Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-01-06

"Mr Mdrshall2'' she asked quietly.
should you so accuse me? Your lover
really did,
He amt no lover; he don't care fol
me for myself, only for my strength.
Lots of hard work at the mill, and
gran fathers gettin ole and don't SET
how I'll be provided for when he S took,
and he's forever tellin Ell how strong
am and economical and don't cost next
to nothin, and Oh, wish / was be.
side mother and pop in the churchyard.
do indeed
Marshall, finding complaint with the
miller and the netmaker, saw it all in
new light.
He turned his eyes away from the
sad creature in the kitchen. On the
other side of the stream that washed
the end of the garden he could see the
mill where the miller loaded his cart.
The blind old netmaker crooned song
as he meshed his cords around on the
step.
"Mr. Marshally'
Polly stood in the kitchen close tc
the window, her eyes red and swollen,
her face extraordinary plain with the
marks of grief upon it, yet plaintive
and touching. "Mr. Marshall, want
to tell you somethin. I don't like this
way of livin. I've never been very hap
Ply. Mother died when was slip Of
a girl, father he died before that, and
I've took care Of mothers father ever
since. There amt much grandness
about we uns here, is there? So don t
know where it comes from, but al
ways feel like was meant for better
things. feel like I'd be happy some
where's else, somewheres where it is
grand and fine, and people are polite
and cheerful; where could be a lady
born and hold up my own in a sphere,
as you call it. Don't tell me read it
opten books; don't. When I read in
books bout the kind of person I'd
like to be I shut the book up and don Il
read no more. guess people like I'd
like to be wouldn't have gran fathers
that make matches for them, would
they? It's sinful, it is awful. Why
couldn't it be only love that makes
matches? People like you don't get
forced to marry, now do they?" Mar
shall only looked at her. "There, % she
went on, 81 know I'm takin liberties.
But l don't mean to. amt got any
body to talk to. If talked to the WON
en- folks around here they'd only laugh
at me, and please never mention Ell to
me, please don't. 1 suppose I'll marry
him-of course will-some time. But
please don't be like gran father and the
rest and think me pore, ignorant, silly
thing without will of my own. And
never mention Ell and marriage to
me-
81 will not, he answered.
Polly called her grandfather,
"somephin's scorchin smell EN-.
She flew to the iron she had thrown
aside, from under which assembled
smoke as from sacrifice. Marshall left
the window and walked along the mar
gin of the stream that gave the mill its
motor power. 81 am even experiencing
sensations" unused he. "And, heaven
help the girls innocence, fathers are
fathers all the world over-sometimes
grandfathers. I"
He saw Polly at dinner. She was
cheerful and peaceful as o lady would
have been who had gone through an ex-
perience such as hers and desired to
blind the witness Of her downbreak.
Polly" said her grandfather at the
end of the meal, "El's went away for a
month. You have saw him for the last
time for a matter of Tower weeks
You've druv him off. -
II don't think so,'' she replied quiet
ly. HE told me he was goin north to
buy some machinery for the mill-that
the stream wasn't to be depended on no
longer
"That's his perlite way o. putin it
to you; anyways he'll be back in time
for the weddin-last O. June So git
your gownd ready" She returned NO
word to this, but calmly went on with
her dinner. Marshall felt like throttling
the grandfather. He tried to give Polly
reassuring glance, but she would not
raise her eyes from her plate. Then he
thought it best to protect her from any
more Of the old mans onslaught just
then, so he led the netmaker to his eter-
nal meshing, willy nilly.
"She got to do it, the old man grum-
bled. "She shan't shilly shally no more.
Curious how women is. A month or
two sence and she never complained a
word, but would do jest like 1 wanted
her to do. Then she must git wild to go
way a spell. Lord knows what she
done, for when she comes back the
change comes with her. But it's Ell.
She gev him her promise, and it's Ell
and in June. Ain t he got good house:
Amt he prosperous young Teller? No