Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1902-02-27
MIRIAM DY'S
ROW
b MRS. GEORGE 7. HAsBRoUcK.

I warn't never given to hankerin'
after city folks an city ways" OBJ
served Mrs. Rightmeyer to Mrs. Ober-
baugh, as they sat together at Widow
Diedrich's quilting party; IAN Grifin's
Corners I'D a-been quite as well of ct
it I'D never heard of such things as
summer boarders."
''That it would" returned Mrs. Died
rich, ''ez anybody thet's had 'em
knows. They're that finnicky over
their victuals, just past bearin'."
''They are tibet, but there's no deny
in they're right smart, some on 'em;
an s'pose thet's what's taken Miriam
dy Nevins."
''Mirandy Nevins?" said Mrs. Ober-
baugh.
"Why, amt you heard she's keepin'
steady company wi Arthur Morrison,
what's boardin' down to Mrs. Van
Blum's?"
''Land sakes alive. eff tibet don't beat
all! Mirandy, what's close onto 40,
got city chap for beau!"
eyes, an awfully gone on him too,
they say. I tell you, Mirandy's got to
look quite clipper"
Mrs. Oberbaugh was too much as
tonished to reply, nothing quite so
startling having come within her no.
tice for years.
II hope he's not after her money
Mrs. Diedrich remarked, after pause.
"Bless you, no; rich man like him
u,0r111r'f fhir1- cl,,o1-c 1f Miro I'VE
little bit; but guess he sees she's a
capital manager, an III make things
60 twice ez far ez one of them city
gels"
can Mirandy's got beau at last.
Well, well, we'll! I hope it'll turn out
good. But, mark my Words conclud'
ed Mrs. Oberbaugh, with an impressive
shake of her head, ''you don't often
get much from a late settin' but added
eggs"
''Yes, it was true: Miranda Nevins
who had never felt her heart warm
under the sun of love in her youth, was
now in middle age basking in a golden
afternoon. Left an orphan in early
childhood, she had been adopted by a
relative whose exacting ways had
made life very hard for the delicate
child. Then came long years OF patient
nursing of the irritable, penurious in
valid, whom she would not leave be-
cause of fancied debt of gratitude
At 80 she found herself free, and
greatly to her surprise, the absolute
owner of $4,000, which the wretched
old miser had boarded even when
needing the necessaries of life. Youth
however, with it's dreams, was gone,
and the delicate prettiness she pos
sessed as girl had been destroyed by
care and toll. AS the people at Grit
fms Corners expressed it, ''NLirandy
always held up the heavy end"
Her life had been colorlcss and sad
beyond expression; not a single CLEAN
of love had come into it until she met
Arthur Morrison. He loved her-ah, it
was impossible! so she told herself.
But had she not said the same when
told of her fortune? All day long the
poor lonely woman. whose empty
heart hungered for affection. epeated
the words, until at last all doubt was
banished.
She hardly listened when her lover
spoke of his wealth, of his handsome
house in the city, of the luxuries with
which he would surround her; he
loved her, and in that assurance lay a
wealth of riches passing all magma
ton. Everyone noticed how the old
careworn look passed away during
those days of her lately found happi-
ness, and when at times blush would
steal over her face, it brought back the
beauty of 20 years ago.
When the first tints of autumn were
on the woods Mr.. Morrison departed,
and Miranda, after waiting patiently
for that precious thing, her first love
letter, wrote herself to the address he
had given her. Every morning the
neat little woman with the patient
eyes would drop into the general store
and post office and make a purchase
while the mail was being distributed,
and though she never ventured to ask
if there was letter, her lingering
steps and wistful looks were perfectly
understood. This had gone on for
some weeks, when one morning Miriam
da received a letter from the dead let
ter office, and found within it her own
to Arthur Morrison, scrawled over
with different street numbers and the
statement that no such person was
known. For an hour she sat, with
the letter before her, trying 20 IN
ravel the mystery; it was easier to be-
lieve that the whole postal force of
New York was in league against her
than that her lover could be false.
She would go to New York, she would
find him-ill, perhaps; poor, it might
be: dead, even; but false-never!
Griffin's Corners had, according to
its custom, taken the liveliest inter-
est in the progress of Miranda's love
affair; but the little woman had been
very reticent, and specula ton had had
to supply the lack of actual informa-
tior..
Miranda's reserve being so we'll
known, it was therefore rather a sur
prise to find her quietly discussing the
custom of her supposed engagement
at the minister's annual donation par
ty. The little woman was the center
of group, and had an unusual glow
of color on her cheeks as she spoke.
''There hadn't been no serious en-
gagement, but he'd thought, an she'd
thought, an then at last they'd both
thought; and then they'd concluded
to let the 'ull thing drop right there"
can guess you're right, Miranda"
renlied the minister's wife who. uas