The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1895-07-24
A WESTERN WOOING.
BY KATE NJ. CLEARY.


the romance. Perhaps in part because
it had ceased to be romantic. When
first Andulasia Stebbins had come out
from Illinois to live with her mother
and stepfather on the Nebraska prairie
it was considered by the neighboring
farmer folk quite proper, proba BILE and
desirable that Ira Harris, whose half
section joined that of her relatives,
should fail in love with her-which he
promptly did
Ira was thirty, stout, stolid, loutish,
methodical. He was successful man.
This is hardly to be explained of per-
son with the characteristics mentioned
unless one includes selfshness. To be
supremely selfish is SO frequently to be
successful At the time OF their meet
ing Andulasia was tooenty-seven. There
are women of twenty-seven and women
of twenty-secen. She was one of the
latter. With her square figure, her
unequivocal complexion, her dull
brown hair, and her calculating eyes
she looked her years. One would never
excuse her mistakes on the ground of
immaturity. One could never condone
them on that of impulse. Indeed, to
attribute to her certain errors would
be subtle fattery. She was not the
kind of a woman who is ordinarily sub
jected to temptation.
Harris, however, accepted her pro-
pinquity and her affection much as he
accepted the drought or the price of
hogs. He was willing she should de-
cline the company of other men on his
account. He reasoned that if her step
father, old man Solveriny, were to
clear off the mortgage on his place and
die, and if the two sickly young Sol
verinys died also, she would be wealthy
in her own right, as wealth is estimated
in the Philistine west. Consequently
it might prove a prudent proceeding to
wait for Andulasia.
So he waited.
A year after their acquaintance be-
gan he gave her an inkling of his senti-
ments. Her concurrence with his
views was almost pathetic. 1t was
alert. reciprocal, conclusive. Matri-
mony at some indefinite date they
might look forward to. Such an in
discretion at the present time would
be tremendous mistake.
"Of course, Ira," she said lands
land. And if my stepfather and your
mother-who is mighty fee BILE, notice
and the twins don't die there won't be
any land for us worth mentioning,
much less a-marryin' on"
Nevertheless she felt as the years,
two, three, four passed, that her ac-
ceptance of his suggestion had been a
trifle overemphatic and unconsidered.
Fate, she could not in justice rail
against One of the twins succumbed
to ivy poisoning. The other. few
months later. was run down by the
train. Andulasia's stepfather went
the way of the apoplectic, and Ira's
mother, with utter disregard for the
sensation she might have caused
slipped from life in the most meek,
genteel and unimpressive manner
imaginable. Then there was only Ira
on one farm, and Andulasia and her
mother on the other. No apparent OBJ
speak, and it was seven years since
Andulasia had come from Illinois. He
frequently visited her, helped her, and
deferred to her. He carried her but
ter and eggs into town and traded"
them; when the circus was in the coun-
ty seat, he drove her there; he took
her into the side show where the fat
woman was on exhibition: he bought
her pink lemonade, and peanuts, and
hot candy made on the grounds. He
escorted her to the merry go-round at
Mahaska and rode side by side with
her on the spotted ponies. He drove
her into town twice week. They at
tended prayer meeting together. They
both professed religion at the revival.
He bought eleven tickets for her crazy
quilt rattle. He was in all things her
constant and dependable cavalier, but