The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1893-09-16
At AFFORDS CABIN

ICY J. Z. HARBOUR.

Affords Cabin wss the name Of I
etage-cosch eating station, halfway
between two thriving Rocky Mountain
mining towns. It was kept by Mrs.
Nancy Afford, small, CHEEKY and ex.
ceedingiy active woman who claimed TO,
herself the distinction of having crossed
the plains with an OK team in '59, and
the further honor of having been the
first white woman to enter FarplaJ
Gulch, in which her cabin stood.
Her husbands grave, over which the
SHOWS Of three winters had dE:tsd: was
under a clump of stunted and gloomy
pines up the rocky slope of the mount.
ain.
There were two little grassless and
sunken graves beside that of Aunt
Nsrcy's husband. In one of them he,
littls girl of ave years had been laid, and
in the other her boy Of six.
az sint never been back to the States
since came out here, and I never expect
to go now; all that I care for in this
world is up there" Aunt Nancy would
say, with wsve of her hand toward the
pines under which were the three graves.
The cabin was long and narrow one.
story structure Of three rooms. It's ex.
terror vas dreary, and without the sug.
sesSoa of the brightness and comfort
within save from the turkey-red calico
curtains with white lace boarders, and
the towering plants at the four front
windows. ~.
The immediate surroundings of ths
cabin were dreary and cherries; nothing
could be done to make them less SO II
that rocky and barren region with it,
early and late SHOWS. -. = :'9s
But within, things were very differ
ens. "Auns Nance Affords cabin, :"
"Aust Nance's grub" and Aunt Nance
herself, were topics On which the stage.
driYsss discourseG until Aunt Nsnce's
fans had spread far an5 wide.
She was a short, slender and wiry
little woman, about fifty years old. She
always wore g plainly made stsrched
calico grown, with a white apron tied
around her waist, the strings in neat
bow in front.
:, 4 s1ovy-white handkerchief wss al
ways pinned around her throat, and no
ocs eves saw her when her dark-brown
hair, but little touched with gray, was
noe brushed to satiuy snoothness.
oas day in the early spring, Jack
Hughes, one Of the stage-d-ivers, oroug ut
Aunt Nance letter from the nearest
possaBce, eight miles distant. Letters
cams rarely to Aiins Nance, and they
always 6lled her with pleasurable excite
meat.s:- o.
: This was in large brown envelope,
and Aunt Nance drew out photo
graph with the letter.
She glanced at it eagerly, and saw the
face Of soung and delicate girl of per-
haps fifteen years.
''Who il ths land can she be?" said
Aunt Nance. She unfolded the letter,
glanced at the signature and read it
aloud, "'Your afsctionste niece, Marcia
Nerrick.'"
~ declare I'd most forgot had such
q niece" said Aunt Nance. "But, Of
course lhs'e MY sister Lucy's girl.
Lucy's name is Merrick. I amt heerd
from her for two years. It's time some
Of 'em was wr;tin'."
She sat down and read the letter
slowly, het eyes filing with tears as she
read She wipod them on q corner of
her apron when she had flushed the
letter, and said to Kate Dooley, her
s'hels:" ~.
s.Is's from my sisters girl. Ny sister
Is dead, and so is her husband. Their
girl. Marcia, seems to be all alone in tha
world. and not very strong. She wants
to como out and stay with me awhile,
and try this mountain climate for her
hesish.
"WelI, she can come; I'll make her
more than welcome. It's many year
since 7 see any Of my own folks, and
it'll do me good to see somebody right
from New Hampshire, with the Doohttle
blood n her veins. was Dooittle,
Kate" .
She read the letter again. It was we'll
written, and stated briefly in addition to
the news which Aunt Nance had already
communicated to Kate, that the writer
vas nearly sixteen years old, and that
she would have her own living to make,
TO, her parents had left her little more
than enough money to take her to
Colorado.
Il her aunt was willing to receive her,
she would come with some friends who
were going IS far as Denver in few
weeks; and if the climate proved help
full, shs would look around for some way
OF supporting herself as soon as she had
grown little stronger.
sWe'l talk about her supporting her
self when there's occasion for her to do
it." said Aunt Nance, as she folded the
letter and restored it to its envelope.
She took up the photograph and
looked at it long and lovingly.
s.She's Doolittle, out and out," she
said. "she has the regular Doolittle
nose, and her graudfathers chin right
over ssin. She's downright purity; she
looks Ike her ma, and Lacy was the best
lookin' one of OUT family. But sne
didn't write a # ord about her brother;
wonder how that is2 Lucy hsd two
children"
The rext stage coach going toward
the ssst from Aunt Nalce's cabin car
RED a letter from Au2t Nance to her
njecs.