Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1898-05-27
FACULTY..

~ was not only because he was the
pioneer of the place, having come
there when the woods were one pri-
meval mass Of green, and himself hav.
ing erected the old stone parsonage,
around which the thriving village had
grown with almost incredible rapidity.
II was not that he had preached the
gospel TO them for four.and-forty years;
IL was not that his footsteps had been
instant on every threshold where sick.
ness came or sorrow brooded.
All this had been received as mat
ter Of course, and forgotten as soon
as the necessities were past But il
was because Foxville curiosity was on
the qui vive about Joanna, his grand
child, the sole remaining blossom on
the gnarled old family tree, who was
left quite unproviled for.
II declare to goodness" said Mrs.
Emmons, ~ don't know what Ii to
become Of that giil!"
''She hain't no faculty, said Sabina
Sexton, the village dressmaker; ''and
never had"
Books possessed no charms for
her" sighed Miss Dodge. who taught
the Foxville district school. "She al
ways cried over her parsiug and rhe-
toric, and / never could make her
understand cube root"
"Theres no denyin' that the old
minister was rs near a saint as we
often SEQ in this world" said Mrs.
Luke Lockcdge, piously. But he
hadn't ought to let Joanna run loose
in the woods and fields the way she
did. Why, don't s'pose she ever
made a shirt or fried batch o. fritters
in her life"
'Tsit true" said Miss Dodge, peer.
ing inquisitively up under her spec
tacle glasses, that she is engaged TO
your Simon, Mrs. LockedgeP"
Mrs. Lockedge closed her mouth,
shook her head and knitted away until
her needles shone like forked light
ming.
''Simon's like oil other young men.
Miss Dodge" said she--''took by a
pretty face and pair o. bright eyes.
Aud they sat on the same bench at
school. And as long as we s'posed
Parson Fox had left property, why,
there wasn't no objection. But there
wasn't nothing-not even life insur-
ance. SO I've talked to Simon, aud
made him hear reason. There cant
nobody live on airp'
But that's ruther hard on Joanna,
amt it2" said Mrs. Emmons. with q
little sympathetic wheeze.
"Reason Ia reasoni" Mrs. Lock
edge answered. my Simon will have
property, and the girl he marries must
have suthin' to match it,"
so that Joanna Fox, sitting listlessly
in her black dress by the window,
where the scent of juno honeysuckles
foated sweetly in, and trying to real
ize that she was alone in the world,
had divers and sundry visitors that day.
The first was Simon Lockedge, look
ing as IL his errand were somewhat
connected with grand larceny.
Joanna started up, her wan face
Frightening. She was only sixteen
. brown.hsired, brown-eyed girl.
"Oh, Simon" she cried, 81 knew
you would come when you heardl'
Simon Lockedge wriggled uneasily
into seat, instead Of advancing to
clasp her outstretched hand.
EYES," said he. "Of course it's
very sad, Joanna, and I'm awfully
sorry for You. But"
Joanna stood still, her face harden.
ing into cold, white mask, her hands
falling to her side.
YES" said she. ''You were say.
ing"
ats mother" guiltily confessed
Simon. "a fellow cant go against his
own mother, you know. She says it's
all nonsense, our engagement and we
Ehouldn't have Anything to live onl
And so,"' with final twist, "we'd bet
ter consider il all over. That's the
sense OF the matter-now amt 1t,
Joanna?"
She did not answer.
.Tm awfully sorry, suffered Simon.
81 always set deal of store by you,
Joanna."
''Did you9" abe said bitterly. zone
would scarcely have thought it,"
'And you know, JOANNA" he added
awkwsrdly, mindful of his mothers
drill, when poverty comes in at the
door, love flies out at the window"
Joanna smiled scornfully
'.It seems" said she, that love
does not always wait for that" g.
And she turned and walked into the
adjoining apartment; while Simon,
sinking out Of the door, muttered to
himself:
cts the hardest job O. work that
ever did in my life. Splitting stumps
is nothing to il. But mother says il
must be done-and mother rules the
Soest in our housed"