Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-04-10
HER SPHERE.
Miss Susan's Fortune and the
Trouble It Caused Her.

ga fortunea Miss Susan2 Nonsense,
Herbert, why do you say such childish
things!"
ga child is supposed to speak q simple,
unvarnished tale, isn't itl Wall, my ad-
miring mother, that is just whatI am doing
Miss Susan, l tell you, has had fortune
left her."
"By whom3"
"Ah, now your curiosity comes to the res
cue of your unbelief; you grant me, then,
that Miss Susan has had fortune left heri"
II would grant you box on the ear, if
my hands were not so busy Just now, for
teasing me about matter that you must
know l am sincerely interested inn
Mr.. Herbert Johns handsome mother
threw enough reproach into her tone to
bring the young man to more sober speech.
He landed his chair safely on it's four legs,
after pirouetting 1t around on one, and left
OF bantering his mother. ''Yes, madame,
in good earnest, her California uncle has
left her $40, ,OO0."
''Is it possiblel / wonder what the good
soul will do with it? / really am afraid,
Herbert, that the change at her time Of life
will make her unhappy"
"Then hope, mother, that you will sug-
gest to her to give it to me. 1t would not
make me unhappy, assure you"
Susan Park had learned the dress-making
trade while she was girl in her teens. She
was an old maid of forty now, doing an ex-
cellent business, getting dollar and a-half
day, and laying by a little something every
! year. She was entirely content with her
lot. The California lawyers letter had up
set her whole plan of life. Instead of be-
coming the beneficiary of the Old Ladies'
| Home for the consideration of three hum
dred dollar entrance fee, which had hereto
| fore been her earthly ambition, Miss Susan
now felt both the pleasure and the respon-
sihility of possible benefactress. And
what, indeed, as Mrs. Johns had said, should
she do with it!
I'm thinking of setting up an orphan
asylum, ma'am,'' MISS Susan said In an
swer to the kind lady, the next time she
went to her for days sewing.
IAN orphan asyluml'' exclaimed Mrs.
Johns, in natural surprise. The old maid s
cheek was still fresh enough to color deep
| ly.
"Yes'm, 1 love childer, an 1 think I'd
hardly want to GO to Heaven, if l could
have dozen of them, with blue eyes, and
curls, and white dresses in my house all
the time.n
This was the old maids first dream of
what to do with her money. Mrs. Johns
udQ uOb tuC uSdTI bO UFedh III upOn IL WIN
cruel facts, of dirty, wlllful, unruly, dis
eased, ungrateful little creatures, such as
she well knew fell to the lot of most orphan
asylums. She only said: Don't be hasty,
Susan, take some time to look around you
before you make up your mind.''
"Well, Miss Johns" said the heiress,
plaintively, some weeks later, ''rm glad
enough / took your advice about looking
around bit before set out for an orphan
asylum. / went to the Home of the Help
less, told 'em what I was thinl1in' about,
and asked them to let me stay few days
and look round. But lands sake! could
hardly stick it out for two days. / didn't
have an idee that childer was so noisy and
30 pesterin'. If / was younger may be 1
could get used to 'em. but it wouldn't suit
! me now, no way"
There was something in Miss Susau's de-
| cided tone which suggested to her patrons
| sharp ears that some other object had risen
above the old maids horizon, and she
| promptly turned her glass upon it.
"WeD, yes m" reluctantly admitted Miss
Susan. ~ did get hold of plan that it
seems likely would just suit; the doctor at
the house says they're awful short of
nurses; he says, says he, you'd make a
| good lady superior, Sister Susan 1t does
sound little popish, but we would't wear
| crosses nor black walls, nor nothin' like
that" She looked anxiously at Mrs. Johns /;
her approval had been Miss Susan's law for
80 many years that she could not be COM
| Portable without it. But that lady shook
! her head sagaciously. Don't you get your
self pledged to nurses life till you've tried
it," she said, warnlngly; remember the
orphans" Miss Susan was evidently dis
appointed at her friends lack of enthusiasm,
/ but a. S-"aed to take nurses position at once
and put herself to the proof.
Mother" SAID Mr. Herbert Johns. COM
! ing into her dresslng- room one day, ssdid
! you set Miss Susan Park up for nurse?,,
mo, my DEAR" an swerea the lady, trying
vaguely to recall what she had done in the
matter; "but whyl She hasn't poisoned any
body, hope.n
Mr.. Herbert picked out his favorite chair
and then sat down to enjoy good laugh. 81
ran across the good soul to-day at Mr. Lam
casters, who, by the way, is very sick, and
| of all the sights she was the most absurd
| gotten up i'm some fanciful costume Of cap
/ and cape, and so on
stHow did she seem to be getting on? ?''
| asked his mother.
''Well, was there about eleven O'Clock, .
he answered, taking out his watch and re-
! garding it attentively; ''it is now two, and
/ I'll eat my hat if one or the other of that
duet isn't stark crazy by this time, but I'd
make safer bet on Miss Susan herself.u
| "Oh, Herbert, what sort of speech is that
Do tell me what you mean?n
/ 81 mean,n said he, with an effort to look
reasonable, that Miss Susan has about as
! good an idea of nursing as blacksmith.
and felt obliged to go and tell DR. Carr SO. .
1t was some time before Miss Susan could
be coaxed back to Mrs. Johns house. but
the tide OF confession set in at last: seYes,
! like to went crazy at the job; the doctor
told me so many things to do and not to do,
/ that was all II 2 muGdle, and then, bless
/ your life, the sick man wouldn't let me do
/ any thing. He just swore at me and told
me to let him alone, and &c about my busi-
/ ness. Now, you know never could stand
! with my hands folded doing nothing, so /
| tried to tip around and tidy up things bit
/ on the sly, but In ME, I'd as soon go into a
I wild beasts den as try to nurse sick man
I again.
Little by little came further confessions: I:
Miss Susan had thought of making home
for old people of going on aforeign mission,
Of being tract distributor. in fact she had
aspired TO ali the forms OF usefulness omen
I to her ken. 6 But faint no use,', she said,
breaking down into good old-fashioned
cry. Seems as Il couldn't do any OF the
thinRs that the Lord wants done. / don't