The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-03-13
RIO IsfORD UNTIn.
As;c1 CT rofcre AID hf,er a Kansas Wedding.
NY ocTHvH TnHNHr. ~.
aCopyrisht 1891, by the Authors Alliance. Al,
1 Rights Reserved.
CHAPTER I.

T There was always the prairie. To
every point of the compass the prairie.
No trees, unless you count the scanty
two-year-old growth of poplars in front
of the Rogers house, or the three wee
peach trees by the well, not one of them
more than shrub! For the rest.
everywhere and always, the prairie;
beautiful in carly summer, when it is
tender green sea, ripping and simmer
ing in the sun; terrible in the autumns,
sometimes, because it may become only
n believing. cruel ocean of fire ,desolate
md dust-swept in the dry winters, mo-
notonous and unutterably lonely all the
year. No hill, no water, nothing to
Break the horizontal lines that grew to
ycX the eye with their sameness, except
the jagged ripple made by the roofs of
the distant village and, nearer, the low
buildings of Hon. Seth Rogers farm.
The farmhouscs and barns, the
Fences and plowed fields had an agree
able trimness of outline. There were
no breaks in the fences or sagging
rails, the buildings were of wood and
the house had been painted. True, the
color was n blush drab with no relief
of trimmings, blinds and all being
Nioo, OuO LILO lACh Vi NdIiCly ACCQ uOt
be imputed to the taste of the owner,
but was far more likely to represent
simply the meagerness of the stock of
paints in the village store. There were
n few sharp-baclSed cattle nibbling at
the first spring grass in the back yard,
and some pigs sleeping in the sun.
Three geraniums in round tin cans
made splash of color in one window.
There was box OF plants in the other
window, downstairs, on that side Of the
house.
Crawling across the prairie, headed
towards the farm, came n dusty farm
wagon drawn by two dusty horses and
holding two dusty women. Any OBJ
server could have told that the younger
OF these was gentlewoman; as plainly,
she was New England woman. She
was thin and very straight and woro
eyeglasses. Her gray travelling gown,
in spite OF the dust, gave her the air of
a person accustomed to be both
Immediately and appropriately CARRIED.
Her gloves were fresh. One small foot
from which the old shawl used as n
buster had slipped, showed gaitcr OK
Inctly matching her gown, and fiat,
low heel.
There was about her certain prim-
mess and decision that distracted ones
attention at first from her striking dis
function and n charm of looks that was
almost beauty. She sat, unconscious
|ly, as far rs the seat would permit her
from good Mrs. Armil, who drove.
But, all the same, she had sub
istantial regard for the countrywoman,
whom she had, for two years, supplied
with good moral and entertaining
literature, as the secretary of "Post
Office Mission" In fact, she was en-
during dust and n hot Kansas sun in
this particular part of the state, rather
than some other, because of her inter
lest in Mrs. Armil Having been within
ian hours ride by rail of the little town
that was Mrs. Armils post office, she
had come, the evening before, to the
village inn and having visited Mrs.
Armil for an hour or two discovering in
thet time NIL that the most curious post
office mission could care to learn of her
history and condition) she was now
conscicntiously looking up the dcstitu-
ton of Kansas for the congregations
benevolence.
Mrs. Arinil thought her n mighty
cur MS lady; but MIS-. Armll was from
the south and took things easily with
out diving uncomfortably for tho
reason of moral puzzles.
AS she sat on the seat by Rev. Eli
nor Drainerd, she felt peacefully at case
in her best frocl1 that "the dust
wouldn't stick to, noways!" Her broad
buck was inclined at an oblique angle
from tho minister's erect spine. She
rested her elbows on her knees, while
the reins flabbed gently with every jog
( "a -