Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1901-08-01


said, as an unequivocal compliment,
that nobody would ever take her for
an old maid-whose recipe for raised
cake was borrowed widely, and who
could be counted upon to wash more
than her rightful share of dishes after
church sociables. Who can say what
Lemuel Jilson saw in her? Who shall
smile because he saw it?
He had been up to Pitt wheeler's,
and made a horse-trade, driving thith-
er with his animal, and returning with
his purchase hitched to his blackboard.
The horse, Humboldt by name-Pitt
Wheeler was quite a reader-had a
vaguely familiar look for which Lem
uel. rejecting on the fact that Pitt
Wheeler never drove this horse to
town, failed to account. Lemuel had,
however, masculine inattention, even
oblivion, to small matters; his girls
had been accustomed to make his
Christmas presents under his nose, and
then to surprise him with them. He
was not thinking much about Hum
boldt; he was thinking old, old
thoughts about Emeline. Her house
was in sight, and Lemuel's heart
still a heart, though it had pumped
for half century-beat little fast
er. The infrequent Sunday evenings
when he sat with Emeline and her
father, old Ephraim Bestor, in Eme-
lines parlor, and talked on unexciting
subjects, and ate the enjoyable things
which Emeline always offered him
these were the hallowed times of Lem
uel's life; times the recollection of
which bridged over almost happily
the interims between them; the times
he lived for. Sometimes Emeline
played hymns on her organ, and made
Lemuel sing them with her, although
it was perfectly understood by them
both not only that Lemuel could not
get tune himself, but that he had
difficulty in distinguishing one from
| another. Gentle she always was, and
smiling; always cheerful; always
dressed in q way becoming to her
rather portly figure and her fair, mid
dle-aged face.
He sighed as he thought of her with
tender admiration. To think. of her
was restful to him. His deceased
wife-Lemuel was too upright a man
to dwell critically on the memory of
his children's mother; but sometimes
it had seemed to hint had struck
through his consciousness-that Of all
the women in the world who were, by
reason Of their ineradicable natures,
in all respects singularly and remote
" different from Emeline Bextor, his
wife, who had been Sarah Dow, stood
undoubtedly first. Lemuel had seen
once at the county fair symbolical fe-'
male figures Of War and Peace made
with red corn and speckled beans, but
yet gruesomely expressive-the one
masterful, rampant, the other majes-
tically serene-and in spite of himself
he had been put in mind Of his wife
and Emeline Bestor. The Peace was
Emeline.
He was lonesome since Rosy had got
married; and the distant connection
who kept house for him, and used
an oil-cloth instead of table-cloths, to
save washing, and never swept under
the stove, nor the beds, wanted to
go to her daughter in Iowa. If Eme-
line-oh, if Emeline-
AS for old Ephriam Bestor, he would
be an addition to any household; his
chief defect being settled habit Of
taking off his boots about noon and
continuing in his stocking feet the
rest of the day, even If the minister's
wife called.
He was nearing the house, and his
eyes focused on Emeline's line of
clothes whitley tapping, her three
cornered verbena-bed and her four red
beehives. Humboldt, too; some sud-
den interest seemed to inspire Hum
boldtor curiousity. Opposite the
house he turned his head, and looked
toward it with an evident concern not
second to Lemuel's, and as they
reached the big gate he made an at
tempt to turn in.
Lemuef pulled him up. He grew
red, the more because Emelfne was in
the side yard painting wooden rock
ing chair blue. He urged Humboldt
along. Humboldt would never see 1s
again, and he was beginning to look
like buffalo robe, and had white
hairs behind his ears. Still he had
vim, and Lemuel had had to give IS
for him besides his horse, whose speed
was mere recollection Of the days
before he was foundered. That IS,
Lemuel suddenly remembered, some
rods farther along, he had forgotten to
pay, and Pitt Wheeler had delicately
refrained from mentioning It. He
turned and drove back. At Emeline's
gate Humboldt distinctly and delib.
erately turned In again.
! Lemuel had to cramp the blackboard