The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-11
MISS RoXASNA MAKES UP HER MIND.

''Lazd utirei NicE Thorner'
ing in his veins, Nicholas left his fathers
house, reckless of the driving rain; and
when the rain ceased. at dawn, he had
come to that sorry little implanted house,
in the corner of the field, on the edge of
Eden, his horse fecked with foam, him.
self drenched with the storm.
A bird was singing in the blooming
elder bush that grew near one of the
windows; it was Dosia's window, that
looked toward Leon county. There
were no blinds, and presently the white
curtains were drawn aside and Dosia ap-
peared; the small, square, high set win
dow framed her like an old fashioned
portrait, Well might the carpenter boast
of his daughters beautyI 1t was of a
type that needed no adjoining; and Do
STA, as she stood in the window, was none
the less an exquisite picture that her
black dress was SO severely simple. Her
luxuriant dark hair clustered in little
rings over her low, fair forehead and
around her shoulders, a graceful riot of
curls. There was a smile, wistful and
tender, on her perfect mouth, and far
away look in her splendid eyes. that ig
nored the near surroundings and pierced
the distance with the souls vision.
Out of sight, behind the screen of
dripping elder bushes, Nicholas beheld
this benediction in his young wifes eyes,
and tears blinded him. "Ah. dear and
beautiful and goodr' he sighed. Little
do they dream what an angel they scorn
in you! If they only knew you! But
they will not! And so farewell to them;
henceforth l have only Dosia, dearest
and best! And to what fate have I
compelled you, unworthy that l am!
Like the unjust steward, 4 cannot dig;
to beg l am ashamed But happiness
yet is mine, and can neither repine nor
repent"
Dosia shut the window, and Nicholas,
dashing away his tears, rode around the
corner of the field to the front of the
house.
Now, how shall I ask for her, at this
hour of the morning." he pondered, not
without certain sense of amusement.
Her excellent cousin, Roxanna the
Rigid, knows nothing of our marriage.
The old Methodist minister who per-
formed the ceremony is somewhere in
Georgia; her mother is dead; her father
is away-and he'll be invited, within an
other hour, to knock off work at my
aunt's, I'll bet my life!''
70 hn
her mothers cousin. Roxanna White,
was one of those women providenially
left, for the convenience of others, with
out settled habitation. Fortunately she
had no objection to living around" she
liked change. She had nursed Dosia's
mother in her last illness, and she re-
manned with Dosia now, in her loneli-
ness, not unwillingly, for she was far
seeing, and the day might come when
Job Furnival would be seeking consola-
ton; she ate no idle bread, and Job
might vet learn her value
Roxanna, according to her wont, was
up betimes this morning, and having
brow beaten the hired negress who did the
cooking, she bounced out of the front
door, broom in hand. to sweep the front
porch, just as Nicholas Thorne came up
the steps
A tall, strong, gaunt woman was Rox- /
anna, in whom hard work and meager
fare had left scarce a trace of the buxom
beauty that had distinguished her youth. .
In her dress, narrow and short, there
was no effort at adornment "ihem as
likes may put in their eight or nine
Miss Roxanna was accus-
,Omed to say "but four is plenty fur |
any mortal woman, an mo convenient |
% pocket an backbone" No ruffles, no
.ucks, no manner of superfuities for her. 7
Her only varity was her hair, which still |
,etained its color and its gloss. She had /
led a towel over her head to protect it /
rom the dust: but truly the dust might !
hardly reach her head, SO high it was
above her broom.
Now, Miss Roxanna White had never
approved of the admiration Nicholas !
WINGED for Dosia.s She was decidedly /
If the opinion thatit would never do to
lave this young sprig OF quality hanging
around a girl whose mother was dead, /
md whose father was away. She would .
lave liked TO sweep Col. Thorne's son off
he porch, with the two or three leaves
he espied upon the floor; but as she
.ould not do this, she lowered in the
doorway, and held her broom crosswise,
IS she exclaimed, forbiddingly: Land
live! Nick Thornel What brung you
lere this time o day, befo' even the COWS
S mlked?' And to herself she thought,
I've wit that aunt O his'n a warDin':
Why amt she fifteen TO keep him homer
Nicholas laughed; the fun Of the stu
.tion was irresistible; it made him, for
he moment. oblivious OF its tragic as
,ect I've come for my wife he said,
nd turned suddenly sober and scarlet
With the humiiiating reflection that he
vas seeking shelter. not offering it.
Land o Goshen" exclaimed Miss
White, irately. why amt We mo- re-
pect fur 20 8 periors in age and wisdom,
.oy? I'm s'prised Il ye; an l dunno
yhy should be. neither. l don want
10 nonsense here. Git OUT
Il tell you Dos:a Is nv wife, said
Nicholas gravely We were married
" old Nr. Drummead, n her mothers
resence. two days before Mrs. Furnival
led.
Miss " aites saiioys face underwent a
sriety Of conto-1isns: she nearly swsi-
owed the Gstle biz Of sJEe2 STICK with
-hich she mad been taxing heF morning
dip. and which she hsoItually carried
4 her mouth. the broom clattered from
ar grasp. as her hands hung down,
el1lessiT. She understood Low Why