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


inflated that man was himself. No 9TH
er proof than her own voice could hayo
made him think that this woman could
have beloved for q moment such base
falsehood against his manhood. Tho fcel-
ing of deep injury and indignation was
uppermost In his mind Without q word
he rose and turned to go. AT the door no
paused IN instant to look ut nor, but only
for an instant There was quick, firm
stop on tho gravel walk tho cato shut
noisily, and he was gone. From that night
Miss Nan never saw Silas Grantlcy again
Never sow him agains Never sow him
agains How many times sho saw him in
that doorway whom tho feline family wero
purring contentedly and tho little carthen-
ware teapot was singing cheorfully ON tho
hearth, only Miss Nan knew How many
times that last reproachful glance looked
In upon her on tho lonely nights OF tho
long years that followed, when the whole
bitter truth was before her, only Miss Nan
knew. How utterly drcary tho tidy little
parlor was at times during tho long, long
hours, whom tho thought OF that last
night camo back to her, how often tho
soft gray eyes wept bitterly when sho
thought Of the wrong that she had dono
him, and that she never could undo now,
Miss Nan, and only Miss Nan, know.
And TINT was tho story of her romance
A late train west bound carried Silas
Grantlcy away TINT night-carried him
away so completely that Tiilin neither saw
nor heard of him again and soon forgot
him. She lived hor life as best she could,
and before her little world tho thorns in
her path were troddcn unlinohingly
Wherever womnn's hand was needed,
there was Miss Nan; wherever charitable
duties were the hardest, In tho hardest
wintors, among tho hardest class of peo-
pie. there was Miss Nan, and though her
purse was not a largo one 1t was open
constantly. I think it wns this constant
doing Of good, this constant healing Of
minds and hearts and bodies, that kept
the hard lines of her face even when the
early gray strands glistened in her brown
hair. If There was one weakness for which
she had no compassion, 1t was the weak
moss of drunkenness If there werc any
mcndicants who left her door empty hand
cd, they were those who went there with
tho fumes Of alcohol on their breath Tru-
ly the drunkard in her eyes was detestable.
And so tho summers passed and tho
winters passed until tho time when my
story opens, and Miss Nan had become an
old maid beyond question or dispute
New lives came into the littlo town, and
old lives went out. Girls in pinaforcs and
small boys in short trousers grow to be
men and women, married and set up for
themselves and had children of their own
but to Miss Nan ono year was but u rope
tition of another and it sometimes seem
cd to her that she was continually going
around in circle that had long since be-
como monotonous. If Miss Nan ever
thought that she might have smado her
life happier, she guarded the thought well,
and If the smiling matrons ever OCCASION
ed the slightest envy in her breast they
could rs easily have learned it from the
exterior of the neat cottage rs from its
prim mistress.
One wintry March morning sho started
out with basket on her arm to visit Il
sick family, whom sho noticed small
crowd Of men and boys short distance
from her gate. The gibcs that reached her
ears and the incohercnt profanity that fol-
lowed them told her that drunken man
was the center of the group She knew
She would bo obliged to pass them, but
with the determination not to bc deferred
from her purpose by such an unworthy
cause she held her head a tri1c higher,
1nvoluntarily drew hor skirts closer about
her and walked on. AS she nearcd the
group she saw that the man was reeling
He was wretched looking creature with
long tangled hair, q dirty beard, q batter
ed remnant of IL hat and ragged clothes
that hung loosely on tho thin shivcring
figure She took one glance Mt him, and
tho basket dropped from her arm. She
walked straight up to him, laid her hand
on his fraycd sleeve and led him to her own
gate and up the gravel walk and into tho
neat little cottage and into tho tidicst par
Tor i'll all Tiflin How she took on over
him, and cried over him, and bathcd his
face with cold cologne water, and had old
Mrs. Young, her ancient maid of all work
cook him the daintiest breakfast imagi-
nablc! Who would have thought it of Miss
Nan? And what would Titlin say? Little
cared Miss Nan what Tiffin would say
For all her tears, there was not Il lighter
heart in the world that day than Miss
Mans. If there had been ono bright spot
in her lonely life, it had been tho hopo of
his return, and rs the empty years came
and went she had sometimes felt that she
was hoping against hopo. And now he
had come back. What did it matter how
no had come? He had come, and that was
enough for Miss Nan.
AT first Sias was dazed and inscnsiblo
to his surroundings, but when tho break
fast was brought in to him he ntc like n
famishcd dog. Mrs. Young wise woman
that she was had brcwCd some black cof-
fee, so strong that it's very aroma might
have had IL SOLDERING influence. and when
Silas had drank two big cups of it, steam
ing hot, he began to look around him
Tho little parlor had not changed so very
much in all those years, and remembering
first how no had tramped into Tiffin tho
night before it began to dawn on him
where he really was. Then his eyes rested
on Miss Nan, and he knew it all. He bur
led his face in his hands and sobbod. Then
woman's arms were about tho ragged
coat, and the tired head was on her breast,
and tho tangled hair was anointed with
her tears.