The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1893-04-13

Ef{Sl'. .5ae,.,. The soa'S "a, on n
slow, undecided way that first snow.
flakes have, through the gray air, and
the tall hcmlocks swGying this way aud
that in the raw wind, il looked especially
Crcary.
Emily Eiiton shuddercd rs she stood
looking out OF one ot the paues Of glass
clumsily inserted in the long frame
work by way Of window.
"No, Mir.am,' Sic said, "you caa't
&C."
"But I've 20. 20 got" said Miriam
Nudge, sympathetlcal!y COMPRISING her
lips as she tightencd the strap, OF the
parcel she was fastening Que notch at Il
tine.
"And leave me here alone!"
Nobody won't hurt you, rcc.ioa, ="
said Miriam, q strong-ieltured woman
OF forty, with u brisillng upper lip ike
q mans.
"lfyou GO, said Emily, "I'll 20 tool"
"Not mIch,' composedly spoke
Miriam, "thar amt room in Pete Null
ler's blackboard for 50 much rs "a shee,
o paper artCr Inc aud him 5 in. Besides,
whatIl your Uncle Abso!om say when he
comes back aud finds nobody here. Et
the fire goes out, cverythins'll ireez,
stiff, and Yes, Pete, I'm a.comin' (;
thar ail't no need 20 stand there abel.
lerln' like Texas steer! Goodbye,
Emilyl Oh, forgot looming back,
and mechanically lowering her voice.
| although there was no ono but the gray
cat by the stove 10 overhear the words.
"The ticket money and two rolls o. gold
ces. ri Tor
4 nOrrer ss-zzsfe hooa tram IA l. uut e,I
cnest under your unce's bel. |
reckoncd it I'D be safer thar than in the
moncy-drawer. Don't forget 10 give it
10 him fust thing he gets back"
/ "Forset!' echoed Emily, wr.nging
| lcr hands IN frantic desperation. "But
l won't be left in charge OF il! I'll as.
sumo no such responsibility. iasis,
upon your taking it with you.'
The remOns,raucc, however, came too
late. Miriam bawlel out some indis.
,iuct reply aud the next sound Miss Elk.
ton heard was the creaking OF the buck.
board wagon as it turned The sharp curve
below the cleaning liEc Of the railway
switches.
"she'' gone, ~ cried Emily, c'aspng
her hands like the tragic muse, land lc;t
ne alone with all tbs, money! Aud the
navy camp only three miles up the noun.
,aius, iulI o! Italians and Chinese aud the
miners ~ Lake Lodi aad the wAO.e
nclChborhool infested with desper.Jocs
And Uncle Absalom not expected home
. uaIl two O'Clock in the morning, and
I the bolt bEoSen of the door, and the
/ keys a misit, and nothing bat a hook
( aud staple between me aud destruction
. Oh, why didn't / stag in Rhode Island .
/ WAa. evil spirit possessed me 70 come
| cut here 20 Dakota, where one might a,
well be buried alive AMI done with it!'
Emily E.kton sat down and cnei
/ heartily, rocking herself forward ard
back and sobbiug out aloud, like a child
whose slice OF bread and treaclc had been
taken away from II. And not until the
candle fiared up, with an extra sized
"winding sheet wrapped around its
wick aud the cat rubbed itself persist.
! emily against her knee, did she arouse 70
the quadruplc fact that puss wanted her
supper, the fire was low, the candle
needed snutiing 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 niccss
would come very handy for q house
keeper at Swampy Corners, 10 toe State
OF Dakota, if she could be spared.
The latter senteuce was intended on
his part Tor a sarcasm, but the Elkton
family had received it ali ia good faith
and held many delibcration before they
consented to let one Of the nine young
birds ilutter 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 tue new line OF rail.
way ON the other slope Of the mountain,
which undertaking involved the NAVY
camp and the great dcrricks and steam
drills and the gangs Of slit eyed Chinese
and dark browed Italians.
"Not that that signifies" Emily had
plausibly told herself. "But, Of course,
ITS pleasant 10 te somewhere within ~
hundred miles OF an Old acquaintance. 4"
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.
"Hc expects 20 settle here" she
thought, with soft, pink color sufIusing 9
her face. she says he has already