Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-03-12

twin sister, Chicken, we're sN t I"' h ahn her
an me neighborhood dances. Tbo ~.
lived in a tumhle-down house nro,an ney
ing with boys. and girls, and dogs: With
an Invalid mother, and a father who
was always in debt. WIZ
" the meancs' thing!' she cried.
"My, luck's turned,7 he answered
gloomlly; II knew something was 90.
ing to happen wrong, when S1]fsr
jumped across the road at the cato
there, and didn't want to c,rrv MO
through. The worst of it is. thcrc,s
nothing to be DONE" Kittens face was
raised, and she did not appear to heed
his words, 'o'
"Ihere's your cousin, Miranda" she
remarked; 'there. don't you see hcrp
over the top Of the hedge. How She
does creep about"
lewis followed the direction of her
gaze, and saw the head of Miranda above
the green and budding boughs. Her
hair, of an infantile blondeness, was cut
short over the top cf her head and fore
head, where it lay in silkcn rings; and
this, with the bronzc-colorcd eyes, set
rather far apart beneath the wide sweep
OF the brown eyebrows, gave an almost
chlld-like character to the upper part of
her face. But the length from car to
chin was too great, and, turned at GER
tain angles, or in certain lights, her
features took a worn and wasted look.
Her skin had q pallor, not transparent,
but opaque. which never kindled into a
blush. Perhaps she did not observe
these two. or perhaps she did. The
blank. unseeing look passed from her
face, and she turned quickly away.
"Shc doesn't see u.s." said Tevis.
ooh, doesn't she:?" was Kittens
satiric reioindcr.
"No; she's always up in the Clouds"
"She's managed mighty well for a
person who's always up in the Clouds"
"Well, this is all beside the question:"
he said, somewhat impatiently. "Run
along home, Kitten. Things arc differ
cnt from what they were three months
ago, and your folks wouldn't be so do
lighted now, as then, to see you in my
company"
When Miranda returned to the house
after her lonely w%anderings she found
Tevis sitting on the gallery steps, with
his head between his hands. Now, as
always, when she glanced at him, a GER
tain austere look passed across her fea-
lures.
"Still hanging about the old place,
you sec," he said, trying to speak care
lessly. Then, breaking afresh into an
ger: ''It's cursed hard"
II wish you to believe that 1 would
be glad if you had it all, Tcvis," said
Miranda; "if only 1 had enough to live
ON
"Well. I do believe 1t. Bat therc'sno
use talking"
She stood before him, tall and sim in
her black draperies. Her lips parted as
if for speech; but were compressed
again. A sort of metallic luster came
into her bronze-colored eyes.
"Therc is one way" she said, at
length.
'Hev?" said Tevis, raising his head.
"There is one way. You might marry
me-"
"Marry you! Why, Miranda, you
know you hate me like poison"
81 hope l hate no one,' she replied,
coldly.
"Ihavc laid the proposition. before
you. You must do as you think best. +"
At this moment Caleb, n of Mr..
Carmichael's old servants, hobbled
around the corner Of the house, looking
at something he held in his hand.
''Dis de secon' curious aig l foun' dis
week." he muttered. "Sumpin's gwinc
happen, shore" He was attracted by
the sound of voices, and paused a%rtlessly
to listen, with mouth a-gape.
"It's very good of you, Miranda, to
want to do the square thing" saidTevis,
after q pausc-''and-yes-I suppose we
might as well marry each other, since
there's no other way"
Caleb fastened around to the kitchen.
''Lillie Blanche!" he exclaimed, "ain't
l ben tellin' you sumpin's gwine hap
pen?'
':You is" assentcd Lille Blanche,
with an Indifferent twirl of the skillet;
for Caleb suffered those disadvantages
usually felt by a prophet in his own
country.
"Well, what you reckon?'
Dunno"
"Why. Miss Mirandy's gwine marry
Mas Tevis."
'.Law!m
can he says he hates her worse'n
pisen: but dat's de onlies' way to git
back de prop'rty."
..What a talk" commented Lille
Blanche. "Hc's a mighty fine lookin'
man; bat he amt tittin' for Miss Mi
randy to wipe her feet on"
When Miranda told her brother of
her intended marriage, he snarled at
her: you're too old for such non
sense"
That day DR.. Stacy came to see her.
He was as little like the typical country
doctor as can be imagined-a tall, slen-
der man, with the face and head of q
dreamer. In fact, he had enough of
poetical temperament to make him I'M
decided, impractical and a self-torturer.
He had loved Miranda in silence for
two years, we since he had come
into Mississippi from a neigh
boring State. There had always seemed
to be some good reason why he should
not speak after he had made up his mind
to do so, and thus time had passed.
Onon drrinp her uncle's illness. he had