Idaho Springs siftings., 1902-07-19

the time the minute hand had moved
five spaces after the bishop had ut
tered the words of introduction the
Rev. Philetus Carson was in love with
Miss Miriam Manigault
The convention was over, and still
Carson fingered and sat on the broad
piazzas with Miss Manfgault and talk
ed day after day. There came the
afternoon of the last day of his stay.
1t was now or never If he was to
learn the state of Miss Manigault's af-
fections. He talked of his approach
ing departure and studied her bending
over her sewing, to observe the effect
of his words.
81 reckon I'll be going soon, too"
said Miss Manigault. my people will
want to see me again. My boy Ike
will be awful anxious to see me-"
Carson almost fell from his chair.
More to cover his confusion, his agi-
tation, than anything else, he blurted
out, you have a boy Ike?" and he
heard himself add. Mrs. Manigault?"
Was she wife or widow? The bish-
op had surely not said Mrs.
Miss Manigault, if you please.
have always been Miss Manigault
Yes, l have five boys. There's Ike,
and Jim, and Joe, and Ed down there
on my place, and l have another of
my boys with Cousin George for
awhile. But that is all right, for he's
Georges boy"
If the fact that Miss Manigault
might be or might have been married
heart, what was his horror to hear her
confess herself the mother of five boys
and cut off all palliating speeulations
by saying she had always been Miss
Manigault. Why, it was monstrous,
this terrible, this awful, horrible
thing. She, SO dainty, so sweet, still
a girl, despite her years, soft pink
still in her cheeks, her fine skin
marked by a few gracious wrinkles,
the record of smiles and sweet sym
pathy, none of her virgin slenderness
gone over into matronly plumpness,
none of it passed into old maid slim
ness. To see this woman, lovely en-
bodiment of delicate purity in her out
ward seeming, and then to hear braz-
en- declaration of shame! Tears gath
cred in Carson's eyes and only by
supreme effort did he keep them from
bursting forth in a flood. He had
never loved before, he had never al
lowed himself to love before. He knew
he should never love again, but drag
out the rest of a barren existence,
with his dreams tenanted by the ideal
being which he had once imagined
Miss Manigault to be. He would have
fled at once, but though his connec-
ton with Miss Manigault as a man
was over, there remained his duty as
clergyman and he rallied to it. In
his capacity as a spiritual pastor and
master he addressed her. In a voice
whose hardness astonished him, he
said:
Did your Cousin George ever ask
you to marry him?"
why how frank you Northern peo-
pie are. No. He's twenty years older
than | am"
''Did the father of Ike ever ask you
to marry him?''
..'Ike!" cried Miss Manigault, spring
ing to her feet. DO you think
would marry niger. degrade myself
oh, how could you'll"
Far better, madame" said Carson,
rising to his feet, ito have married
this negro and in honorable wedlock
borne him your son Ike than to have
brought Ike and the other four into
the world as you did"
Miss Manigault shrieked, but it was
as much a shrek of laughter as of
rage or injury. There were tears, but
they too, might have been tears of
laughter. The man before her was
suffering as she had never seen a man