The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-02-09
R. g. d A V / D
STR o D DE r
clumped in to
Barry's & e n
eral store. and.

entines.
The merchant spread out on the
counter number of those inartistic
atrocities commonly called comic val
entines. But Mr.. Shredder showed
them back coutemptuously.
mot them things!'' he said. 'Sump-
In" he lowered his voice and glanced
sheepishly at the fiutterer near the
fancy goods, ''sumpin' suitable for .
girl"
Because Mr.. Shredder was bachelor
and forty-three years old, Barry felt
warranted in rallying him a little on
this evidence of sentimentalitv.
"Who arc you trying to shine up to,
Dave-one of old man Harper's girls?
Well"
''Its for Prirnl' interrupted Dave,
gruf8y.
''Prim?" said Barry. sobcrly. I'm
sorry, Dave, but l haven't any but
these left"
There was nowhere else to seek
them, Barry's being the only store at
the crossroads.
Dave turned away regretfully.
''Shell he mighty disappointed Lit
tie Prim-"
''Who is little Prim?''
The girl looking over the fancy
goods had come up. There seemed no
keeping Nell Estabroolke out of any,
thing, as Barry had found when she
had invaded his store before she had
been at the crossroads IN hour What
little her sharp ears had overheard of
h0 ion 1>ok -
had interested her, aud she had in
vaded their privacy as irresistibly as
she did everything else.
Before he hardly knew il she had
drown Dave Shredder into conversation.
Little Primrose" he said. ''She's
mv--wal, my sort nv adopted daughter
mine an Simps Hicks"
There was no satisfying wipsome Nell
without explaining farther, and pres
emily Dave had told her great deal of
little Primrose's story.
0ne afternoon, about three years be-
fors, Messrs- David Shredder and Simp-
son Hicks, the proprietors of adjoining
claims away out on the prairie. almost
a eo:en miles from anywhere, it
seemed. were surprised out OF the
serenity that had hung over their bach
elor establishment "a comfortable,
weather. beaten house built across the
dividing line, half on one claim and
half CA the other-evcr since its foun-
dation.
The;;' were grinding corn knife in
the sa:ade Of the horse when the pipe
OF childish voice caused the complain.
ing s*.nak of the old grindstone TO stop
suddFTty. A little figure. almost a
baby. with thin, anxious face and
great ronbled eyes, stood before them.
'P*'s1e, misters," she piped. my
mamt,s Is Jest awful sick, and I'm lost
and dfv't know what e. do The wag-
on is
MIR. ficks released TIE handle of the
RrindstHne and Mr. Shredder stuck the
knife ia the ground-a very injudicious
way to sreat ireshly-sharpened corn
knife. ond both interrupted her with a
great:
"Whn:9"
They followed her to the old wagon
that sood just outside of the pole
fence. Aglance into itsnfBced to show
them that 1t was very sick woman
who lay moaning and b:bbling feebly
on the rude bed of quilts in the vehicle.
With rough kindness, they did all
they could for her, but thor care came
too late, and before sunset the poor
woman had breathed her last without
telling anything Of the sad story that
for her had ended ut the weather.
beaten house of the partners. No need
to tell how they buried her decently,
laying the poor, worn body to rest on
the sunny slope little way from the
house. comforted the orphan as best
they could. and then sat down gravely
to think what they should do with her.
There seemed but one thing to do:
and. In fact, they never thought of any
thing else. and little Primrose was
duly installed as q member Of the prai-
RE household.
They did all in their power to learn
something of her antecedents-to &C.
quaint any relatives she might have
OF her whereabouts-butw without sue
cess.
The child could aid them but little.
She remembered a long, weary jour.
ney; a long time of pr:vation; recalled
q dim memory of father, and that
was about I'LL.
The partners advertised as best they
could in dis>,nt newspapers that
seemed best suited to the purpose, but
without result And then, as time
passed and51itt]e Primrose seemed. of
necessity. to become their property.
they felt almost glad that their efforts
had come to naught.
1t was wonderful how quickly the
little thing grew into their lives and
twined herself about their rugged
hearts and frightened up the weather
beaten old house.
Rose, she said her naIoc was; but she
was such q womanly little thing that
they had called her Primrose, At first
by way of . Joke and then from force
Of habit; snd the name suited her we'll.
Dave, with an old fellows horror of
appearing sentimental, did not tell all
OF how she had frightened up their
plain, dull lives and crept into their
hearts; but he told part of it, and Nell,
with oil OF q young girls intuition,
guessed much Of the rest.
Little Prim at FIRST had been tho
cause OF many grave debates b,tween
the partners -. They scarcely knew
what to do with her; but by dint of
experimenting and doing what their
kindly hearts prompted, they managed
TO care for her excellently, though in .
qussr. nsanntsh fashion.
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