The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-06-18
showed me. Il was the picture Of a

showed me. It was the picture Of a
child, and in the features | recognized
"uncle Jake's little girl" Inthenext
room some one was playing a jangling
accompaniment and the rest were
shouting a boisterous song. Thought
then would be a good time to ask him
what had become of the girl whose
childish features we were looking at,
so inquired, by way of introduction,
II he had eve been married. It was
to this he had replied: "No, mister, I
amt spliced, nor was.
H..
"But yer see," he continued, as
though he knew what / was driving at,
IT'S uncommon lonesome here in
winter, an many a time when I've
heard q some young ONT ashore yon
der rs wasn't cared for at home, I've
got its folks to let me take it out here
with me. The children kind q cheered
me up durin' the long winter evenin's,
an when summer came I'd ask to
have 'em stay q bit longer. The little
ones would beg real hard too, for |
made q good deal of 'em and thew
thought kind o. we'll O. me for it.
Some O. them stayed q few years, but
as they got big an could be handy at
home their folks fetched en- away
from me; an SO at last they all went;
all but little Maggie, her as they used
to call Uncle Jake's little girl 1t was
abad home I'd took her from, an
afore She been with me longher father
wandered off an her mother died in
the poorhouse. There wasn't none to
take her from me then, so she stayed
here; an right glad l was
to keep her. She was a smart,
likely little thing, an 1 thought as
I'd care for her an lay by a bit
o. money former. Whenshe first came
here she was ne more than 5, an when
you saw her two summers ago she was
goin' on 19. Yer know Maggie was as
good-lookin' a girl as yer could find
hereabouts, an many a teller as has
come here with his boat in summer has
been kind O. took WI her. Twas kind
o. proud to have 'em SO too, for I'd a
precious good opinion o. Maggie, an |
liked to see 'em back me up. 1t wern't
every n she'd take to neither; for
she'd make her choice like any lady,
would Maggie. 1 let her go sailin'
whenever she warted. / knew she
must be kind O. lonesome here in win.
ter, an in summer l was for her to
have all the cheer she could. Notthat
she ever complained. She vas a good
girl an a comfort to me summer an
winter, was Maggie.
"It's goin' on three years now, mis-
ter, that, q little after the June Mag.
10 -~A - Io1Q Al,~-n --.E.--~
Teller as come owe here to stay. He
was q good.lookin' chap, strong an
quick, an as handy in q boat rs any
one l ever see. He seemed to kind o.
like it here. On the beginning he hired
one of my boats by the week, an when
he'd had it that way about four weeks
he took it for the season. Well. l was
glad to let him have it, for it was oft.
en- as he'd take Maggie out, an l felt
easy when l knew Maggie was with
him. for, as l told you, he was strong
and handy in a boat, an l felt as nc
harm could come to her when che wa,
with him. One bright mornin' in Sep
TENDER, just afore they sailed away
she came a runnin' in to me an say,
as they was a-goin' for a long sail an
, wouldn't be back till late. Well, il
wasn't unusual for'em to stay out til
after shutdown, especially o moon
I light nights, when they could come il
t on the tide an the night wind
! an this time 1 didn't begin wor
ryin' about EN- until it got to be yer,
late an they hadn'tcom back. Som
9 folks as was at the house walked tn
9 beach between the inlets with me til
!, late in the night, but we saw notnin
= of them. But bless me, l didn't Civ
'em up. 1t hed Deen a fine day, an,
t it was q clear. bright night, an l kim
Y o. trusted the young TELLER, for h
seemed kind o. fond o. Maggie, and
p thought he wouldn't let no harm com
to her. An az sure as yer live e
d day early in the mornin' we spied tn
8 boat sailin' up the inlet. an begal
6 wavin' an shoutin' to 'em for Joy
0 But some n as had a spyglas
9 said they wasn't aboard-and, mis-
. ter-they wasn't. The Teller a
Y was in her came from the Jerse,
coast, an he said as q man an a gil
had landed there the day before, an
!: the mana young, good lookin' chap
d he said-had paid him to bring tn
t boat over. I'd kept up pretty well til
then, but when l know'd she WASH
8 come back an felt all of a sudden a
|, she might never come back, l hid m,
8 face in my hands an cried like a baby
Folks tell me / wasn't good one to b
d gittin' along with for the next fe,
days an l guess they were abou
right. She was all the worl
to me, was Maggie. l too
her to me as a child an brought he
up an set my heart on her, an 70
70 her to leave me in my old days wa
10 mighty hard. When l got quiete
% down they began 20 comfort ME say
in as she might come back. All. mi.
ter, if she only had. I'd have WELDON
g ed her, for she was still my little Ma4
gle, an I'd ha' loved her as much q
It ever. But it gotto be winter an sun
l. mer an spring an summer an alor
d toward fall an l heard nothin' of he,
Il cit wasn't much more than a yea
10 after she'd left when one mornin'
10 TELLER came sailin' over from the shor
ss withswhat he said was a telegram &c
me. 1t came from the city, an it rea
c. that if l was to go to one O. the no,
pitfalls there, I'd find a girl as woul
d like to see me, an it told me to con
It quick, too, for she was very low, pc
haps a-dyin'. Yer may know who tt
% girl was; an it's likely yer know too
he as l wasn't long a eettin' to her. BIZ
l wasn't any too soon. She IA lyil
or on u cot, an when she q me, it we
Ii just all she could do to stretch hi
d arms out to me, so she could put 'el
he around me an press her poor, pa
n face against mine.