The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-07-24
,JOANNA'S ROMANCE

draper's shop Of stagnant little
country town-a place storied enough
for a hundred towns, small and great.
The place was quite dead and given
over to its illustrious ghosts and to
the flashing. tearing voices of the At
lantic that even In the mild autumn
shouted and s1note necessarily, max
ing tumult IN the air. The shop was
hung with shawls and cheap, shoddy
prints and linseys, SO thatin the dark
one could scarcely see Joanna's bright
head at first, as one came blinking
out of the daylight The shop was
sunk step or two below the street.
She was a big, generously built,
handsome girl Her hair, twisted in
splendid coils, was of that pale color
which is as much silver as gold. Her
face, with its regular, large features,
was suffused with a healthy color.
She looked at us from large gray
eyes, clear as agate and as hard.
Our business was to make some
small purchase of q basket. if we
could find one to carry home spec
linen of the towns manufacture of
rough, red pottery. Joanna assisted
us in this to the best of her power,
and then some remark about the
slowness of business brought down
upon us a perfect avalanche of ex-
PLANTATION.
Joanna had little to do at that mo-
ment. Indeed, for the hour or more
we conversed with her, her custom
.ers were a small child for a halfpen-
ny spool, and girl who came back
repenting purchase and wanting
the money restored. With these Jo-
anna dealt summarily and came back
TO the chat she was apparently eager
for. She set us couple of chairs be-
tween the lines of shawls and leaned
forward herself with her arms akin
DO ON the narrow counter,
Hers was discourse on the Irish
land laws, the relation between land
lord and tenant, the deterioration in
the condition of the Irish poor, with
Emergencies to the general subject
of labor, the cause of strikes and a
great many other things. We were
well content to listen. The girl was
extraordinarily well informed and
intelligent. The soft brogue was
musical.
Also we were in the very midst of
a disturbed and distressed district
and were both keenly interested. We
were not English tourists, but pair
of Irish women, with certain knowl-
edge of the matter, though without
Joanna's illumination from within.
We were both filed with admira-
ton for the creature before us, for
in the excitement of her voluble talk
Joanna had grown brilliantly hand
some. What a girl to be doing out
farthing purchases in this melan-
choly, haunted little place, which
was only tolerable because of the
contrast to ones own vivid life far
away in the world AS we talked
the wind dashed the sea blown alders,
and dreary patter of dead leaves
came down the street, where, at long
intervals, a human football sounded.
"Yop will not always stay here, {"
Rosa said, With sudden, quick sym
patty. "You are saving your wa
ges, no doubt, and will get away
some day to bigger place, because
you are such a clever girl"
"Savin!" echoed Joanna scornful.
ly. mo indeed, then. If you knew
what my wages were, tbs little you'd
talk of savin. An what for would
j saver am as happy here as if l
went foreign to Dublin or Cork.
What for would l go savin an roam
inc"
Rosa answered deprecatingly.
But fine, handsome girl like you
won't spend all your life behind this
poor little counter2 You will want a
business of your own, and tits per-
haps possible you might think of
marriage" "
''MarriageI'' said the girl almost
fierceiy There's not q man to be
had here les~ nor $500, an them ould
shows of widowers, for there's moth
in else here Why, if / ever could
have under the sun $500, is it on the
like of them I'd spend itf"
Her wailing Cork brogue rang out
vehemently in her indignation. 1t
was our, first experience Of the results
of the Munster matchmaking sys-
tenn. sRosa looked rather shocked.
] felt vastly amused.
But, my dear" said Rosa, "you
are young and clever and handsome.
There are many men in. the world
who would love you just for your
own sake. Do you only think of
marriage IL the way you have'said.
and not at all as a Union in which