The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-04-24
Jemimy, I'm free to say that I believe it
sarvou yo,, r;rb% y

serves you right
Miss Jen,ima sank, rather than sat
down on allow chair by the table, let
ting her head fall into her hands. To
the gripping, avaricious old woman, to
whom a dollar seemed a bright idol to
be worshipped and bowed down before,
this loss was most disastrous, and none
the less so, because it had been wrought
through her own secret, spiteful Off
ciousness. The tears, hard, salt and
bitter as the waters of the Dead sea,
oozed one by one down her red eyelids
and fell on the table; q low, choking
sob, like the croaking of q bird of prey,
broke from her lips.
But alas! her repentance had come
too late.
The autumn wore itself on, and when
the first snow.fakes dizzied through the
dull, gray mir they buried old Ebenezer
Buxford under the l~eafless willows in
the country graveyard.
Aunt Jemima packed up her belong
ings and went with her niece to o dis
tant state, where they could buy a little
place, and try to earn their living by
means of a market garden; and so they
dwelt for two OF three years.
Jemima Buxford had laid her plans
to keep her niece with her always. Ell
len was so bright and helpful, and full
of odd ever-ready resources, but love
sprang into the scale opposite old Je-
NINA, and love outweighed her. Ellen
promised to marry George Stapleton,
who had the largest farm and the most
substantial farmhouse in all the neigh
borhood.
$50 you are from Millowfeld? Queer
old place, that" said George one even
ing, as he sat on Miss Jemima's door
step, meditatively chewing a straw. II
came through there one years ago,
when l drove a pedler's cart.
"You" echoed Ellen, 'a pedler's
cart?"
eyes; that's the way I laid the foun-
dation of my fortunes, such as they
are. I didn't always own a farm Of
400 acres. And the oldest thing hap
pened to me there"
Aunt Jemima put on her spectacles
and stared hard at Mr.. Stapleton,
while Ellen asked: "What was it?"
"Well I stopped at a strange little
- way IouSo HUE IL I'LL W
get a drink of water one morning, and
a little old woman with her face tied
up with the toothache, and a sun bon
net tipped down over her nose, like
an old WITCH"
"Humph!" interjected Aunt JENNA.
Game out" pursued the uncon-
scious George, !" and wanted me to buy
q lot of tobacco. Well, tobacco wasn't
exactly in my line, but the old woman
was very anxious to be rid of it, so I
closed the bargain at S.; cheap enough,
but at the same time as much as /
could afford to pay. And I never
opened the packet until month after
ward, when l was going up into the
lumber districts, where L expected to
find a good market for that sort of
thing. And here comes in the queer
part of my story. When I was max
ing up my pound packages of tobacco
into small parcels, suitable to my trade,
[ found in one of them, tied and pa
pered like the rest, a tin box with
"Four hundred dollars in bills in
it'll" fairly screamed Aunt Jemima.
eyes, I know. I sold you that ar to-
bacco! And when you found you'd
got what was never intented for you
why didn't you bring it back?"
Gently, gently, Miss Buxford,"
said George Stapleton. II did bring it
back the very next week, for although
the temptation to keep it was very
strong, yet it somehow lay heavy Oh my
conscience. And when 1 got back the
old house was shut up, not a soul IN
the neighborhood could tell me where
the family had moved to!"
"And that's true!" assented Aunt
Jemlma, who had never lived on the
best Of terms with her neighbors.
"Well, SEEM the moneys to come
back to the family again-don't blush
SO, Ellen, I hain't said no harm! But
I kind O. wish I hadn't sold the Blue
Virginny. Not for the moneys sake
but my old brother Ebenezer-"
And Aunt Jemima got up and went
into the house, while Ellen lifted her
soft eyes to her lovers face, saying:
II feel as if Uncle Ebenezer had put
the money in my hands for he always in
tented to be mine, George!
And L" said George Stapleton, "be.
gin to believe in the old saying that
truth isstranger than fiction!"