Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1902-02-27

U1lSCIAy, Inc tuC ISAdIltc 1TOm WAVu
she had inherited her fortune. When
she ceased making purchases at the
village store the air grew sensibly
colder, but when it became known that
old man Renseller had twice brought
her heavy boxes from Pine Hill, then
the indications of an icy period were
unmistakab BILE.
To be misery was bad, but to be un-
neighborly was worse, and as Grifin's
Corners was animated by the spirit
of an ideal commonwealth, the tire
village was strongly moved to wrath
against Miranda. Her fall from grace
for in the public estimation it was
nothing less-was discussed at every
social gathering, and much pleasant
banter was INDUCED in at the store
in relation to it. The village humor-
list was acknowledged to have OUT
shone himself when he dryly predict
ed the certain closing of the estab-
lishment, consequent on the with
drawal of Miss Nevin's patronage.
"It isn't so much the value of her
CUSTOM" remarked the aggrieved pro-
prietor; "it's the looks of the thing"
This view of the situation was unan-
imously adopted-it was the looks of
the thing. Miranda's action was equal
to tacit declaration in favor of Pine
Hill, and the soul of Griffin's Corners
burned against such disloyalty.
7 The first snow had melted when. one
| afternoon, Mrs. Oberbaugh resolved
to brave public sentiment by calling
on the ostracized offender.
Though this visit was made in de.
fiance of public opinion, she was not
prepared to deny the justice of the
general attitude assumed toward
Miranda, who unquestionably had
been guilty of serious offense, and if
opportunity offered she proposed maxi
ing her see the error of her ways; but
above this she had always had soft
corner in her heart for the disappoint-
ed, gentle old maid. After all, she ar.
gued, Miranda might possibly have
some excuse for her conduct, as there
had been occa sions when her own mind
had sadly lacked conviction in regard
to the purity of the store coffee.
| Whether Miranda was aware how her
shortcomings were regarded was by
no means certain, in which case Mrs.
Oberbaugh decided to break the mat
ter to her gently but firmly.
| Receiving no answer to her knock
ing, she stepped over the threshold
into an icy-cold room, where form
was lying that looked like the ghost
of the woman she had known. She APP
preached the bed, to find white
drawn face with CLASSY eyes, hand too
feeble to return her clasp and voice
that spoke in broken whispers.
''Sakes alive, Mirandy! I didn't
know ez how you was down like this. -
"I-am-starving," was the whis-
pered reply.
Without another word Mrs. ODER.
baugh started home, returning with
restoratives and food, which partially
revived the sufferer.
"Warn't there no one ez you could
call to, to let us know you were down
sick? Where's your coal? I'll build
fire right away; this place nd freeze
bear"
! Mrs. Oberbaugh made hasty survey
of the back regions, and opened sew.
eral doors, but was rewarded only by
the sight of empty shelves, and then
! for the first time she noticed how scan.
ty was the bed covering.
mercy on us, Mirandy! where's
your things? Hev you been robbed?"
S>1l
| bread!"
Miranda's visitor regarded her with
eyes full of pity; it was clear that the
poor creature had become miser.
"Why, Mirandy, you're a rich wom-
an. You've got $4,000 in MarHetv
bank"
The dying woman put her thin hands
over her face to hide from her sight
the honest, kindly eyes that asked for
confidence she was so 10th to be.
stow.
"Sit down, Martha, and I'll tell you:
you was always good to me, am
know-you'll keep it--a secret. He
he-took it all"
"What!-thet city chap?"
eyes; he asked me--to lend it to him
for a few weeks-an' so I drew it
out-an' then-as he never wrote
7 went to New York--an' oh, Martha
Martha"
But here the feeble voice was cboked
with tears, and some time elapsed be.
fore she could finish the cruel story.
81 found that he-an' oh, Martha,
was so fond of him-he was-a swim
dler an a convict"
"Mercy on us! you poor, sufferin'
soul! an you've been starvin' all this
winter!"
"Well, I thought--the end-would
come-an' nobody need-know the
truth"
ooh, Mirandy, you might have known
you could have trusted me! An to
think tibet you've been wantin', and
the Corners all lookin' to one side,
cause it was said you was dom your
marketin' down to Pine HILL"
A faint smile passed over Miranda's
wan face as she thought of the sue.
cess of her stratagem.
"Them boxes-I got at Pine Hill
an filled them with stones-'cause-I
didn't want any one to 'picion--how
that-my money was gone. I thought
they'd guess-that Arthur-got it
an you see, Martha-I'd never had
lover before-an' I couldn't bear"
Miranda rallied under careful treat
ment; but her hold on life was gone,