and solitary
bird Oh the branch of a tree, and on
the other were printed the following
verses: F r ssas
There's gloom without, but there's cheer
within, ~
Rolicking shout and rat;ling din.
They kiss good luck with a rare good viii
Each lucky Jack has a darling Gill.
Isss rlfie hard. las 4 think you'll seei, : !.
On lonely, scarr'd bird like me.
"A lonely, scarr'd old bird like
me ~ repeated Miss Morrin' to her
self. Yes am getting to be an old
bird. l am 36 to-day and James is
IS. We are both growing old and
are no nearer being married than we
were ten years ago. Twenty-Five is
rather late in life to enter upon a
long engagement But l would
rather wait on James than marry a
millionaire. Dear James He thinks
it is his duty to stay in Maine and
preach to those, poor, uneducated
people when he might be pastor OF
o rich church with a salary large
enough to supper. US all. OF course
it is his first duty 10 care for his
mother and sister. Unfortunately ]
am poor too. l wish / had a few
hundred dollars to buy a claim OF
grub stake of some poor prospector.
If was a man would take pick
and GO up on the mountain and dig;
but deing a woman all | can do is
to wait. wonder what made that
child give me this card. | never
spoke TO her until this morning.
They say she dances at the theatre,
and with shudder at the thought
Miss Morrin went on reading Emer-
son. I iE
Down stairs in the office of the
office of.the Grand Hotel old Billy
was smoking his pipe. He wore
long boots that came to his knees,
corduroy pants, and a flannel shirt.
His broad brimmed felt hat was tip
ped over his eyes. He had tilted
his armchair against the wall and
thrust his hands into his pockets.
ats her birthday and | gave her
card" Little Nan was saying. She
said good mornin when1 met her
on the stairs. Hain't she sweet.
Bet your life 1t was -tunnin'
card. There was bird on tree
and the bird was sayin' po'try. 1t
said somethin' bout bein' scarr'd
old bird"
@By ginger y exclaimed old Billy,
You've went and done it this time"
Then he chuckled. Didn't you
know she was an old maid-a regu-
lar Yankee schoolma'am ? Why
didn't you pick outa nice piece bout
young love and forget me-dont's, and
all that kind O. things"
'.It was a mighty pretty card and
dirt cheap, answered little Nan dis
consolately. "She wouldn't think I
was pokin fun at her, would she ?''
looking up anxiously. .5.,.s
Reckon not, said old Billy, you
wouldn't find it out if she did. She
is an up and down lady. This ere
no place for her. There
hain't another one Of her kind to
keep her company. Ought to send
fur her sister.or cousin,or somethin'
Don't see what brung her way out
here to keep school,"
Little Nan eazed in the fire with
her large blue eyes. M -
sShe hain't like u.s. she, said
slowly. "She hain't . bit like Us. J"
The school children we're trouble
some the next day. Miss Morrin
tried coaxing. then scolding, and I'm
ally was strongly tempted TO resort
to corpesal pHnishmsot. But she
was slightsnd frail, and there were
some large boys in the school. On
her way home at noon she decided
she vas still far from being Sc for a
ministers wife. Thege were letters
from Maine on her table. Old Mrs.
Jones had died af last -she was SO