Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1894-08-15

$50, ~ ! Ui5H0fi UisS the n'fns sns
&is he sea so
eddying in th'
slow, undecided way that first snow
fakes have, through the gray air, and
the tall hemlocks swaying this way and
that in the raw wind, it looked especially
Greary.
Emily Elktcn shuddered as she stood
looking out OF one OF the panes of glass
clunsily inserted in the long frame
work by way of window.
'.No,- Miriam," sic said, "you can.
&C."
"But I've got to go!' said Miriam
Nudge, sympathetically COMPRISING hel
lips as she tightened the straps of the
parcel she was fastening one notch at {
ime
"And leave ne here alone7"
Nobody won't hurt you, reckon,
said Miriam, n stronr-featured woman
of forty, with b-is,ling upper lip like
q mans.
"If you co." said Emily, "I'l! 90 tooH
"Not Much" composedly spoke
Miriam, ".har amt room in Pete Mul-
ler's blackboard for SO much as shee:
o paper arter me and him's in. Besides,
what'Il your Uncle Absolom say when he
comes back and finds nobody here. E
the fire goes out, everything'll freeze
stiff, and Yes, Pete, I'm a-comia'
thar amt no need to stand there abel.
lerin' like Texas steer! Goodbye,
Emily! Oh, l orgot!'-coming back,
and mechanically lowering her voice,
although there was no one but the gray
cat by tho stove to overhear the words.
"The ticket money and two rolls O. gold
eagles as the paymaster's call for 10.
morrer in the noon train is in the red
chest under your uncle's bed.
reckoned it 'ud be safer thar than in the
money drawer. Don't forget 10 give i.
to him fust thing he gets back"
"Forget!" echoed Emily wringins
ncr hands in frantic desperation. 'sBul
I won't be left in charge of it! I'll rs.
sumo no such responsibility. I insis
upon your taxing it with you.'
TIE remonstrancc, however, came toc
late. Miriam baNled out some indis
tinct reply and the next sound Miss e k
ton heard was the creaking of the buck
board wagon as it turned the sharp curve
below the cleaning line of tho railway
switches.
"She's gone" cried Emily, c'asping
her hands like the tragic muse, "and LEI!
me alone with all that money! And the
navy camp only three miles up the noun
tains, full Of Italians and Chinese and the
miners Mt Lake Lodi and the whole
ne!ghborhood infested with desperadoes
And Uncle Absalom not expected home
until two o'clock in the morning, anl
the bolt broken off the duor, andft tn,
keys 4 misiit, and nothing but a. hooS
| and staple between me and destruction
Oh, why didn't stay in Rhode Island
What evil spirit possessed me to com,
out here to Dakota, where one might a!
| we'll be buried alive and done with it!'
Emily Elkton sat down and crled
heartily, rocking herself forward arc
back and sobbing out aloud, like chiit
whose slice OF bread and treacle had beer
! taken away from it. And not until tn.
candle hared up, with an extra sized
"winding Sheet wrapped around it:
wick and the cat rubbed itself persist
emily against her knee, did she arouse tc
tie quadruple fact that puss wanted hel
supper, the fire was low, the candl
| needed snufing and there was no sort O
use in tears.
Emily had come out West, partly be
cause there seemed nothing to do at
homo andpartly because Uncle Absaio Il
had written that one of his nine niec:;
would come very handy for a house
keeper at Swampy Corners, IN the State
. IF Dakota, if she could be spared.
! The latter sentence was intended or
his part for sarcasm, but the Elktou
family had received it all in good faith
and held many deliberation before they
onsented to let one of the nine young
BIRDS fiutter ou. of the home nest.
Aud more especially she had come be.
cause she had incidentally learued TN:
Andrew Markham was one of the en-
| gineers in charge of the new line of rail.
way on the other slope of the mountain,
which undertaking involved the navy
camp and the great derricks and steam
drills and the gangs Of slit eyed Chinese
| and DARK browed Italians.
.'Not that that Signifies" Emily had
p'ausibly told herself. "But, of course,
| it's plcasan. to lie somewhere within n
hundred miles Of an old acquaintance. -
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.
"He expects to settle here" shs
thought, with G soft, pink color suffusing 9
her face. ';Hc says he has already
uorgnt Il sunny s.oi.e Ut AN. w"ere 4
| u cans to build house and bring vii,
when he can afford it. He thinks thai
| life here means twice what it docs il the
effete civilization OF the East"
But tonight, with the darkness wrap.
ping tho little depot like blanket, aud
the wind bowling down the mountain
gorge, Miss Elkton would not at all hav!
! objected to somc of tina. same "eff.tt
| civilization.
Alone in the house! During the vhol
| of her sojourn q. Swampy Corners sue,
thing had never happened to her be