The Bessemer indicator., 1893-06-03
A GENUINE SURPRISE.

tae DUO glow OF the sunnlcSt June
day; but on this chill October night,
with the first snow fakes of tho
season cddying in the slow, undecided
way that first snowilakcs have,
through tho gray air. and the tall
hemlocks swaying this way and that
in the raw wind, 1t looked especially
dreary.
Emily Elkton shuddered as she
stood looking out of one of tho panes
Of glass clumsily inserted in tho long
frame work by way of window.
"No, Miriam" she said, "you can't
CO."
But I've got to go." said Miriam
Nudge. sympathetically compressing
her lips as she tightenel tho straps
of the parcel she was fastening one
notch at time.
"And leave me here alone?'
"Nobody won't hurt you. | reckon"
said Miriam, strongfeatured woman
Of 40. with bristling upper lip like
mans.
III you CO." said Emily, "I'll go
toon
Not much,n composedly spoke
Miriam; thar amt room in Pete
Muller's blackboard for SO much as q
sheet OF paper arter me an him's in.
Besides, whatll your Uncle Absalom
say when he comes back and finds no.
body here? Ef the fire goes out,
everything'll freeze stiN, and Yes,
Pete, Pm a-comin'; thar amt no need
to stand there a-bellerin' like Texas
steer! Goodbye, Emily! Oh, for
got,"-coming back and mechanically
lowering her voice. although there
was no ono but the gray cat by the
stove to hear the words 1.-The
ticket money an two rolls O. gold
eagles as the paymaster's call for to-
morrer in the noon train is in the red
chest under your uncle's bed. |
rcckoned it 'ud be safer thar than in
the money drawer. Don't forget to
give it to him fust thing he gets
back. "
Forget" echoed Emily. wringing
her hands in frantic desperation.
Bat | won't be left in charge of it!
I'll assume no such responsibility. l
insist upon your taking it with you."
The remonstrance. however, came
too late. Miriam bawled out some
indistinct reply and the next sound
Miss Elkton heard was the creaking
OF the blackboard wagon as it turned
the sharp curve below the cleaning
line of the railway switches.
She's gone cried Emily, clasp
ing her hands like the tragic muse.
land left me alone with ali that
money. And the NAVY camp only
\ ! ~
Italians and Chinese and the miners
at Lake Lodi and the whole neigh
borhood infested with desperadocs.
And Uncle Absalom not expected
home until 3 o'clock in the morning,
and the bolt broken off the door, and
the keys misiit, and nothing but
hook and staple between me and de-
struction. Oh, why didn't stay in
Rhode Island? What evil spirit pos
sessed me to come out here to Dako-
Ia where one might as well be buried
alive and done with it?"
Emily Elkton sat down and cried
heartily, rocking herself forward and
back and sobbiug out aloud, like
child whose slice of bread and treacle
had been taken away from it. And
not until the candle fared up. with
an eXtra-sized winding sheet
wrapped around its wick and tho cat
rubbed itself persistently against her
knee, did she arouse to the quadruple
fact that puss wanted her supper, the
fire was low, the candle needed snuff
ing and there was no sort of use in
tears.
Emily had come out West, partly
because 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 housekeeper at Swampy Cor
could be spared.
The latter sentence was intended
on his part for sarcasm, but the
Elkton family had received it all in
good faith and hold many delibera-
tion before they consented to let one
Of the nine young birds ilutter out of
tho home nest.
And more especially she had come
because she had incidentally learned
that Andrew Markham was ono of
the engineers in charge OF the nav
line OF railway on tho other slope of
the mountain, which undertaking in
volved the navy camp and the great
derricks and steam-drills and the
gangs OF slit-eycd Chinese and dark
browed Italians.
Mot that that Signifies" Emily
had plausibly told herself. but of
course, it's pleasant to be somewhere
within a hundred miles of an old
acquaintance.
Andrew Markham had been to see
her twice and both times she had
made up her mind that the far West
was the only place to live in.
"Ho expects to settle here" she
thought, with soft, pink color suf-
fusing her face. .'He says he has
already bought a sunny slope of
land. where he means to build a
house and bring wife when he can
afford it He thinks that life here
means twice what it docs in the effete
civilization OF the East"
But tonight. with the darkness
wrapping the little depot like
blanket. and tho wind bowling down
the mountain gorge, Miss Elkton
would not at all have objected to
some of that same s.effete civiliza-
ton"
Alone in tho house! During TIE
wnolo OF her sojourn ut Swampy Cor
ners such thing Ind never hap
pened to her before.
Uncle Absalom had occasionally
been absent, it was true. but Miriam
Nudge was always there to bear her
company until his return. Now that
q sudden summons from her father.
hurt in an accident in the sawmill on
Ragged river. six miles below, had
called Miriam away, poor Emily was