Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-09-13

visibly enchanted.
Cob, that is lovely. Miss Marshall,
cried Mrs. May with enthusiasm. "Yor
must come down among us often. 1t is
so seldom one has an opportunity tc
hear any real good music. OF course
several of lis play, but we are only
amateurs"
"Ah! and there are grades even III
amateur music" replied Miss Marshall,
in that low, calm voice OF hers, and
Mrs. May, whose playing was notably
bad, shranl back and forgot what she
intended to say.
1t was Mrs. Bernard who made the
next attack. Personally Mrs. Bernard
was obnoxious to Miss Marshall, as any
woman with affected manners and an
artificial complexion must necessarily
have been; but that had nothing to do
with the conversation that ensued.
Il am sorry to see that you wear black
Miss Marshall. You have lost some re-
lative. / presume"
Eyes, ma'am.'
A long silence, during which the clock
licked in most obtrusive manner.
"Your mother, suppose?"
IL have lost my mother"
"Ah! recently?"
"About twenty Years ago-in fact,
when [ was not day old"
A deeper crimson dawned in Mrs.
Bernard's already crimson face, and she
retired from the contest. A suppressed
chuckle came from the farther end of
the room, where some of the gentlemen
were deeply absorbed in reading, and
again the clock licked with imperti-
nent emphasis.
II will never speak to her again"
cried Mrs. Bernard, tearfully, to the
ladies engaged in art work.
"We must make Mrs. Lane find out
who she is. We owe it to ourselves"
exclaimed two or three of the more in
dignant ones, justly incensed at Mrs.
Marshall's reticence.
It seemed, however, on investigation,
that this was much easier said than
done.
"Miss Marshall came to me bringing
the best of references" said Mrs. Lane,
"among them some friends of mine. l
have no right to inquire further"
"But what does she do, Mrs. Lane"
arose the feminine chorus. Good
heavens, what does she do?"
"She spends good deal of her time
attending to her own business" re-
torted Mrs. Lane, who had learned the
use of the English language in the
course Of several years conflict with an
ungrateful public, as boarding house
keeper, and again the assailants retired,
and there was silence for space.
From this on the discussion ragged
with undated interest and accumulate
ing venom. The gentlemen were
drawn into it in spite Of their protest
and their earnest wish to befriend the
girl, who was alone and had no friends.
Mrs. Palmer laughed and said with fine
scorn:
go on, by all means. I have moth.
ing to do with it. Miss Marshall is
abundantly able to take care of herself.
But shall enjoy seeing the battle royal
at all events
So Miss Marshall was utterly ignored
at the table, while the conversation
went on overhead, and all kinds of i'm
pertinent things were said at her. When
she met any Of the ladies in the hall
they were wholly unconscious Of hel
presence. When she entered the par.
lor the conversation came to sudden
stop, and the assembled crowd dropped
off one by one until she was left alone
Then she calmly took possession Of the
piano and sang and played until some
OF the people up stairs grew very rest
less and would willingly haye been
down in the parlor again.
One evening Mrs. May joined he,
friends, flushed and breathless from
rapid walking, and assembled the stairs
in violent hurry.
Give found out something, at any
rate" she cried triumphantly, sand
think it ought to convince us about
that Miss Marshall, whether it does O,
not"
what? Wnat?" arose the excited
chorus.
| "Of course you all know that she
stays shut up in her room all day, ant
then dresses up and goes out about 4
o'clock. Well, I had my suspicious
SO had l." said the chorus.
So for the last few evenings I quietly
followed her, and when she got dowr
by the corner of the Presbyterian
Church--now the first time I saw it
thought it was accidental, but acct
dents don't happen four times in sue
cession."
"That they DON'T" cried the chorus
with an mir Of door, onnvio+iop