The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-08-15
By II. S. CANFIELD

escape, yet owning the obligation fast.
ened upon her by that ancient maiden
and determined to repay 1t with com
panionship and help. though her own
young life burnt itself out and became
ashes during the hard years which
were to follow. She worked with her
few pupils mornings and afternoons
and the evenings she devoted to max
ing the home life more cheerful. 1t
was a task beyond the strength of the
strongest, because there was no cheer
In Miss Tabitha English. She had NO
sense of humor; no understanding OF
the large affairs OF the world; no inter
est in anything which was not OF
Grayborough.
At twenty-five years of age Lois
English stood five feet five inches in
her high-arched stockinged feet. Her
shoulders were broad and sloping, sur
mounted by a beautiful white column
OF throat on which a small head was
lightly poised. Her skin was fair and
on her cheeks the delicate bloom
showed as shows the sun-kissed side
OF a peach. Her nose vas slightly &C
outline, her mouth somewhat large, but
the lips finely chiseled and her chin
firm and deity nodded. 1t was in
this chin and in her straight, level
brows that her character showed most.
Her eyes of reddish hazel were large,
liquid, expressional, compelling. They
had a hundred changes in an hour.
They dubbed with laughter. or there
was a hooking devil in them, or sor-
row looked through them, or high re-
solve. or anger, or simple apathy. Her
hair, Of that dark Titan red which ia
SO rare and 81 lovely, was piled in
masses and when she loosed it the
glory of it swept to her knees. Her
form was q splendid combination OF
grace, suppleness and strength. Phys
ically she was almost tireless. She
did not walk as other women walk.
She did not waddle, nor teeter. nor
straggle from side to side. It was the
very essence of the poetry of motion,
a long, gliding stride, effortless. and
calm, which took her owe the ground
at four miles an hour, and miles Of 1t
served only to bring q deeper flush
to her round cheek. Taken to London
with proper accomplishments, she
would have been heralded as the most
beautiful of all the American beauties
who have set that capital by the ears.
AS it was, she taught school in Gray
borough and sang lOw-pitched songs in
the summer twilight and longed for
freedom and sternly resolved to do
her duty.
It was on the Bird day Of September,
1898, that Miss Tabitha sent to a de-
partment store in Boston and pur-
q pair OF high-heeled shoes, a
size too small for her. On the 9Th Of
she went to the millinery
commanded by the Misses
Scruggs and had made v a heavy
green silk gown. a present from her
dead brother twenty years before. She
had grown thinner with the decades
and 1t needed taking up." On the 9th
Of September her new hat came home,
q very wonderful creation, indeed. Lois
took 1t In hand and made it less won
but more like q hat. On the
18th Of September she curled her hair
a hot iron and tied pink ribbons
in 1t, put on the high-heeled shoes, the
green gown and the hat and went out
for a walk toward sunset. She had not
done such q thing since Lois was a
child. On the 4th Of October at break
fast there was q mixture Of pride and
timidity in her manner She looked
af~fectionately. almost remorsefully, at
the girl and started 4 dozen
lions, to drop them when half begun.
Finally. with q hectic flush on her high
q CULVER In her voice and
her pale eyes fixed on her plate. she
asked desperately.
Lois, ! am not 10 very old, am r?"''
Lois. busy with the Augusta paper
which had come the night before, look
ed up and said: Eth. Auntie?"
II am" Miss Tabitha repeated. with
. touch Of resentment, mot 30 very
old. am II"
why. bless you, MOI" Lois answered.
you do not e any older to me
than when ! was q baby. Why do you
ask THAR"
Miss Tabitha fingered a bit Of cold
mufin on the tablecloth, looked up
swiftly. looked down. hesitated and
took a header:
"You know Mr.. A. e. Smith-Mr.
Absalom Eliphalet SMITH"
why. of course. l know everybody
in Grayborough. The old carpenter?
What about him?"
HE is not DID," said Miss Tabitha.
bridling. He is not yet sixty. To
young chits q person Of thirty is aged.
MI. Smith is a man in the prime OF
HE, a careful la and q godly man"
"Well, WE'LL" was the soothing al
swer. "Of course, Auntie, Of course.
I spoke hastily. What about him?"
Miss Tabitha bridled and cast her
gray curls roguishly abroad. She
smiled sourly. She looked happy. yet
scared. She said:
HE has asked me to marry hem."
The girl sat for = moment dumb. Her
face paled. Then she asked slowly.
And you answered-what? But I
need not ask. 7 see Il. In your face.