The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-09-17
MILLER TIE MILLER.

~ASS
head to the soles OF his boots-as if he
had just been rolling in the -four he
had ground. His fine old horse, which
was born black, carried SO much -four
on his coat that he was called "Dusty
Miller"
Miller the miller had one marked
popularity. He would hardly speak
to women. He had been left an or
phan, and hard-hearted woman
had made his boyhood hard. He was
poor in youth, and his early court
ships had not ended as he had hoped.
Thus his heart had been turned away
from womenkind into a lonely rut OF
life, and he had fallen under the spell
OF the evil spirit OF false opinion.
AS We said, Miller the miller had
had a bitter and violent step-mother
from babyhood. Wemight have add
ed that when his father died he had
been passed over to an uncle whose
wife was a perfect shrew, who was
hall insane on cleanliness, and chased
her husband and the boy with broom
and mop, warning them about her
white floor! Those were the women
he had first known.
The bad romance OF his youth that
had ended so disastrously we will not
repeat, save only to say that in oner
spect, one only, they made "a very
sour man OF Miller the miller.
Young Miller went the night after
his uncle's funeral to live with old
Jarvis, the miller, whose simple house
keeping was done by brother, more
noted for his culinary skill than for
his mental power.
Here Miller found place OF peace,
mot woman within sight," he
said. "It was very restful."
Jarvis died after fewyears, "Billy"
went off to live with u sister, and the
house was sold.
Miller took the mill. He partition
ed Off kitchen and bedroom in the
loft, and made parlor OF one corner,
on the floor with the chopper" put
into it a red table and for yellow chairs,
and hung up some OF those chromos
with which people are punished for
taking papers they do not want, and
never read
So he lived here like an ancherite
his only vexation being the little girls
who came in on their way from school
tostare down into the hopper, or who
leaned over his rickety fence to see the
great. black wheel churning the silver
foam. He would sometimes mutter:
"They'l get drowned or ground up
some day, and then it'll be laid on to
my mill or me-"
When Miller the miller was about
thirty-tive years old, his brother died,
leaving an orphan boy OF ten year.
Miller brushed the flour off his best
clothes, off his horse, and rode twenty
miles to the funeral. Now Miller the
miller had a sympathetic heart, after
all and when he returned, he brought
little Ike, his brothers son, and his
small bundle to the old mill with him.
Ike was born and had always lived
in "the hired mans house" on a farm,
in full view of the barnyard, and a
level sweep of hard worked fields We
can imagine his delight at hewonders
OF his new home, with a mountain be-
hind q stream below, valley, and
fields and forests on every hand! But
the mill, with it's great wheel dashing
and splashing among the waters,
sending crystal arrows and rainbow
wreaths in every direction-that was
to him the glory OF all this picturesque
region.
1t was like dream of fairyland.
And this was his home, and he could
and climb the high banks OF the stream,
and catch squirrels, and skip stones
-and-and-everything!
But Miller the miller was not as well
pleased with his nephew as his nephew
with him. The boy made a new con-
dition OF affairs necessary. The mil
ler now thought the place too rough
and mean, and set out to finish of his
rooms with lathe and plaster and
paint. He put up white curtains in
place OF the green paper ones, and act
uHlly bought O. carpet for the parlor
corner, which was now q real room,
partitioned off from the main mill
AS his house improved. he began to
like the boy better, and to become
very indulgent to him.
There, in this elegant home" the
boy had his school-friends us often as
he chose to ask them. Together they
popped corn and made molasses
candy, and whitfield out boats in win.
ter, and they stuffed birds and pressed
wild flowers in summer.
So the years went on, the miller
growing less odd in their flight. But
he still kept up his old antipathy TO,
women-an antipathy that he could
not have cherished had he ever known
mother and q mothers love.
Ike was q happy boy, and became q
great favorite with his neighbors. AT
eighteen years old he could do mans
work in the mill, beside going to schoo
in winter. A shadow fell across the
Miller spirit; Ike began to look at the
girls. He carried their skates and
their books, he risked his life on the
precipioe over the stream to gather
the Gladys ear-drop" and the purple
might shade" for them.
He went on sleigh-rides and to par
ties-and-and-well, Miller the miller
had heard OF his walking home on.
moonlight evening with little Ruth.
Bovine whom he had sent out of tn.
mill dozen times in as many years
for looking down the hopper, and fol
gathering aour-dust to play bakln.
with.
He had never once rebuked Ike fo,
anything, and he felt delicate abou,
beginning that now-they were SO hap
py together!
The trouble crew.