Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-06-06

d,....- -" "appa. L am sure you
reserve 1t after your devotion to me-. As
lor me 1t don't matter much. I shall
. es1ay long anyway. Tn past nv three
score and ten, you know"
Fshaw, mother" returned Henry.
LOT are good for ten years vet. and
When Nell comes to take the care from
your shoulders, YOU will grow Young
again" DIV Jung
The wedding was fixed for earlv all
tnmn. One day toward the close Of
summe Henry was coming from a dis
tan nelghbor's, where he had been at
work. As his road lay past the Miners
he thought he would stop and SEE Nell
a few minutes. The day was very
warm n as he passed through the
yard he paused at the we'll to get a
drink OF water. The pump stood close
by the kitchen door, and as it stood
VIDE open, he heard his name pro.
nounced in Nell's %well-known voice.
then Mrs. Miners saying:
so You are determined to marry him.
are YOU, Nell?"
Yes, Clara" was Nell's reply. 81
am determined to marry Henry Parker.
He is old as the hills, I know. Bit
what q [ do. Here [ am t~wenty-nine
years old and unmarried. Of course I
can live here with you as 1 have done
for the last ten years, but I want a
home OF my own, and although he is
not what L dreamed at eighteen my fu-
ture husband should be, I have passed
the sentimental age and mercy knows il
is not likely I'll get another chance in
this poky place."
OF course" she added after a mo.
ments hesitation, II should not think
OF such a thing if it wasn't for the pen
sion." A
well, it may be all right replied
her sister hesitatingly. But L am
afraid you are making a great mistake
in marrying a man whom you do not
love, for the sake of a few hundred
dollars which he may not get after all"
May not get! Why, 1 don't see
any chance of his not getting it. She
certainly will give it to Henry when she
dies. He has cared for her and pro-
vided former since he was old enough.
l don't see as she can we'll do other
wise than leave her money to him. I'll
risk it anyway"
Thunderstorm he stood rooted to
the spot. This explained it all. Nell's
evident satisfaction at their approaching
marriage. Yet her reluctance at any
loverlike demonstration on his part, and
her studied avoidance of being left
alone with him.
1t was all as plain as day now. She
was marrying him for the sake of the
little sum at the bank in his mothers
name called the pension. For him she
had nothing but tolerance, no love; not
even respect. He would ave her from
that o%pprobious epithet "old maid" and
give her a home "of her own" that was
all.
But he could not stand there long.
The voices ceased, and anxious to es-
cape without being seen he made his
way out through the back yard and
went home.
The next morning Nell found q note
tucked under the dining-room door az
she opened it to let in the fresh air.
A note from Henry. What could i,
mean? She broke the seal and read a.
follows:
MISS RoBERrs-I overheard your con
Will SOul SloLC1 yCSGCIuuy dlltI-
noon i'll regard to your marriage with me.
You can not be surprised that l wish to
inform you that our engagement is ut ar
| end.
l consider it a very fortunate accident by
which the discovery was made, before i
was too late. that it was not myself. but my
mothers pension you wished to secure.
HENRY PARKER.
Surprise and vexation were mingled
in her countenaEce, as she confronted
her sister with the note.
"How could We have been so careless,
and still, who would have thought the
old clown would have been around, "
was her remark, as she tossed the letter
in the fire. We'll, another chance
gone; and I shall be thirty in Deem
| ber."
"And was that the end of Henry
Parker's dream?"
Bless me, no A distant relative of
his mother, who knew nothing about
the pension came on a visit to Mrs. Par
ker, and realizing that so kind and du-
tiful q son must make a good husband,
before her visit came to an end had
made Henry happy by promising to be
his wife. And when the spring-time
came again with its birds and blossoms,
the little bride came to he a daughter
in very truth to the old lady, and a low
ing and true wife to Henry, who
counts as the most fortunate day Of his
life, the one when he stopped at the
Miners for a drink of water.
Roping with the Lariat.