Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-10

'ne massive Old door knOcker resound-
gu through the house. we all started
~eervously. A sigh of relief went round
Wnen Andrew returned to say that it
was MI. Wells to see Miss Nellie. Poor
Nell l think she had been longing for
something to break the monotony of
!ne aay; she might have been glad if
u q only been any other visitor than
MI. wells. Uncle Ben sat in his bic
armchair reading the raper, but in no
way ignorant of what was passing
around him, go Nell did not dare re-
1use TO go into the parlor. MIR. Wells
was a neighbor farmer, YOU must I'M
daFstand. Pray don't let your imagin-
alton rush off into %picturing some rus
tic young gallant of tender wears and
sentimental heart. No; such is not
sne beau who comes counting Il Mel
ne to-day. There he is-a lank, grim:
v,saged little man, slightly stopped
aoout the shoulders, bending be-
meath the weight of the sixty
years he had lived through, 1 guess.
Ills thin, white hair hung in a most
neglected fashion about his neck and
ears, and the long white beard, flowing
down upon his breast. added not a lit
tie toward making up the appearance
OF a patriarch. Wait a minute. worse
than all this, he was a most miserable
mlser, and had already been twice mar
RED; and how could he dare set his
heart on u fun-loving, innocent.
k~lnd-hearted Nell; she so gentle and
child-like that we couldn't bear to have
the house left a single day without her.
Many times it had seemed strange to
me why Uncle Ben would have Nellie
receive Mr.. Wells attention, and why
he would persist in talking about what
a line catch the rich old man would be
for any girl.
had once or twice heard Aunt Mar
garet say that times were rather hard,
and that uncle didn't always have a lit
tie ready change when it was wanted.
Perhaps that was why he thought it
best that Nellie should be, as he some
times said. we'll married.
There was John Atherligh, a nephew
Of MIR. Wells, the only child of his poor
dead sister. to whom the wretched old
mlser never lent a helping hand. John
was poor, but he was just as generous
and good as any nobleman that ever
lived. Some how uncle didn't seem to
be we'll pleased when he came about,
as he often did, to walk with Nellie in
the o of the evening, down the long
shady avenue, or sit by her side and
talk out on the old stone steps leading
up to the porch. The very old steps
where, [ guess, Nellie's mother and
father sat together and talked of love
and the happy, undiscovered future
during the days of their honeymoon
long. long ago. l used to think
some times as I watched John
and Nellie walk away how that it
would be q pity to spoil that match,
for John vas just good enough for
Nellie, and Nellie-well, she was en-
tirely too good for anybody except
John. All these reflections, and many
more, passed through my mind while
Nellie sat in the parlor and talked to
her misery old lover, and Aunt Mar
garet sat in her low rocking-chair,
with her knitting lying idle on her lap,
| while uncle continued to read the
news.
By and by another loud knock re-
sounded through the house. and pres
emily Andrew announced a visitor to
see Mr.. Brandon Immediately. Hooked
at Aunt Margaret; she had clasped her
hands nervously together. When uncle
left the oom she asked, almost be-
seemingly of me.
81 wonder who it can be, Margie,
"a you think?'
knew her nervous state of anxiety,
and determined at once to find out
about the visitor, and, if possible, re-
lieve her fears. L crept softly into the
back parlor and up to the folding
doors, which, owingto an arrangement
of heavy curtains, was often lett ajar,
through which | hoped to get a sight
of the visitor. l had no sooner stolen
up to the door :han I heard footsteps
in the hall, and uncle ushered his Wis
itor into the room. 1t was too late to
retreat; what could I do? To pass
through into the front would be to in
trude upon Nellie and her company;
to come out from behind the curtain
would be to appear like a spy; so
The first few minutes I was too much
surprised and uneasy about my own
situation to be aware of what vas 60
inc on in the room, when at last [
caught the sound of the strangers
voice; he was saying something like
this:
sit is a very unfortunate piece of
work, sir. l beg leave to sympathize
with you and your family; but business
is business you know. l vas sent here
to settle this matter IN a respectable
manner, if possible, and l must pro-
coed to do it at once. Your son, [ am
sorry to tell you, sir, but perhaps you
know he has lived a little fast of late
rather too fond of wine and evil COM
pany-"
Eyes, yes" uncle said, as if impatient
to get at the worst.
Il am sorry to tell you, sir" the
| stranger continued, ''but | think it hap
pened while he was under the influence
of liquor, and likely surrounded by his
evil companions. To be brief, this is
the whole story: Your son has broken
into the ~money-safe and robbed his en-
ployer of s $4,000"
.iRobbed! o God, my boy a rob-
Der
shall never forget the groans with
which he sank back upon the chair,
from which he had risen at this start
liz nnvuc