Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-01-06
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"No butts, the blind man cried,
brooklng no interruption. "I'm tellin
family secrets, I know, but dunno as
1 keer to be advised in 'em.''
~ was merely about to ask you who
buys your nets?" languidly said Mar
SHALL
The old man viciously tugged at his
cords and refused to answer any irrele-
want questions
Marshall sauntered down to the pad
dock where Polly came to milk the COW.
He pitied her, but he dared not say
word Still he could keep near her now
and then, and if she were not as sodden
as her surroundings she would under
stand his sympathy.
Pretty soon he saw her coming with
her stool and pail. She nodded, but took
no further notice Of him, caught the
COW, did the milking, went to the house
again, and never a word to her sym
pathiZer.
| Several evenings he was down there
when she came. She would say word
now and then, smiling wanly. Having
such good chance to see her face in a
bright light he found that she looked
paler than she had been when he had
first taken up his abode in the house.
Then he found that the pail of milk was
heavy for her-she the strong one. Once
he offered to carry the pail for her. She
repulsed him coldly and walked away
with it.
He believed that she had wakeful
nights and days OF bitter Thought, ana
all because she did not love the man she
had promised to marry. Had any one
the right to interfere, to feel so interest
ed as to be more than indignant? AT
any rate Polly faded more rapidly than
the month of May
June came and the miller. He was
filled with determination. The first
visit he made he spoke of the wedding.
II come earlier'n I'd 'spected, . he
said, but l wanted to git to Memphis
after the north, n heered the fever'd
commenced early n I'd better stir my
stumps before it got Roadway
"The fever'll be putty bad this sum
mer," announced the netlnaker. at
nigh skipped last year.. .
"Bad or not bad, 'twon't tech Polly
and me at the mill, laughed the mill.
er. "And now how bout the weddin,
Polly?'
Gel, she said finally, "you must
give me till August. 1 give you my
word that l won't say mo in August.
There, now, 1 never gave my word to ii
before; twas always gran father. But
now you must give me till August
Marshall looked at her, disappointed
n her. Yet something about her inter
ested him. She appeared quite brlgh
and happy, although there was wild
light in her eyes.
He was conscious Of talk going on be-
tween the two men, Of argument in
which she did not take part, and he
knew that she had prevailed, that the
marriage would take place in August
instead of in June. She gave the miller
her hand on it, and Marshall walked
away.
He walked down to the paddock. He
was disguised with her. He wondered
why. Was it because she had excited
conjecture in him and allowed it to
lead to nothing?
He found himself comparing her with
Jane and wondering if Jane had ever
oh, no; Jane had acquiesced to every.
thing her father had proposed, as had he1
fiance also.
And here came Polly, marching along,
straight as an arrow, as proudly as a
princess. He did not speak, nor did She
She caught the COW and led her to the
usual spot in the paddock. When the
pail was bubbling and frothing nearly
to the brim, she put it on her arm and
took her way to the house.
All at once she wheeled around and
faced Marshall.
"You think I'm no sort of a woman,
don't your" she asked.
II think you are one sort of won.
an, )" he answered.
She seemed to weigh his words and
then to comprehend them, for, shrug-
ging her thin shoulders and laughing,
she walked aside from him.
Next day she went about her work
almost CHEEKY.
"Women is queer" remarked her
grandfather. "They're happy and I'M
happy, and it's all acne.
But Marshall had no eyes or ears for
grandfather or lover. He could not keep
faroff Jane out Of his mind, though be-
fore this it had not been an insuperably
difficult matter. How easily had Jane
acquiesced with her father wishes and
the wishes of MARSHALL father.
Polly frightened day by day. Day by
day Marshall came across her wherever
he CHANGED to be- He began to think it
strange that he should meet her so Of
ten, especially as he desired to be alone
and think out the maze of doubts she
had awakened in him regarding James
state of mind and affections
All Of July Polly was the cheerfulest
of women, Marshall slowly growing to
be the gloomiest of men. On the first
day of August, hot, sultry, enervating
day, Marshall came upon her in the
paddock. She was intently porting over
newspaper. She started when she saw
him and slipped the paper under some
leaves. She MIXED the COW and went
away Marshall found the paper She
had folded the sheet to small size at
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