Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1902-08-06

NNAH with his host sew
" eral weeks before
O[C the arrival Of the
expected house party.
1t was then he met Nance Brown,
the daughter Of one of the tenants
on the farm. Her beauty was
wonderful. Hidden in that cabin
on the mountain side it seemed to
the young man ths very irony Of
fate.
Utterly uneducated. she seemed
TO him merely a beautiful, soul
less piece Of clay. Later he saw
his mistake.
When he spoke to her it seemed
that the sunshine had suddenly
fallen upon her face. The dark
eyes flashed or grew soft and ten
der, and on her cheek famed the
scarlet banner which showed that
che was entering that mystic land
OF ideality and romance from which
few women return unscratched.
She became to him an interest
ing psychological study. he
found in her rude nature depths
before unsupported, capabilities
for good or evil which would de-
velop into heroism or sink into
crime, according to the influence
brought to bear upon her exQuis-
lite sensibilities. She had a lover,
rough and faithful, aud amusement
was added to his vanity in wit
Messing the rage and torture in
aicted upon this man.
In a way, she was as proud as a
duchess, so he taught her the old
old story in world and manner as
he taught the woman to whom his
troth was plighted, forgetting for
a while that his bride betrothed,
the sister of his host, would be
among the first OF the house party
to arrive.
He did not come to the cabin
door after the arrival of the
guests. One day as Nance stood
by the willow screened spring at
the rivers brink, she heard on
the bank above the laughter and
mirth of a picnic party. Then
she caught her own name spoken
by a strange voice. An explosion
of laughter followed, and gay
voices demanded ''the full story of
the romance" Finally, the speaker
seemed to go away and she heard
a wOman's voice in tones Of hau-
teur ask:
"Louis, what is the meaning Of
this! Will you explainf"
cit means nothing, Irene, ex-
cept those fellows want to worry
me-"
''Who is Nance Brown3"
"a pretty rustic, living on the
farm
Then followed a low murmur
whose words she could not hear,
broken by the mans impatient
reply:
What is she to me! Why,
good heavens, Irene, nothing!
The girl is as ignorant as a savage
course, common, rough. If you
are inclined to attach any impor-
lance to CrawfOrd's foolishness
and be jealous, one sight of this
girl would make you ashamed that
you ever doubted my fidelity"
The girl at the spring, leaning
in an attitude of intense attention,
caught the words and realized
their import. The light of the
sun seemed blOtted out. The
earth seemed to rock beneath her
feet. Then she mechanically filed
her bucket and staggered up the
path.
A few days later the irrepress-
ible Crawford publicly condoned
with Stanley upon the marriage
and departure of his rustic
sweetheart"
Eighteen months later Louis
Stanley was called to Meadow
View on business and while there
met with a painful accident,
which threatened to keep him a
prisoner for several weeks.
The foods Of the river and
creeks were spreading out over
the lOwlands and with great diff.
Guilty he succeeded in posting a
letter to his wife advising her Of
the accident, deploring it, but
promising to be with her as soon
as possible. He neglected to
state that all communication was
broken off on account of high
water. Mrs. Stanley's actions
had always been the result of i'm
pulse rather than Judgment.
There was also in her nature a
cOmbatiVeness which made her
imDaf1pnf Of ohstaolae aud da