The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1897-11-05
CHAPTER XVIII.

| She had gone, she had shaken the dust
of that unfrendly home from off her feet,
and had gone out into the more unfriend-
ly world, penniess, without so much as
the means to buy a loaf of bread, carry
ing her little bag, with change of linen
and half a dozen of her most cherished
books, Homer, Virgil, Shakespeare.
1t was after eleven o'clock and most of
the shops had closed by the time she reach
ed the town, but at the corner of mar
row street she found a shop door open
and the light shining on the pavement in
front of it. She looked in tinlidly and saw
two women, one elderly and stout, the
other thin and waspish-looEng. of that
doubtful period between eight and twenty
and eight and thirty, in which unmarried
womanhood is apt to turn to shrewishness.
The shop was of the humbest order,
Known as general shop, furnishing al
most everything except butchers meat
and of exceeding usefulness in Il poor
neghborhood. Stella looked from the
thin daughter to the stout mother and it
was to the latter she addressed her ques-
tons.
There used to be large lodging house
she faltered. ut was burned down a
good many years ago. Was it ever built
up again"
''Of course it was" answered the
younger woman sharply. IF you'd gone
twenty yards further you'd have seen it
straight before you. 1t was rebuilt, and
it was made twice the size it was at the
beginning
WAS this shop here at the time of the
tirc?'
Yes. tw enty years before the fire. an
swered the mother. My daughter was
born in this very house. I've lived in it
nearly forty years. 1t was Il new house
when my husband came into it, and he
had to make the business bit by Bit
"tAs YOU have lived here so long per-
aaps you remember a man called Bold
Wood said Stella tremuously.
1t was the first time she had ever pro-
nounced that name to stranger 1t
seemed a kind of sacriegc; but she felt
that her only chance of finding friend
in this great dreary town was through
her fathers memory.
Boldwood-Jonathan Boldwood: yes, |
should think l do remember him, drat
him. My husband was almost cracked
about that man, and used to go to hear
him at every meeting, and come home
with pack of nonsense in his head. |
hate your Radicals, always knocking ev-
cry.hing down, and never setting any
thing up"
whats this, old girl. off again?
never did hear such an old 'ooman to talk
politics. and knows no more of EN- than
Il baby" said Il round good-natured voice
from within. and a round-faced good
natured looking man in shirt sleeves and
linen apron rolled in from the little parlor
behind the shop. whats sent mother
into high strikes to-night?" he asked
his daughter.
This young person has been asking
about Jonathan Boldwood."
"Why. what do you know of Jonathan
Boldwood. lass?'
He was my father
"Your father! What, are you the child
Boldwood tried to get out of the burning
house >vhen he lost his own life, poor
chap. in trying to save the little one"
Yes" sobbed Stella.
"And then the young hunchback lord
saved you and took you off to Lashmal
Castle. and 'dopted of you. l know there
was no end of talk about it at the time. y
Yes, but he has been dead for many
years. and l have been very miserable
in dependence upon fine people,
"Ah. there spoke old Boldwood. No de,
pcndence for him. He was Il free and no,
bic spirit. heaven bless him! They say
it's only Papists that pray for the dead
Now, I'm no Papist, and I'm no church,
goer, but l say wherever Boldwood is
heaven bless him! And so you've got sick
of your fine house, lassie. and YOU come
to look up your fathers old friends in
Brlmm?'
Had he friends here-many friends!
Yes, many friends-there wasn't q
working man in Brumm that didn't cal
him friend; but not such friends as could
be of much use to him. Most of 'em was
poorer than himself. He was proud. too
and wouldn't have taken favor from
any of us. We all knew that he had been
born gentleman. Let's have look al
YOU, lass scrutnizing her kecnly under
the glare of the unshaded gas; mo, you re
not like him-theres look, perhaps, only
q look of him somewhere in your face, but
if amt so much as a likeness. Poor Bold
wood-yes. he was a grand talker, he was
IF he'd been alive now we'd have got hin
into Parliament Wouldn't he have as
tonjshed the milk and watery gentlemen