Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-12-02

your fathers call, saw Judith. called
again and again. and has already sen
her books and flowers. He always
walks home with her IL he meets hel
out. and actually went so far as to tel
me she would adorn any station. Fan
cy Judith adjoining any station, Elsie
with her straight figure and sallow
face. Why, l declare. she looks five
and-thirty sometimes, while she is as
methodical aud prudish as any old
maid of fifty, OF course. il would he
a yesy good chance for her: but after
all these years. considering how useful
she is at home, she ought TO have dis
carded all ideas of marriage"
That was II way of looking ut the
matter. Judith was simply a machine
for the convenient ordering of the
household. she was o to love and le
loved. or to form ties of her own
wherein her care would be shared by
some n who would sympathlse with
and cherish her as a human being
with a soul and n heart.
well" calculated Elsie. with y
laugh, you amaze me, mother! Judith
with n lover. Why. she has always
1 Sttlltts dS IL size dlul! L fiEe NilttIltI IL
man looked at her or not. Grace was
saying. only the other day, that when
Lucy and / were married we three
should have to take it in turns to have
Judy on n visit; and Judith was play
ing her game without our knowledge
all the WHILE"
you seem to look upon it rs a jest.
Elsie" Mrs. Hatfield exclaimed, fret
fully.
"You are wrong. I assure YOU" re-
sponded Elsie. laughing; for | have
no taste for the drudgery of house
keeping. But is seems SO comical-Ju-
idth with a lover-possibly q husband
and me taking her place, 1t isn't to
be thought of for a moment! Have
you told Judy SOP
NO; don't like to do so, though she
knows quite well that we suspect Mr..
Townshend's Intentions
"What is he like, mother? Old, of
course?"
NO; that is the amazing part of it.
He is only ~thirty-eight. He is rather
a fine man. too ~dark-almost as dark
as Judy herself-and Of rather n
gloomy temperament, | should mag
inc. for he talks very little and grave
~"
what made him come to Claxton Z
the first instanceI'
simply because the hunting and
fishing are good, and he is fond of
sport-he has quite n fine stable ut the
Priory. your father says. Mrs. Gard
iner has told me all she knows OF his
history. she seems TO like him very
much, for she speaks most higEfy Of
liS r,a,rnral nl.a ,o nIfI,nrrl, 4 rn,.
cy he In as reserved with her rs with
any one else-but Judith. 1t appears
that his father was senior partner in n
great firm of ironfounders, who left n
great deal of money and an estate in
the North when he died. and Claude,
being the only son inherited aearly ev-
erything. Mr.. Townshend'S mother
died last year. and his only sister is
married and at present with her hus-
band in India. | asked Mrs. Gardiner
how it is that Mr.. Townshend is TN
married. and she tells me that it is I'll
owing to his ungovernable jealousy.
for when he was about sevcn-and-
twenty he was engaged to II very
beautiful girl, whom his unwar-antablc
suspicious rendered so unhappy that
she broke off the engagement and sooH
tltGi ALL NbllC otIt tlSt. NtIN
wise of her. too, for a jealous man is
an abomination. Mrs. Gardiner says
he has never cared for any one else.
n IN was surprised to find that he
paid Judith so much attention. / think
she vas rather pleased. for. as you
know. she is fond of Judith. OF course,
he may be attracted by your sisters
staidness. and certainly will never
h1x-a N ron ~ 70 Ja inala,,n 80 ba. H
Mt her age"
Judith. at that moment. entered the
room with Mrs. Hatfield's luncheon.
AS the former stood by her mothers
side, Elsie regarded her sister curious
ly. Tall. straight and thin. Judith had
yet a grace that was peculiarly her
own. Her black hair was knotted with
artistic carelessness at the back of her
small, well-shaped head; although her
worn. small-featured face had lost it's
youthful bloom, the dark skin was soft
and clear, her lips were w~ell-curved,
while the long ana heavy lashes that
shaded her dark-hUed eyes were as
dark as her hair.
Some people think she is cookbook
ing, | know" Eslie thought. II don't
see 1t myself-because she is so differ
cnt from the rest of us, / suppose: but
there is no doubt that she is stately
and every inch a lady. Very likely.
too. better dress would improve her.
Whatever attractiveness Judith pos
sessed ut that moment was not attrib-
utable to dress, for her shabby black
gown was relieved only by a narrow
white collar and cuffs. for she had to
cut down her W expenditure to sup
ply the deficiencies that were always
making themselves manifest I'm the ac-
counts. 1t was considered only natur-
al that. at Judith's age. she should do
without the fresh ribbons. lace. few
ers and dainty gloves and gowns that
We're considered Indispensable TO the
get-Ep of her more youthful sisters.
With some curiosity Elsie waited to
see ~"Judith's lover" who made his ap-
pearance n afternoon on his way
home from a meet of hounds. He had
tied his horse to the gate and was
walking, in a perfectly-familiar fash
ion, TO ask Miss Hatfield for a cup OF
tea. 1t was dusk: but Elsie. who was
sitting within range of the iire-glow
which fell upon Mr.. Townshend's fine
figure III the becoming hunting dress,
thought he was more youthful than
she had imagined he could be; also,
better looking, and could not under
stand whv no Sbould ba In Inva with