Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-12-01

kAFa Fslp0. nIIl w th = l
]HNr;itdN1;tn widow was only playing a
,,nrt Rut VIC are only mortal T. ans
lTnm lnew too well what poverty was
not to feel for the others VIM
from its blighting influence nth
81 am very sorry-Mrs. Kerr l ln,n >
Won saidP-but / cannot decide Tow,
he said, almost humbly. VIII oiH"s
my sister tomorrow"
uaogie listened with interest to the
story Of the interview, but, sister ilhe'
sbe Nv no means liked Toms encomi-
INNS concerning the widowed possess0r
80 tho instrument chosen by a weii-
known musician. .:,b
II declare you are quite in love win
her she said, half jealousy
would be a romance if you went 10
hnv a piano and found a wife lnsleaui
aNatural enough, too" Tom rePlieui
ayybv shouldn't | marry shoulo
not he de troD then when Ned Hartley
comes of an evening"
1t was Maggie,s turn to 0 cp".
fused now. Ned Hartley atoresalu' I"
dashing young journalist OF some re-,
pute, certainly spent a deal OF tlme ~
Mappie's company, to Toms secret
qualification. for Ned was a good feilaw
and well able to afford the luxury oil a
wife. IL
we will 90 and see the lady" she e
said. 81 can't trust you alone AGAIN.
Tom assented, although not without
certain misoivings. Being, like most
of the craft, of a sentimental, emotion
al nature he did not care to bring MS
divinity under the cold, practical eye
even of his own sister, and as she sal
awaiting the arrival of the disconSolate
widow. and coolly criticising the unIor'
tpnate piano, Tom began to scent
something like trouble in the future.
INV dear, the thing is a regular
take-in." she said decidedly. ANY one
but YOU would have known that hail
those advertisements were mere
lodges, - -.
Not forgetting that you advised the
dodge to be tried" Tom retorted.
Anv further conversation was ter
minated by the entrance OF Mrs. Kerr
who stoodi the doorway looking from
one to the other. A stray ray Of sun,
shiue touched her lovely hair anc
sweet, pathetic face so softly that even
Magcie. the practical, was fam to al
nit that Toms eXtravagances had no
been so exaggerated after all. .
Il am sorry to have kept you wait
inc y she commenced. "but-"
Eft isn Maggie cried, impulsively
actually it il, dear Marion"
Dear Marion, thus ~accosted, smiled
redIy, and returned Maggie's warn
embrace. ,
at is an old school friend of mine,
the latter said, incOherently. Tom
YOU have heard me speak OF her
What n memory you have, to be snre
And to think of YOU being married
and | never knew it! And a widow
also, Let me see, | have not seen YoI
for four years. since you lett BITS
Grimshaw's. You must come anu Sc
our house. the dearest little place l
Hampstead | call it."
Tom, looking on, thought that a
though Mrs. Kerr seemed pleased t
see her old friend, she was strangel
i'll at case. She parried Maggie'
questions both %hurriedly and confused
"; the strange feeling that she wa
PLAYING a part struck him with a ne'
and uncomfortable force.
"You must come and st,y with us
and if you are leaving here Tom shal
i. find you a customer for the piano,
Maggie decided vigorously. Amy one
so long as he does not buy it himself
> Your late husband must have bee
sadly taken in. dear; that snowy thin;
is not worth picking up in the street.
: Tom quite knew how 1t cam
about, but a fortnight after Mrs. ker
found herself established at Th
LaureIs for a few days before, as sh
said, she could finally dispose of he
furniture ami piano before goin
a abroad.
She seemed very pleased to come
: and yot at the Same time strange!
. 10th; at one time she was in the hes
: and brightest of spirits, at another tn
= beautiful face looked sad and sorrow
/ ful. and occasionally fearful also.
One evening she knocked timidly
n the door of Toms sanctum, and havin
. taken the seat he offered, looked in
A his face and said in a fearful voice:
r Il have a confession, n shameful col
fession to make. and it had bett0r
made now. When my parents bot
q died last year | found myself penn
less, friendless and without a situation
q | was getting desperate when | W;
q introduced to a tradesman whose bus
q ness it was, | found, TO buy chea
= pianos and sell them to unsuSpectiT
. customers eager for a bargain. | W;
Il a good lure and ! played an importal
It part for two years
Il have taken cheap lodgings
suburban London, a piano has bee
n brought in, our advertisement inserte
in the London daily papers. and -w
: you can guess the rest. | tried
a deceive YOU. What could | do, as yo
+ were a stranger to me rhen?-but
IL have suffered. | would not have con
v here unless | had been forced to, al
o you can not tell how | longed for
little rest and quietness. My emplo.
If er was angry; but | was equally deto
mined, and besides, | half promised
n 90 back again; but | can not 20 nov
If you can only say that you forgi'
Re me, remembering how hard | W
punished!'
a Tom murmured a few incoherer
ID words and the next thing that ha
r pened was that his arms were arOuI
d her, and she was crying gently on
breast. She made an ineifectu
m struggle to free herself, but the ella:
ID strong and kind.
That is your place" he said, firml
"rest there, my darling"
And with these words ringing in h,
ID ears she struggled nc longer.
re- Il have not finished vet" she sal
# lifting the sweet rosy face to his. Il
van EnnVy that a., NOT axpp ontitl.
" to that name--I am not q widow
alp"
Il $50 much the better" Tom sal
r ch~eerfully. "Do you know, | h;
IS suspected there was something wroI
r. all the time; but although, my da
ling, | did not buy hat very elegar
: looking piano, | am inclined to thil
+ that after all | got quite a bargain
of "And, like most bargains, dear
4 any price" Marion laughed happil
~ "You would be dear to me at al
~ price. great or small" Tom reptile
10 eDon't forget. sweetheart, that | a
going to marry an heiress, and, VIII
is more, a wife who really is liked
~ her prospective s~ister-in-law. | am
% fortunate man."
Of "And I"-Marion's blue eyes we
turned upon him full of trust and tie
4 derness-"and ! am more than a fort
nate oman What will Maggie say
~ And at that moment Maggie W
N asking Ned Hartley a similar que
in ten.
His Route for Sale. =
T. q
: IL