Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-08-30
AT AFFORDS CABIN
BY J. L. HARBOUR,

AtlOTu SGDlu WIS lnc nulnc Cl y
stage-coach eating station, halfway
between two thriving Rocky Mountain
mining towns. 1t was kept by Mrs.
Nancy Afford, small. c'esry and ex.
ceedingly active woman who claimed fol
herself the distinction of having crossed
the plains with an OK team in '59, and
the further honor of having been the
irst white woman TO enter Fairp!ay
Gulch, In which her cabin stood.
Her husbands grave, over which the
SHOWS of three winters had drifted, was
under clump of stunted and gloomy
pines up the rocky slope of the mount.
ain.
There were two little CRASHES and
sunkcn graves beside that of Aunt
Nancy's husband. In one OF them heI
little girl of five years had been laid, and
in the other her boy Of six.
81 amt never been back to the States
since came out here, and never expect
10 60 now; all that / care for in this
world is up there" Aunt Nancy would
say, with wave of her hand toward the
piues under which were the three graves.
The cabin was long and narrow one
story structure Of three rooms. Its ex.
terror was dreary, and without the sug.
se,tion OF the brightness and comfort
within save from the turkey-red calico
curtains with white lace boarders, and
the lowering plants at the four front
windows.
The immediate surroundings of thu
cabin were dreary and cherries; nothing
could be done to make them less SO IL
that rocky and barren region with its
early ard late SHOWS.
But within, things were very differ
ent. "Aunt Nance Affords cabin, "
"Aunt Nance's grub" and Aunt Nance
herself, we're topics on which the stage,
drivers discoursed until Aunt Nance
fame had spread far and wide.
She was short, slender and wiry
little woman, about fifty years old. She
always wore a plainly made starched
calico grown, with a white apron tied
around her waist, the strings in a neat
bow In front.
A snowy-white handkerchief was al
ways pinned around her throat, and no
one ever saw her when her DARK bro wn
hair, but little touched with gray, was
not brushed to satiny smoothness.
Oue day in the early spring, Jack
Hughes, one OF the stage-drivers, broue hi
Aunt Nance a letter from the nearest
Postofficc, eight miles distant. Letter:
came rarely to Aunt Nance, and they
always filed her With pleasurablc excite,
| ment.
This was in q large brown envelope,
and Aunt Nance drew out a photo
graph with the letter.
She glanced at it eagerly, and saw the
face of young and delicate girl of per
hsps fifteen years.
"Who in the land can she be2" said
| Aunt Nance. She unfolded the letter
| glanced ct the signature and read il
aloud, "'Your afectionate niece, Marcii
Merrick.
AZ declare I'd most forgot had such
O niece" said Aunt Nance. "But, o
course, she's my sister Lucy's girl
Lucy's name is Merrick. 1 amt heerC
from her for two years. It's time SOM
of 'em was wrltin'."
She sat down and read the letteI
slowly, her eyes filing with tears as sht
read. She wiped them on a corner ot
her apron when she had finished tn,
letter, and said to Kate Doo!ey, he
"help:'
"It's from my sisters girl. Ny sistel
is dead, and SO is her husband. Thei
girl. Marcia, seems to be all alone in tn
world, and not very strong. She want'
to come out and stay with me awhile
and try this mountain climate for he
heath.
"Weil, sLo can come; I'll make he
more than welcome. It's many yea
nee l see any of my own folks, anC
it'll do me good to see somebody righ
from New Ham pshire, with the Doolittl
blood in her veins. l was a DOoEttlc
Kate"
She read the letter again. It was well
written, and stated briefly in addition I
the uews which Aunt Nance had alread
communicated to Kate, that the write
was nearly sixteen years old, and tha
she would have her own living to make
for her parents had left her little moi
than enough money to take her
Colors 10.
II her aunt was willing to receive he
she would come with some friends WIN
were going as far as Denver in fe
weeks; and if the climate proved helI
full, she would look around for some wa
of supporting herself as soon as she ia
grown little stronger.
"We'n talk about her supporting he
ScIf when there's occasion for her to q
l." said Aunt Nance, as she folded Il
.etler and restored 1t to its envelope.
she took up the pnocograpl an
ooked at it long and lovingly.
s.She's a Doo!ittie, out and out" 81
q;d. "She has the reg'lar DoOlitt
,ose, and her grandfather's chin riSi
,yer agin. She's downright purity; 81
,oks like her ina, and Lucy was the be
no%in' one of our family. But s.
Idn't write a word about her brothe
/ wonder how that isl Lucy had tv
children"
The next stage coach going towa
the cast from Aunt Nance's cabin ca
! ried a letter from Aunt Nance to b
NIECE