Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1896-04-10
MISS DIhKtR'S THEFT.

rfcd lHdt MISS Dinhcf W@9 hicFtD
maniac. bus it was fact, and people
made the best Of H. Old Miss Dinker
was tolerably we'll Of. or her habit Of
appropdaiing other peoples properly
would have GOT her into trouble Brt
Cumninsecd was used 70 Miss Dinker
When she visited thu village tore and
pui piece 81 tape ap her sleeve The
watchial shopman added its price 10 her
bi When She took neighbor'. forks
The ncighbor sent polite message 70
Mis-. Jane pinker 10 have them restored,
ard Miss jaHe, who was old Miss Din
kers ncice, would find them up chimney
Or down cellar and restore them
Old Miss Dinker knew that she was
deserving Of blame in thus indulging
her desire for stolen fruit, but as she
often remarked when reasoned with, she
"couldn't help H."
She was generous old lady, too, and |
kindly. and II she taught Jane that man
was a deceiver and that spinsterhood
was blessed, she meant we'll.
Capt. Richard Murphy told another
story when his ship lay In port and he
himself rested at a little hotel In Cum
minseed And Jane, won over by his
merry voice and jolly ways, forgot her
sunt's precepts and one day ran away {
with him, leaving a penitent little note a
for her aunt and begging her forgive S
ness
The old lady was naturally indignant, 5
but when, three days later the captain h
brought Jane back under his arm, estab.
lishrd her in beautiful liltle house +"
which he had purchased, and sent for 81
the old lady to make up, Miss Dinker 5,
relented, took tea with her ncice, and "
deigned 10 approve of her choice, and b,
30 the village scandal was silenced for b,
awhile aud people called on Mrs. Capt. al
Murphy 1t
They lived together for FIVE years In nl
great contentment, and a little boy was hi
was born to them, and all went on pros m
perously but at the end of that time the w
word that always hangs BY a hair over tn
he head OF seafaring mans wife fell to
n last. The captains vessel was Sa
wreck and the captain and persisted
N mid ocean, and Jane, after hoping IT,
against hope. and refusing to believe
Then no one else doubted. and listening in
hight and day for a step that came not tn
md could never come, accepted the
ruth at fast and put on her widows cap an
md took the awful truth In place Of sus- 70,
,ense, and tried to live and bear It for 10
Ter boys sake Then there came from IN
ONE fer.oH place a man who proved IN,
himself the captains brother. and who ho
laimed the property alleging that Jane me-
)inker had never been married 10 him IA,
I all Jane was furious, but she could ~,
My vow that a clergyman OF the Epis- -,
opal church had married her. She ioo
ould not remember the name of the ,
hurch nor of its pastor. nor had she ,hi
ihat the brother called " FER lines" The a.,
marriage certificate, as she declared, the h..
aptain always kept among his private 4.
apers and had taken 10 sea with him. ..,r
She advertised In New York paper =,
,r the clergyman who had performed +.
&c service, but no answer came, and =.
nally the law and popular opinion de I
AIRED that the widow had never been "a,
lie. and she was left poverty stricken 80
nd helpless, and not friend in the q
orld but old Miss Dinker. She came Ora
ut nobly. though Jane had been away 10
it'll he captain to New York and was 90,
Of to be accounted for for three days. :.
I'd though she could not prove her
arrlage. old Miss Dinker insisted upon
that "she couldn't help being decent
ith her bringing up"
Alasi all the rest of Cumminseed held
contrary opinion. They remembered 49,
having thought II wasn't right" They 49,
,uddered at the thought of having as
,ciated with such creature, and won ~
- a,-.a - ,,,,,os. mo, can
,era So They sent her to Coventry =,
al tabooed her. think some Of the
,sr creatures would have tarred and :,
adhered her II they could. Jane Dinker -.
ad the comfortable Yankee pride of re-
reliability In its Yankee sense strong
thin her soul. and this scorn quite -
rushed her. She hid herself from hu. y,
ian eyes As much as possible and went
sankfully home with old Miss Dinker,
hose income had grown smaller In
,ese wears and who really showed great