The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-07-18

aD1IUleS III Il more pTdCtlCdl anu 1883
expensive sphere. His decision had
come as a severe blow to his mother,
who held him, her oldest boy, as
cherished ideal, who should be a trif1e
better than the ordinary, no mat
ter what the sacrifice. But so it was
that he accepted the position under
the worthy magnate of Black Rock.
Then to think that this sprig of
girl had well-nigh upset his whole
career. Full well his memory pic
tured that morning four months be-
fore when he had driven the homely
family cart to the depot to meet this
daughter of his employer, and how
she had treated him with striking
hauteur. She had even mistaken him
for her fathers coachman, and yet
her very prudishness seemed but to
lend a glamour of romance to her,
which had caught him in a veritable
web! How often she had entered
her fathers store, accompanied by
some of the youthful professionals
of the place, and seemed to delight
in airing her superiority TO this
common Office man! True, her pet
tishness and Alterations sat well
upon her dainty figure, and a certain
indefnable odor of perfume seemed
to pervade the dinginess of the Office
when she entered. At times he
seemed to see beyond her outward
nature, and at these rare intervals
he caught momentary glance of
character which, if allowed to as
sert itself, might have endeared her
to the coarsest mortal. He often
noted how old Josiah watched her
every move, and how the staid, old
fashioned home of the JamiesOns be-
came the center of the fashionable
house parties and afternoon teas.
Then as browning tribute to the
witcheries, young DR.. Ames, voted
by all the mothers of manageable
daughters as the SWEETEST match in
the district, had quite lost his heart
to this coquettish little heiress.
Since the day of their first meeting
Tom had fought down his feelings
by applying himself to his desk with
redoubled vigor, endeavoring to con-
vince himself that his opinion of her
was much the reverse of favorable.
On this night in question he had
ceased to wrestle, and upon the eve
of resignation to the hand of fate
he had summed the whole matter up
and voted himself one of the great
est fools that ever lived. A square
pink envelope lay unopened upon his
dresser, and after arriving at this
fairly satisfactory conclusion he tore
off the head and scanned the con-
tents, although he could have guessed
what it contained. 1t was an invita-
ton which the youthful mistress of
the Jameson household had sent
him, to spend the evening, no doubt
prompted by the advice of her father.
The weather had developed into one
of those January billiards which pc
riodically sweep across the North
west prairie, almost overwhelming
the town which lay within it's circle,
and Tom was loath to brave it's fury
for such cause, and yet uncon-
sciously he began to dress, and in
time he had reached the home of his
employer. To his surprise he found
that but one guest besides himself
had been hidden, none other than DR..
Ames, who of late had been almost
constant visitor.
Supper had been served. While Jean
and the doctor conversed in low tones
at one end of the long drawing-room,
Tom sat at the other with Mr.. ia
mieson and exchanged mutual conf
dences on the business aspect of the
coming season. Yet he was not Who'll
ly Indifferent to the scene before
him. The little lady looked peculiar
ly bewitching and altogether dis
dainful, and to his eye she was play
ing her cards with the young medical
with a tact and grace which appar-
emily absorbed his entire attention.
The hour was wearing slowly along,
to Tom especially, and then a hur-
ried summons at the door brought
Mrs. Jameson from the regions of
the dining-room in answer A sudden
noise, as of people scurrying past,
followed, and Tom realized that the
call of fire had been raised. Mrs.
Jameson cried out in a frightened
voice that it was the mill, and then
Tom had passed her in the hallway,
and was out on the street.
Already the flames, caught by the
storm that howled without, were
lighting up the town like new sun.
The scene of indescribable con-
fusion which ensued could never be
forgotten by those more intimately
concerned. The crude fire-fghting
apparatus frozen solid, refused to
work, and as the red streamers wrapt
about the mill and swept across the
roofs of the warehouse and stores
adjoining, the people knew that Jo-
siah Jamieson's worldly possessions
were doomed.
Tom, looming out in the released
mettle of college athlete, made her
culean efforts to stay the ruin. Fol-
lowed by number of men he thawed