The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1902-01-23

OF . raps and spprcciative audience,
she generally had something Of inter-
est 20 tell.
"Theres . baby ~ the junction."
she related; 1T lives at the station.
10 wears a pink dress. IL laughed at
me. IL caught at the string and let
IL play with the ring" And Nancy's
fingers strayed to the leather string
about her neck, on which the treasure
dnngled. "The bnby's nanny she
asked me to come In. She wears
shoes. She wears them every day"
Nancy's acquaintance with the wife
Of the station-master grew. "Shc's
got box" Nancy told, another
evening. "a big, square black box
she keeps her fire In, an door she
opens an hole to cook things in"
Pap laughed his big, silent laugh.
"Sho. Nanny" said he, "nin't you
never seen a stove aforc?"
Nancy's ignorance did not nbnsh
her. "She's got everything mighty
red up an handy. Couldn't we uns
have n shelf, too, pap, TO set the dishes
nlong?"
Another day Nancy came home in
excitement. "Granny, you make me
some o. your oak splint baskets" she
began; "thc harnsomest ones you
knows how-thcm little ones, granny,
an me and Hence an Grif wen pick
the hucklcbcrrics. I'm a-goin' to sell
them on the train. Their war II lady
to-day she saw my basket of berries
I was takin' to baby an she asked
me fer tan then she gives this &c
me-"
And Nancy handed her mother two
tcn-ccnt pieces.
"An' the baby's nanny says she1
get her man to let me take 'cm on
the cyars, and thet n way I'm plum
sure to see the sun-hnircd lady"
On the next day Nancy had a differ.
cnt tale. "Bnby's nanny, Mis- Mark
ham. she's been tellin' me 'bent n
place Mt the Junction, goin' on now,
where they'll larn you free. She says
the days won't seem nothin' like 80
tcjous u I started In an went to larn-
in. tcllcd her I'd nrsk pap"
Pap shifted his quid. "'Tnint no
call agin your goin,' can see. My
gran'pap he larned onct to read from
man crossin' the mountings goin'
To Knintuck, what stopped of here
with n fever. That's how come we
uns To have our book, the onlicst
Bible on Lilly's mounting. don't sec
no call why Nanny shouldn't be n
readin' In II same as gran'pap read to
we uns when war little as Grif here
Thus encouraged, Nancy one day
shyly made her appearance at the dis
trict school, which was open for the
three months of summer. The young
teacher, n girl student from the coun-
ty college, cking out expenses by
teaching in the summer. looked nt
the new pupil; looked, then looked
again nt n glittering, golden bauble
that hung upon n leather string
against the bosom OF the faded little
dress.
Forgetting her shyncss, Nancy cx-
planned.
"And that's how I'm here" she
said, In conclusion, "wnitin' for the
sun-hnircd lady to come"
II was the last of August that Nan
cy, speeding along by the open win
dows Of an evening train, saw In the
last conch n girlish, pink-ilushed face
framed In glorious. FURNISHED, red
gold hair.
"And II 10 want to be the right
lady. she'd know as the Iuck-stonc
wasn't hers" Nancy had often mr.
gucd, rchearsing this very scene To
herself.
Realizing but two things, that the
sun-hnircd lady was on the train and
that the time was passing. she
dropped her baskets. grasped the
ring In her little brown hand, strip
ping the leather string over her head
as she ran, and with n cry to the
portcr-for NIL the trainmen now
knew her and her mission-slie
bounded up the steps into the vesti-
bulc and ran through the sleeping
cur with It's wondering occupants, to
the sun-haired lady.
"IIcrc!" said Nancy, and her smile
supplied those grnces Of speech and
department which education had
failed to give her.
The sun-haircd girl turned from
pink to white, caught the ring from
the little brown hand and gaspcd and
laughed and cried. For IL was her
engagement ring, and over It's loss
that summer she had cried as many
tears ns little Nancy had trudgcd
steps.
"You scnsed II went In the creek"
said Nancy. ~ been watchin' for you
sence."
Then happened bewildering thing.
n thing unknown TO Nancy. unless IL
had come to her in baby days. A pair
OF impulsiye arms were about her
neck, the lips of the sun-haired girl
on her cheek. Then before the great
wave Of emotion sweeping over Nancy
was gone the clutch of the colorcd
porter was on her, and she was
dropped from the rear of the coach.
which In another moment was speed.
ing round the curve.
WELL" qunvered granny, when
Naucyso tala xras tnll Nat,s vn,, air