Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1903-10-15

love with Priscilla Jan. PRISCILLA wore
a GOV a of muslin. and at the belt hung
two scarlet pockets. as was the cssssom
In those oIden times. Ruben. having
penned a declaration one afternoon.
took the opportunity Of slipping the
note into one OF these pockets when
she was not looking.
Then he took his leave and waited
patiently for an answer. But none ever
, came.
Poor Ruben was not q to risk his
fate a second time. and he ceased his
visits to the home Of the Jams. After
awhile he went away I England. and
Newport knew him no more. He ne
came rather celebrated as a scientific
man. The b~ashfulness OF youth gone
by. he became q grave. gallant gentle
man of the old school. and he had his
admirers even smoag our sex. but he
never fell in love. and be never mar
ried.
s At sixty-two years OF age he took Il
into his head to see Newport before be
died. In those years it had become d
fashionable watering place. There were
or two great hotels and plenty of
cottages. The sea view was as fine. thc
sea air as bracing. the girls as pretty
as OF yore. but they did n3t var paint
ed musiins with peoples on them nor
Z outside pockets Of embroidered silk.
i Ruben Van Note strolled along the
beach and looked at the old tower and
sighed over the past q little. Then he
strolled up the street to the house Of
the Jan family. 1t looked very much
as formerly. only the trees were large
and the ivy visie quite covered the
brick stable with the pigeon houses on
the roof. All its windows were open.
and a was busting the shutters.
When she came out upon the porch to
shake a cloth he spoke TO her.
Does the Jan family live here yet?v
lie asked.
The woman gave a long. slow shake
of the head and said:
The last OF the Jan family died
three years ago. Miss Priscilla Jan. I
was her maid. She was getting ON in
hfe-sixty years old-and a delicate
body always. but / think she would
have lived a long while yet if she
hadn't bad an accident. Her carriage
was upset by q tipsy coachman. and
she was hurt and shaken. The shock
to her nerves killed her. the doctor
said. That's her miniature when she
was a girl over the mantel. IL you'd
step In and look"
Ruben stepped in and saw Priscilla.
in white and red, smiling at him from
the chimneypiece. 1t was a good like
ness. Could she really be dead? He
staggered back and seated himself on
the sofa.
And she never married!' he said,
speaking aloud unconsciously.
mo, SIR" said the maid, believing
herself addressed. "She never married.
Such a pretty girl. you'd never believe
1t. She had offers, but they did not
suit her. Once she told me, sitting Just
there, sir. where you sit, the Christmas
after her parents died, why they did
moi. She was fond Of a young gentle
man once, but he came and went and
never said a word and, as she believed,
never cared for her. She cried and
cried OF nights, but told no one, and
she lived single until she was forty.
Then n day. when she was up in the
garnet. she found a pair of red silk
pockets In an old box. She had missed
the pockets. They used to wear 'em
outside, sir, which seems funny now.
She had missed them and never guess
ed where they'd gone, but somehow
they'd been dropped into the box that
was carried up garnet that very night.
Shed not seen them for twenty years,
and she took them out and turned
them over. and a letter fell into her lap.
1T was sealed, and 1t had her name
on il, and when she read 1t she found 1T
was an offer from this young gentle
man, an offer, sir, that she would have
said yes to and thankful.
~ cried. Martha. she said. 1t was
too late to answer il. even il I had
known whore he was, but / hoped some
time he might come back and know the
truth. He will never know now, Mar
tha,' she said, unless we meet in heav-
en- And / put the little pockets, with
the letter in them. under her head in
the coffin, as she babe me. Sort of like
a story, isn't it, sir?'
at is very like a story" said my
, great-uncle.
he sat looking at the picture for
awhile, and the girl went on. The
property was left to a charity, all but a
legacy to herself, and there. was to be
an auction next day, and she was clean
Ing. up for it, and then she begged him
to rest himself rs long as he pleased
and went about her work.
When she had gone Ruben Van Note
took the miniature Of poor Priscilla
Jan from the mantelpiece and put 1t
into his bosom and walked away.
DQubfIQgs the maid Wondered lonfy