Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1900-05-10
CHAPTER ". ,consinued.p

S14d MISS ellCiI, duNdAEtH- ~ IhSNt
her visitor. Miss Grey, rs | live, n
looking SO sweet. and SD fresh. ana -
delightful This Is a pleasure. indeed.
and Miss FeeniN. whose withered VS.
age could never have been called either
fresh. sweet or delighEfu u puckered M
her face into a ~yinegary smile, and
pecked Miss Marian affectionately OF.
the cheek. DO come in and sit down.
l was inst strengthening things M a
Bit. widow Lee and Sophia Dawes
YOU know Sophia Dawes holds her
head very high now, rs If people could
forget her father shnyeled In thelr
Goals. Well. as / was saying. they
stepped in for q chat and 4 cup OF tea;
and some peopla can't ever take a bit
OF cake without leaving things all in a
muck. Sit down here by the window
and have a fan. Take a chair; II
won't crush that lovely lawn. As l
was saying TO Mary Writ. last sunday.
Miss Grey certainly has the sweetest
taste IN dress You know Mary Writ
old Writ, the soapboiler's grand
d~aughtSrf Left her a lot OF money:
but. INV dear. soap Will stick. She al
WAYS looks dewdy, dress how she VIII"
II was just passing by" said Hiss
Marian. who felt that this sudden re-
newal OF friendship required some
slight explanation. and who never let
honesty herray her into an awkward
ness. '.and your little place looked so
sweet. Miss FeeEiI, that | thought OF
old times, when dear amm used 10
bring us here. and felt / must stop for
a chat. We have had 50 much compa-
nv this summer, and have had SO lit
tile time to visit old Trends"
Il am SURE of It. said Miss Feenlx.
accepting the calumet Of peace. eagerly.
for AIrss Grey's friendship would be
quite a feather I'm her spinster cap.
"Of course it's only natural that at
tractive Young people like you and Mr..
LaureIcc-dear me! il seems only the
other day that he was little Laurie-its
only natural. / say, that you should
draw gay young company 70 Grey
lawns: and then. Give Towers is so
near. | hear that they are having fine
times there this summer. Miss Fannie
Just home-and what a sweet. lovely
girl she Ii, so bright and charming. AMI
that fairy-like creature, that was with
her in church on Sunday. Is IL really
true that She is young Mr.. Gives in
tendedasI couldn't help noticing that
his eyes were fixed half the time on
her face: Int then, my dear-you will
excuse my saying-l thought and told
Louisa Knoll. who was speaking of the
matter. that IL had been n settled thing
for wears between Mr.. Give ard you"
liz Miss Feenix had intended TO spur
her visitor on. she could not have chos-
en- her words more judiclously.
Miss Marion's eyes flashed, as she re.
Joined. loftily:
lyon are quite mistaken, | assure
you. Miss Feenix. Mr.. Give never has
thought OF me. nor | OF him. | have
been Fannie's particular friend. and. no
matter what happens. VIII always be
the same TO her. But. as for any near
er relationship. l am happy to tell you
there is no probability of it-nane
whatever
Dear me. now. who'd have thought
it.' said Miss Felicia. with a long
drawn breath. Things do turn out so
differently from what people expect
Well. my dear. l can't say that I'm sor-
nv. and | can't say that I'm glad. for
Herbert Give is the finest catch in the
county"
do you think sogasked the visitor,
with scornful doubt.
"Do / think so. my dear9 Why. 1
really know So answered Miss Fell
ella. positively. Why. his fathers
wealth must be enormous. Not that he
wasn't poor enough once for his own
parents left him nothing: bat old Basil
Give. his fathers only brother, adopted
him. and schocled, and set him up fair
ly in business: then finished of by
diving without any viii, and leaving his
nephew heir 10 everything. The old
ma was the aueerest. most eccentric
old being. No person had any idea Of
what he was worth until he died, and
then he wos found 70 have at least a
million of money banked and stocked.
and invested in every sort OF way-not
TO mention the land about here. which
is worth nov fully a quarter OF a mill
ION more. | happen 20 know so posi-
lively, because Luck Blake. the assess
or's wife. Is q particular friend OF mine,
and she saws Robert Gives taxes alone
take a handsome sum yearly; for Rob.
crT Give was old Basil's only heir"
Miss Marian's brow darkened: the
skeleton. then. vas not the fieshless
giant of pecuniary distress: the proud
Gives had never felt the pinch OF pow
erty. There were no mortgages upon
tNpSt SlliiinG uIItSs hleSC NaNlhS ~
and shadowy forests; no debts were
hanging over the Towers like a threat
ening cloud.
Miss Marian was rather disappoint-
ed. She had entertained a vague idea
that il was some enraged creditor
whose menaces she had overheard,
some defrauded money-lender. who was
making vain and desperate efforts 10
obtain Justice.
Ellis only heir" continued Miss Fee
nix. who. when wound up for a gossip,
would have kept at it all day. Though
there was. | remember, some sort of a
queer story, at old BasiIs death. of a
wild young fellow making his appear
ance nj the house and claiming b be
his son bv a private marriage. or
course, nobody believed him. and. in
deed, twas said he acted more like a
mailman than a Christian: cursed and
wore at Robert. and declared that he
was beiraying the old mans trust
Dear mef' exclaimed Miss Marian,
with eager. triumph flashing in her
eyes; and how was the matter settled?
What became of the pretended SOM
go