Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-06-10

,sss,..a ous SUN ne stayed. 1t was
new experience, he told Nancy after:
warus, by way OF explanation. to he
WIN giri who could be earnest with
out waxing shrill.
Inc discussion lasted till dinner. but
after dinner, when Tom came into tbs
9rawing-room, Shelda aud Bella bad
u'11ppeared. Nancy was there alone
ne LOOK the daily paper, which had
Just arrived, and commenced to read
Out everything was wrong in that
| paper, The leader was bad. the az
.ion OF the government was gross.
misrepresentation was
wrong. At last he crushed the nar'as
together. and cast it from him With
disgust What has become of RellaSsi
ne sand then, indifferently.
- On! they are in the studvn cola
Nancy; bella has a new little stnd,-
IN the garnet, you know, and they ars
very happy there" tN'o
the evening"" '"o'o an
.vi care say, said Nancy, cheerfulIv
lou see Tom, you won't be much
Pus out oy shelda's being here. They
min oe up stars nearly all day long. I
eAPees. hey are reading and talking
auu oheioa Is writing paper TO read
at an association of some sort yon
VIII scarcely see her at all. You arenot
going out, Tomg" 'i : "o'
Wen, yes" said Tom. al think I
snail go for stroll. It's a little duIl
night" ooou-
And Nancy found herself alone.
A laugh-clear, ringing, full of enjoy.
ment. Then another-deeper and
louder. Those were the first sounds
that greeted Nancy when she awots
next morning. They came from tbe
garden. Tom and Shelda were down
there together; Tom was throwing
SUCKS Tor Nip, his collie dog, and
Sheida was watching.
There that win do cried Tom.
"heel, Nip-heel, sirp' and ne skunk be-.
hind with detected air, and Tom and
Shelda strolled away from the house
down the little avenue.
They seemed to find little difficulty
IN talking to one another. They talk
ed OF Nip and his cleverness. and ofthe
aspect OF affairs in the east, and of
what is going on in London.
You are thinking of living in Lon
don, then" said Tom.
Yes; my work is to be there. am
! appointed classical lecturer in a WON.
ans college that has just been opened,
You look as though you disapproye,
II disapprove of the name at least"
said Tom. "Lecturing seems to me a
mans profession"
''Call me 'instructress, then. The
name signifies little"
Tom laughed
You will find that sort OF boarding
school lie rather duh, won't your"
he said, after a minute.
1t VIII not be in any sense board
ing school life. | shall go to the col
lege for certain number of hours a
week. shall not live there shall
have my lodgings somewhere near"
But you will not live alone in lodg-
ings?" said Tom, anxiously.
"Ies, said Shelda, in a calm, mat
ter-of-fact tone. "Why not?"
Toms drown face took ruddier
tinge as Shelda looked up at him with
n quiet, questioning glance
ut is not right, he said, awkwardly,
but with intensity. you are but a
girl"
Il am twenty-one," said Shelda,
quietly. "a girl is woman at TWEEN
ty-one. | am quite sensible-quite
able to take care of myself Why
should not live in lodgings alone if /
choose?"
Tom had no answer to offer to this,
or would not offer it.
al would not allow it il were your
| brother" he said, grimly
"My brothers do not restrain my
actions" said Shelda. Indeed, they
approve of my plan; it is so obvious
ly the wisest. There are half dozen
small girls and boys at homesto be
brought up and educated. Its neces-
sary that we elder ones should make
our own way in the world. have
had an expensive education, ana lam
bound to prove to my father that his
| money has been well laid out"
Tom waxed visibly impatient dur
ing this speech; he struck revengefully
with his cane at the lowest branches
of the trees as he passed, and brought
down little showers of leaves along his
| path. But when Shelda had done he
made no reply.
She began 10 talk lightly about other
| things-things that mad no connection
with London, and lecturing, and lone
ly lodgings; but Tom was absent-mind-
ed, and answered at random. Atlast
he said, suddenly:
Have you many friends theref"
ain Lcndon?" said Shelda, smiling.
"Not many--I have few"
"You will be lonely
Loneliness is one of those things
one can make up ones mind against"
| said Shelda. "Ishall be independent."
THAT is the new jargon ofthe day"
| replied Tom, impatiently; ''the iargon
that hate. Girls ought not to be in
dependent-ought not to wish to be.
The first duty of a man is to take care
| of the women-folk belonging to him.
Girls were meant to live quiet, shelter
ed lives-to be taken care Otto be
protected. The men OF family
| should be the workers-it always has
been so. We do not regard it as
hardship; we do not want to be indie
pendent of you, why should you insist
| upon freedom and independence? Men
are strong and hardened and able to
| shift for themselves-a little roughing
does a man no harm in the world. A
girl is different"
'It is very good of men to think OF
women in that way" said Shelda,
touched by the rude yet tender chival-
nv of Toms speech; "but-
"But it is the right way" said Tom.
Shelda laughed.
"Weil, i am not sure OF that, she
said. eve ought to learn to stand
alone. We are much too fond of care
and protection and all the luxurious
| side of life. Here is Bella coming; We
will ask her opinion"
| But Bella was by no means willing
to enter upon an argument with Tom,
| and there the subject dropped.
/ During the next few days Tom and
! Sbelda had many long talks together.
| Ii Toms antipathy TO blue stockings
and Shelda's devotion to books and
Bella had not been such thoroughly
| established facts. it would seem al
most as though Tom had sought Shell
! da's society, and as though Shelda
had welcomed his interruptions.
Two or three little incidents puzzled
Nancy. One was this: They went
boating one afternoon, and the sisters
landed at little beach by the river 10
walk to cottage near, leaving sheida
/ to wait in the boat with Tom.
1--WE shall be ten mnutes-not long
| err" called out Nancy, as she landed,
/ and Tom pushed of again from the
shore. But when she and Bella re-
turned the boat was nowhere to be
seen. 1t was more than an hour when
| it reappeared, and then Tom was row.
| ing leisurely, and resting on his oars
every few minutes to talk to Sheiaa;