The Osceola times., 1886-07-17
"A STANCH HEART"
Was What Margaret Took From
Her Cousin David.

The autumn wind was laden with
promise Of a bleak and rainy evening.
The tenacious leaves OF the oak still
clung 20 the branches, but down the
paths Of the garden the leave, from the
shruubery danced their fantastic dance
Of death. AT the door of the house the
wind waited Ike sheriff 10 force an
entrance. Within, four cousins sitting
together in the gray dusk were talking
ON q subject as full Of matter TO them
a the evening was of damp. Tho stove
had not yet been put up for the winter,
the muslin curtains hung limp ut the
windows and thc colorlcss walls looked
ike mounting sheets of mist. shutting
Them ont from all warmth, and comfort
and gdyc'Y. 4 smell of mildew came
up from the hay under the carpct-a
red and green carpet polluted bv the
touch OF feet only sundays and COM
pany days. \ bIack-waluut ccntCr-ta-
bic, uncovered, with four painfully
bowed legs, supported the literature of
me househo.d-a Photograph album, a
Bible carefully preserved, q collection
OF ethical essays known as the Golden
Treasury of Thought. and supposed 10
be adapted to all The needs and tempta-
uon7 OF the human soul, and volume
Of miscellaneous poems which bore em-
bIazoncd in gold upon its faded blue
sides Pearls from the Poetsn In one
corner of the room stood black horse
hair sofa, which sloped so violently to-
wards the front that any one trusting
himself upon its slippery surface was
obliged TO cling 20 the back as a sailor
dor- to rope in high seas The cane
seated chairs, placed geometrIcally
against the walls of the room, were
somewhat dis1rranged now by the shiv-
er.ug persons, two of whom sat wrapped
in plaid shouIdcr-shawls, with their el-
bows upon the comfortable. A girl
little older than these paced up and
down the room with her arms folded
behind her. She did not look old; there
were an activity and animation about
her that seemed TO defy even the en-
crolchment~ of an October in the North
ern Peninsula Of Michigan The last
member of the quartet was thin Young
mau with a patient, cadaverous face
such as isolated farmers often wear.
The land amt worth S3 an acre"
he was saying to his companions, "and
! don know as We II have another such
an offer as we've got now. We might
a wcli sell and done with il. Inever
was no hand for breaking up wild lands
an how
"Nor L. exclaimed the girl. who was
walking the floor mischieyously. But
no one paid any attention 10 her.
"it might give Hattie and Nora q
start down in town in the millinery or
drr,smaking business, or something
light and gcntecl Neither of 'em ain I
much on farmin', an ! don't know
blame 'em much. - The girls referred
20 sat silent with that irresponsiveness
OF which only an American woman is
capable when she demurs. II don Z
suppose David cares much what is done
with the land, but it wouldn't be right
for Us to close the agreement till he
gets here, and he'll be here tomorrow
night at the latest. thought sure he d
come tonight My share will give me
boost over the winter, for I'm not in a
state to sneezc at ready money. What
Margaret will do with hers / can't say
Il shall endow an asylum tor INDECENT
cats, said the girl called Margaret.
at might 90 quite way if It is seXpend-
ed for diluted milk, but | don't think
there will be enough to do much else
with"
The cousins all looked n little shocked
at her tllppancy. She was town bred,
aui thcy had never gotten over the idea
that she might be a little dangerous.
For a long time after her mother death
she had Kept house for her father but
when he too died she came to the
country TO live with her cousin Seth.
He and his sisters lived on vast tract
of land which their father had digniiied
by the name of farm. When, worn out
with his fight with the elements and the
soil, his narrow old soul had left his toll
worn body, his children found that his
farm was to be equally divided between
them, their orphan cousin, Margaret,
aud the son of his youngest brother.
This son was David, of whom Seth had
spoken. and he was in his last year at
Ann Harbor, having taken the law
course in the university. None OF the
cousins had ever seen him, but they
knew that he had sufficient money to
relieve him from the pressure under
which they labored.
You speak as if you didn't want to
sell, Margaret Now If you don't, why,
Just pipe right out and let us know it. "
IL can't help wondering, coz, what
makas this man so anxious TO buy. I'm
sure the land doesn' present an attrac-
tive appearance at present can't get
over the idea that there is more to it
than appears on the surface
well, | hain't no Judge of thet, Mar
Parct. I'm q fair-dealin' man and |
don look for nothin' but fair dealin
in others The two sisters looked at
Margaret as much as to say: See there,
now! Blush for your suspicion. But
Margaret continued to look wise.
There's no use in waiting here
longer tonight for David. If he had
come on that train, surely he could
have reached here by this time. I'm
going to the kitchen &c pop some corn.
But the brother and sister still clung
TO the unaccustomed splendor of the
"best room" and MarQaret was forced