The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-08-31
MISS NAN.

oIchuor, Du1 IoO tnlu WIGn sou, naZcl
eyes and long lashcs, pale complexion,
light brown hair, with hero nnd there
strand of gray, not pretty, but attractive
looking, simple in manner, speech and
drcss-that was Miss Nan.
That sho was IN old maid was beyond
dispute. Her most intimate friend would
not have denied it If he could. Though
for tho matter of that he could not, be-
longing, as he did, to the feline species
and not being blessed with tho powor Of
speech. Sho was turned" 95 if shc was u
day, and the most hopeful Of that social
scourgc known as matchmakers had long
since scratched her name Off thoir list of
possibilities.
Miss Nan lived In her own cottage and
tho lawn in front of it was the neatcst in
Tiffin, as the little parlor inside was tho
tidiost. The throe cats that monopolized
the hearth rug in tho parlor of evenings
We're MS slock AS could be and exceptional
ly well behaved for cats. Tho furniture
was of quaint pattern, but tho easy
chairs wero comfortable In tho extreme
and If the little earthenware teapot was
half ms good brewer Us 1t was q singer
1 don't blame her for indulging in Its con-
tents rather freely.
That Miss Nan had a good heart and u
kind ono 1 can vouoh for and SO could
many barefootcd urchin and many nh
ovcrworkcd factory girl. There was no
Sunday school teacher in Tiflin as beloved
by her scholars, and they all knew the
flavor of hcr famous cookies. was not
surprised to hear ono day that Miss Nan
had had bit of romance in her life so
long ago that the younger generation had
never heard of it and the older generation
had long since forgotten it,
There had hpQn n Cprtuio hnDGcop,n
young man who had courtcd her in the
old days, and not unsucccssfully. He had
been practicng law for thrco or four years
ana his prospects wcrU unusually bright
He was genial In his way, but proud to a
fault. He had never been a lady's man,
and despite tho fact that many jaunty
caps had been set for him he had almost
been set down for young bachelor con-
nrmcd in his waywardncss until he met
Miss Nan Mt church festival. From that
evening tho predictions topplcd over like
cardhouscs, for, though she did not appar-
emily reciprocato at first, he was u dotcr-
mined wooer, with youth, good looks and
winning tongue to back him. So ut last
She mcltcd-of course she did, for what
else was that womans heart of hers Gre
ated?-and tho gossips began to wonder
when tho day would be set and to surmisc
among themselves that it had been set
and was still secret. But whether il
really had or had not been Silas Grantley
knew and Miss Nan knew, but the Cos
sips never did find out
OF tho matrmonially inclined young
ladies who had set their caps for Silus
Grantlcy before tho fatcful church fcsti-
val mono had set them SO artfully, so
hopefully rs Lizzie Minks She was n
pretty bit of n woman Qong since the
wife of n hcnpcckcd husband), with spar
king black eyes, sharp features and u
tight littlo figure that she was wont to
deck out with tho gaycst ribbons imagi-
nablc. Sho had Spanish blood in her veins
and was proud of it, and proud of her
temper too. Though Silas had never paid
her any serious attention, she had ap-
pcarcd attractive to him until he met
Miss Nan. If it had not been for that,
there Is no telling what might not have
happened. Miss Minks was not u young
lady to submit to such total eclipse
calmly, and tho truth was that she never
had any intention OF submitting to it mt
oil. Ono day about tho time that the Cos
sips had settled it satisfactorily among
themselves that the day had finally been
set, she camo to the conclusion that mat
tiers had progressed fur enough and made
an afternoon call on her successful rival.
She left her pretty airs and graccs at
homo with her gay ribbons that morning
and was sad enough figure when her
hostess ushcrcd hor into tho parlor-the
same little parlor, though Miss Mans
mother was living then, and it was bright
err to her than it was in after years. Lizzie
Minks told her story we'll and wcpt bitter
tears over it too. She told how Silas had
wooed hor and won her and had promised
to marry her, and how tho day had been
named, and how he had kept up tho cruel
deception even after he had met Miss Nan
herself, and how heartlessly he had final
ly thrown her over and laughed at her
Then when sho saw that the girl at her
side appeared sorely troubled she became
remorseful and vowed that she ought not
to have told her. Then she grew hystcr-
zeal and rallied against all men and de-
spised herself for an idiot to have ever
trusted ono of them. Her auditor was very
quiet through it all, but Lizzie Minks
know that her shaft had been q straight
ono and went homo cxulting. After sho
had gone, Miss Nan did what many an
other girl in her place would have done
Sho had hard cry. She did not tell her
mother. She could not have told any one.
She hated to think that even Lizzie Minks
knew tho man she loved in such an altered
light. But tho nero fact of thinking of
him softened her, and she hopcd-aye, in
the loyalty Of her heart, she trusted that
Silas had been misunderstood There
should be no misunderstanding between
them. She determined to tell him that
evening, when he called, all that she had
heard. But tangled through her trouble
was sore feeling of disappointment that
Silas could have even carelessly trifcd with
another woman, and feeling too, of I'M
conscious jealousy in tho thought that
he had prolonged the farce after he had
begun tho wooing of herself. 1t was