The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-04-30
JOHN WHITFIELD'S WIFE.


who in~volantarily remind us OF the
noble old New Foundland dog; chival-
rous to women, gentle to children, and
repelling all petty pnnoyances with q
patience that really had something
heroic in it. Old merchants with sha-
ven chins, who carried umbrellas and
rode to their business in the omnibus,
called him stsure.'' Young merchants
who drove to their offices in cabs, and
Thought they were paying commerce q
compliment, called him ''slow." Peo-
pie generally believed him to be a
bachelor, yet he had nothing of that
undeveloped, withered, selfish look
about him which is usually character
istic of the single state.
I had. indeed. al impression TINT
far back in my own childhood / had
heard something about John Whit
fields VIE. I once said as much TO
ais head clerk, Jacob Smith, whose
assistant | q Jacob looked up
Slowly and smiled incredulously.
have been here, VIII Lawson
he saia, Just fve-and-twenty years. |
hey saw nor heard tell of any WON
an since ! came"
How old was Mr.. Whitfield them"
AAbont thirty, | should think. He
had just bought this business-came
up from New Orleans TO buy it,"
aAh! He might have been in love
and ever married before that, Jacob
He might. but don't believe he
was. When AIr. Whitfield falls in love
twill be Will. a woman madet to order.
| never saw one half good enough to
be his wife
Icailed John Whitfield "Uncle John"
III he WAS not really any relation.
Forty years previous my father and
he had been sworn companions, and
Il, Y sninlner bathing trolic John had
once saved my fathers life. When /
LETT school at nineteen years OF age,
with a pretty lair record, he took Inc
sat once into his Warerooms.
did not live with him, nor, indeed,
see very much of him outside oil bust
ness hours; but occasionally he invIb-
ed me to dinner, and when he did so,
he signalizea the visit by some such
remark as the following: Twill, you
have done very cleverly lately. Jacob
Smith says he can spare you for n
couple oil weeks vacation, and here is
y small check to make it pass pleas
;lntly. Your father and / are broth
ers, You know; I have the right to OF.
fer it, Will"
He said something very like this to
me one hot night in July Just before
my summer holiday, and then he
asked me where ] was going. | told
him to q little farmhouse in the
mountains, where | was sure of good
fishing.
"i9aat is right, he answered,
cheerily. 81 like a man who sfond of
throwing a line; ''but, Will, let me ask
you sonaething--are there any girls
sheres:a
I saId ! thought so, but / had never
seen Them.
Then take care OF yourself. You
have had a good education, and u
gentleman's home. Don't marry a
beautiful, ignorant girl; whatever you
do, Will, don't make that mistake
he seemedt to ME quite unnecessarily
exercised about this subject. He
referred to it again and again, and
cautioned me, even alter he had bid
me goodbye and q happy holiday
However. the caution turned out to
be n kind OF prophecy. I fell in love
with Farmer jones' little barefooted
girl, a beautiful child Of fifteen years
Of age. My two weeks holiday fled
like mn enchanted dream, for Nellie
and were together all through the
sweet, hot July days. Twas SO infatu-
ated with her loneliness andsimplicity,
.saifd SO interested in helping her to i'm
prove her neglected education, that
determined to do a very foolish ard
Nulbusiness-like thing. / wrote to Ui,-
Gle John and asked for another Vice..
t'loear Will" he wrote back, ~ am
glad you said you were SO happy. and
did not plead sickness or II sprained
ankle. or some other fraud. / am
afraid you have fallen in love-I told
you not; but if this is the case, [ can't
find itiin my heart to be hard with
YOU. / am al old nan now, but /,
100, have been in Arcadia. One week,
mind, and no more; and be cautious,
my dear Will. Donothingin a hurry
Well, NIL love affairs are pretty much
alike. Nellie and l made VOWS and
promises, and exchangodlo loo OF hair
Il tried to speak to Farmer ZONES seri
ousiy about our attachment, but III
only laughed at us andsaid Nellie wa:
"A child and was out on frolic, anc
that he had no kind of doubt but W,
la..A..l i l4Al4 ~ rs fN,.nnf oy-af,xy wv tI W.
had said in a couple of months. Ans
though | felt hurt at being treated II
such a contemptuous fashion, ! de
termined to show Farmer Jone
chat we were both OF vi very much IL
earnest, and had no intention OF fol
getting.
So i wrote regularly to Nellie, sen
her books and presents, and was bot
panied and pleased at the efforts tn
child made to improve herself. Grao
rually there began to dawn upon m
mind a scheme for her education.
determined to tell Uncle John til
whole truth, and ask him to propos
to her father for me, and also arrang
some plan by which she might come t
the city and enter somegoods school.
/ wrote to Nellie at once, and ST
was enthusiastic IN the subject, but
was harder to find the opportunity
speak to Uncle John. Indeed, it W.
aear christmas iefore it came. / ha
taken dinner with him. Inc we We
sitting silent before the fire. All
once he said:
will, did you fall in love last sur
mer as I respected? Or was it on
trout?"
~ seli in love-
nDaes it last??n