The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1900-06-07
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INTERNATIONAL PRESS ASSOCIATION

he had little leisure for the study OF
his sisters tastes and traits, when she
first became his ward, and conceived
the task to be an unnecessary one, now
that she was to be fixture in his fam
lily. and appeared to get on smoothly
Cured to him to lay disturbing finger
upon the tiniest wheel of the domestic
machinery His respect for his spouse's
executive and administrative abilities
was exceeded only by her confidence in
her own powers. She was never irasci-
BILE, but he knew that she would have
borne down. calmly and energtically
any attempt at interference in her OPP
erations as minister of the interior
the ruler of the establishment he, by
much-abused figure of speech, called
his home. A snug and elegant abode
she made of it, and, beholding Con-
stance well dressed and we'll fed, habit
ually cheerful and never rebellious, he
may be forgiven for not spending a
thought upon her for hours together,
and when he did remember her, for
dwelling the rather upon his disin-
terested kindness to a helpless depend
ent than specializing upon her possible
and unappeased spiritual appetites.
For these, and for other WITNESSES,
Mrs. Romano had little thought and no
charity. Life, with her, was fabric
made up of duties, various and many,
but all double-twisted into hempen
strength and woven too closely for a
shine of fancy or romance to strike
through.
She had conceded readily in her hus-
bands plan to take charge of his young
sister when her parents died. "Her
brothers house is the fittest asylum for
her." she had said 81 shall do my
best to render her comfortable and con-
tented
She kept her word. Constance's ward
robe was ample and handsome, her
room elegantly furnished, and she en-
tered society under the chaperonage of
her sister-in-law. The servants were
trained to respect her; the children to
regard her as their elder sister. What
more could penniless orphan require?
Mrs. Romaine was not afraid to ask
the question of her conscience and of
heaven. Her "best" was no empty pro-
fession. 1t was lucky for her self-com-
placency that she never suspected what
years of barrenness and longing these
eight were to her protege.
Constance was not genius-there-
fore she never breathed even to her
self: II feel like seed in the cold
earth, quickening at heart, and longing
for the air." Her temperament was
not melancholic, nor did her taste run
after poetry and martyrdom. She was
simply young, pretty and moderately
well-educated woman, too sensible not
to perceive that her temporal needs
were conscientiously supplied, and too
affectionate to be satisfied with the
meager allowance of nourishment
dealt out for her heart and sympathies.
While the memory of her fathers proud
affection and her mothers caresses
was fresh upon her she had long and
frequent spells of lonely weeping
wont to resign herself in the seclusion
Of her chamber to passionate lamenta-
tions over her orphanage and isola-
ton of spirit. Routine was Mrs. Ro-
names watchword, and in bodily ex-
ercise Constance conformed to her
quiet despotism visited, studied,
worked and took recreation by rule.
The system wrought upon her benefi-
cially so far as her physique was con-
cerned. She grew from a slender, pale
girl into ripe and healthy womanhood;
was more comely at twenty-seven than
at twenty-one.