Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-08-28

L - NlSSi was tying her hat under
INl her round chin before a small
1ScV17 glass ut her window. The
(s2S&y window gave upon a back
ground of serrated mountain and olive
Swallowed canyon, with faint addi-
tional outline of higher snow level,
the only dreamy suggestion of the
whole landscape. The foreground was
glaringly fresh and unpicturesque
mining town. whose irregular attempts
at regularity We're set forth with all the
cruel uncompromising clearness of the
California atmosphere. There was the
straight Main street, with its new brick
block of 'stores," ending abruptly
against tangled bluff; there was the
ruthless clearing in the sedate pines
where the hideous spirc of the new
church initiated the soaring of the sol
emn shafts it had displaced with al
most irreligious mockery. Yet this fore
ground was Cissys world-her life her
sole girlish experience She did not,
however bother her pretty head with
the view just then, but moved her
cheek up and down before the glass
the better TO examine by the merciess
glare of the sunlight a few freckles
that starred the hollows of her tenn
pies. Like others of her sex, she was
poor critic of what was her real beauty
and quarreled with that peculiar tex
ture of her healthy skin which made
her face as eloquent in her sun kissed
check as in her bright eyes and express
sion. Nevertheless she was somewhat
consoled by the ravishing effect of the
bowknot she had just tied and turned
away not wholly dissatisfied. Indeed
as the acknowledged belle of Canada
City and the daughter of its principal
banker small wonder that a certain
frank vanity and childlike imperious-
ness were among her faults and her at
/ fractions.
She bounded down til stairs and into
the front parlor, for their house pos
sessed the unheard of luxury of dou-
bic drawing room, albeit the second
apartment contained desk and was
occasionally used by Cissys father in
private business interviews with anN-
ious seekers of advances" who shun-
ned the publicity of the bank. Here
she instantly flew into the arms of her
bosom friend, Miss Piney Tibbs, girl
only a shade or two less pretty than
herself, who, always more or less i'll at
ease in these splendors, was awaiting
her impatiently. For Miss Tibbs was
merely the daughter of the hotel keep
er, and, although Tibbs was south
erner and had owned "his own mig
gers" in the states, she was of inferior
position and a protegee of Cissy's.
"Thank goodness you've come" ex-
claimed Miss Tibbs, "for I've bin sittin
here till nigh took root. What KEEP
ye?"
How does 1t look?" responded Cissy
as relevant reply.
The cit referred to Cissy's new hat
and to the young girl the conference
was perfectly plain. Miss Tibbs looked
at at" severely. 1t would not do for q
protegee to be too complaisant.
"Hem! Must have cost heap O.
money"
at did," said Cissy. "Came from the
best milliner in San Francisco"
"Of course" said Piney, with half
assumed envy, when your pepper runs
the bank and just wallows in gold"
"Neyer mind, dear" said Cissy cheer
fully. "So'll your pepper some day.
Pm going to get mine to let your pepper
! In something-ditch stocks and such.
True, o king! Popper'll do any
lIua.s for me-" she added little loftily.
II Loyal as Piney was to her friend;
she was by no means convinced of
| this. She knew the difference between
the two men and had vivid recollec-
ton of hearing her own father express
j his opinion of Cissy's respected parent
! as q "gold shark" and quartz miner
crusher." 1t did not. however, affect
I her friendship for Cissy. She only said
Lets come" caught Cissy around the
! waist, pranced with her out into the
veranda and gasped, out of breath
"Where are we going first?"
"Down Main street." said Cissy
promptly.
"And let us stop at Markham's store
They've got some new things in from
Sacramento" said Piney.
Country styles" returned Cissy
with supercilious air mo. Beside.
Markham's head clerk is getting TOT
presumptuous. Just guess! He asked
me, while l was buying something
II enjoyed the dance last Monday"
"But you danced with him." said thu
simple Piney in establishment.
"But not in his store among his Gus
toner's" said Cissy sapiently. mo
We're going down Main street pas
Secamp's. Those Scamp girls are sur,
to be at their windows looking out
This hat will just turn 'em green
greener than ever
you're just horrid, Ciss!" said ri
ney, with admiration.
sand then" continued Cissy, "we'l
Just sail down past the new block t,
the parsons and make call"
ooh, see" said Piney archly. 9TH
: be just about the time when the new
Z engineer Of the mill works has cleal
: shirt Oh and is smoking his cigar be
Z fore the Office"
Cissy tossed her hat disdainfully
"Much anybody cares whether he
5 there or not. haven't forgotten how
! he showed us over the mill the othe
! day in pair of overalls just like
: workman"
"But they say he's awfully smar
and well educated and needn't work
and I'm sure it's very nice of him t,
! dress just like the other men whel
he's with en- urged Piney.
Bah! That was just to show that Ii
didn't care what we thought of him
: he's that conceited! And it wasn't re
, specdul, considering one of the direct
4 ors was there, all dressed up. Dom
\ tell me. You can see it in his eye-look
) ing you over without blinking and thel
turning away as if he'd got enough o
you. He makes me tired"
2 Plney did not reply. The enginee
> had seemed to her to be singularl,
attractive young man, yet she wa
equally impressed with Cissy's superio
| &,