Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-04-21

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snowhakes of the season eddying In the
slow, undecided way that first snow
fakes have, through the gray air, and
the tall hemlocks swaying this way aud
that in the raw wind, it looked especially
dreary.
Emily Elkton shuddered as she stood
looking out of one Of the panes of glass
clumsily inserted in the long frame
work by way of window.
"No, Miriam," she said, "yOu can't
&C."
"But I've got to go~ said Miriam
Nudge, sympathetically COMPRISING her
lips as she tightened the straps OF the
parcel she was fastening one notch at
time.
"And leave me here alone"
Nobody won't hurt you, reckon"
said Miriam, 3trong-featured woman
of forty, with brislliug upper lip like
a mans.
''Ifyou go, " said Emily, "I'll so tool"
'Not much" composedly spoke
Miriam, "thar amt room in Pete Null
lers blackboard for 50 much as sheet
O. paper arter me aud him S in. Besides,
what'n your Uncle Absolom say when he
comes back and finds nobody here. Ell
the fire goes out, everything'll freeze
stiff, and Yes, Pete, I'm a-comin' {;
thar amt no need to stand there abel
lerin' like q Texas steerl Goodbye,
Emily Oh, fOrgotl'-coming back,
and mechanically lowering her voice,
although there was no one but the gray
cat by the stove 10 overbear the words.
"The ticket money and two rolls O. gold
eagles as the paymsster's call for TO-
morrer in the noon train is in the red
chest under your uncles bed.
reckoned it I'D be safer thar than in the
mOney-drawer. Don't forget 10 give it
to him fust thing he gets back"
Forget" echoed Emily, wringing
her hands in frantic desperation. "But
won't be left in charge of it! I'll as
sumo no such responsibility. l insist
upon your taking it with youl"
The remonstrance, however, came too
late. Miriam bawled out some indis.
tinct reply and the next sound Miss Elk
ton heard was the creaking Of the buck
board wagon as it turned the sharp curve
below the cleaning line of the railway
switches.
"She's gone, cried Emily, clasping
her hands like the tragic muse, "and left
me alone with all that money And the
navy camp only three miles up the noun
tains, full of Italians and Chinese and the
mlners Mt Lake Lodi aud the whole
nelghbOrhood infested with desperadoes !
And Uncle Absalom not expected home
until two o'clock in the morning, and
the bolt broken of the dvor, and the
keys misft, and nothing but a hook
and staple between me and destruction !
Oh, why didn't stay in Rhode Islands Z
What evil spirit possessed me to come
out here to Dakota, where one might as
well be buried alive aud done with itl"
Emily Elkton sat down and cried
heartily, rocking herself forward and
back and sobbing out aloud, like child
whose slice Of bread and treacle had been
taken away from IL. And not until the
candle hared up, with an extra sized
"winding sheet wrapped around its
wick and the cat rubbed itself persist
emily against her knee, did she arouse to
the quadruple fact that puss wanted her
supper, the FIRE was low, the candle
needed snufiug aud there was no sort Of
use in tears.
Emily had come out West, partly be-
cause there seemed nothing to do at
home and partly because Uncle Absalom
had written that one OF his nine nieces
would come very handy for house.
keeper at Swampy Corners, III the State
OF Dakota, if she could be spared.
The latter senteuce was intended on
his part for sarcasm, but the EIkton
family had received it all in good faith
and held many deliberatiou before they
consented to let one Of the nine young
birds hutter out OF the home nest.
Aud more especially she had come be-
cause she had incidentally learned that
Andrew Markham was one Of the en-
gineers in charge of the new line of rail-
way on tho other slope Of the mountain,
which undertaking involved the navy