The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-07-16
"A STANCH HEART"

"A STANCH HEART"
Was What Margaret Took From
Her Cousin David.
The autumn wind was laden with
promise of bleak and rainy evening.
The tenacious leaves of the oak still
chung to the branches, but down the
paths of the garden the leaves from the
shrubbery danced their fantastic dance
of death. At the door of the house the
wind waited like sheriff to force an
entrance. Within, four cousins sitting
together in the gray dusk were talking
on a subject as full of matter to them
as the evening was of damp. The stove
had not yet been put up for the winter,
the muslin curtains hung limp at the
windows. and the colorless walls looked
like mounting sheets of mist, shutting
them out from all warmth, and comfort
and gayety. A smell of mildew came
up from the hay under the carpet-a
red and green carpet. polluted by the
touch of feet only Sundays and COM
pany days. A black-walnut center-ta-
bic, uncovered, with four painfully
bowed legs, supported the literature of
the household photograph album, a
Bible carefully preserved, collection
of ethical ESSAYS known as the Golden
Treasury of Thought" and supposed to
be adapted to all the needs and tempta-
tons of the human soul, and volume
of miscellaneous poems which bore en-
blazoned in gold upon its faded blue
sides ''Pearls from the Poets" 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 to the back as a sailor
does to rope in high seas. The cane
seated chairs, placed geometrically
against the walls of the room, were
somewhat disarranged now by the shiv-
ering persons. two of whom sat wrapped
in plaid shoulder-shawls, with their ell
bows upon the comfortable. A girl a
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-
croachments of an October in the North
ern Peninsula of Michigan. The last
member of the quartet was thin young
man with a patient, cadaverous face
such as isolated farmers often wear.
1.-The land amt worth So an acre."
he was saying to his companions, "and
don't know as I'll have another such
an offer as we've got now. We might
as well sell and done with it. Inever
was no hand for breaking up wild lands
anyhow"
..Nor L. exclaimed the girl. who was
walking the floor mischievously. But
no one paid any attention to her.
ut might give Hattie and Nora a
start down in town in the millinery or
dressmaking business, or something
light and genteel. Neither of 'em ain t
much on farmin', an don't knows
blame 'em much" The girls referred
to sat silent. with that Responsiveness
of which only an American woman is
capable when she demurs. Il don't
suppose David cares much what is done
with the land, but il 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
come tonight. My share will give me
q boost over the winter, for I'm not in a
state to snceze at ready money. What
Margaret will do with hers can't say"
81 shall endow an asylum tor INDECENT
CATS" said the girl called Margaret
SIT might go quite way if it is expend-
ed for diluted milk, but don't think
there will be enough to do much else
with"
The cousins all looked a little shocked
at her flippancy. She was town bred,
and they had never gotten over the idea
that she might be little dangerous.
For 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 a vast tract
of land which their father had disnified
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,
and 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 thew
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
makes this man SO anxious to buy. I'm
sure the land doesn't present an attrac-
tive appearance at present / can't get
over the idea that there is more to it
chan appears on the surface"
''Wen, l hain't no judge of tibet, Mar
garet. I'm fair-dealin' man and 1
don't look for nothin' but fair dealin'
in Others" The two sisters looked 1t
Margaret IS 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 to pop some corn.
Bnt the brother and sister still chung
10 the unaccustomed splendor of the
chest room" and Margaret was forced