Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1903-10-07

enough for a three volume, but her
surname took away from whatever
romance it had ever held, and Miss
10 had never changed her name.
Josephine Stallabrass, an unmusical
combination, but common enough IN
country Astounding with Medlocks,
Mortlocks and Guivers, Hitches ana
Abbies, unmusical all. Miss 10 was
neither young nor old. Some people
are the same age all their adult life.
Her face had not a wrinkle, her eyes
were blue. clear and penetrating, her
skin as supple as that Of child, her
mouth not small, but well shaped. 1t
is difficult in a few words to fully
describe the beauty or otherwise OF a
person, and it is not our business here
to make a pen and ink portrait OF
Miss 10; but her pervading express
sion, her atmosphere one might almost
call it, was one of deep, grave peace
Jo, in days gone by, had suffered
keenly, had bent, not broken, unoer
the cross she carried, as Is the way
with brave women, and the outcome
had been what we now find her at
forty, helpful, strong woman.
She was poor-the neighbors did not
know how poor, or Of course help
would have been proffered-but man
aged to pay her way and no more;
she could just make both ends meet,
but they did not overlap by hairs
breadth.
Her father had owned the mill and
left but little behind him when he
died. the mill itself had passed into
other hands, but Miss 10 still occupied
the little cottage attached to 1t.
The rooms were low ceilinged and
black panelled, Boosting quaint old
fashioned furniture. In the living
room on the ground floor, red tiled and
some inches lower than the Intel of
the door, was an old oak settle that
one could almost see ones face in, for
thrifty housewives had FURNISHED 1t
for a couple of centuries or more.
Miss 10 had occupied this house all
her life. Since her school days she
had never slept out Of it, and now,
with the soft June twilight falling
upon it, fox once in her life she felt
and almost rebelled against the unut-
terable loneliness.
The mill house stood at the end OF
& long narrow lane, with six foot
bitches on either side and giant elms,
their branches INTERVIEWING, arched
the roadway and made a twilight on
the brightest day.
If any ene had peeped into the Hv-
Ing room now and looked at its ten
ants sweet face ne would have seer
that an expression almo3t of despair
rested upon it.
Miss JOS rent was due; the amount
was only four pounds, and she was
utterly unable to pay IT; moreover,
this was the last quarter Of her ten
ancy and she knew that nothing
would induce her landlord to renew
her lease. He wanted the cottage FOR
a gardener. There was nothing upon
which she could raise money Had
she known it, collector would have
paid her ten times tho amount she
owed for the old oak settle, had she
been willing to part with it; but no
collector had ever clapped eyes upon
it. She had a very small ste Of eggs
and poultry, but so had ever.
AS she stood at the door W ing
the blinking lights Of the aleho.se at
the eud of the lane, the past came
before her very wildly, and her eyes
were tear-dimmed.
Twenty years before Guy Hale had
come to lodge with them for some
months. An extension of the line was
being made and he was in charge of a
section. AS to his actual social posi-
ton, it was superior to hers, and he
was well-read and intellectual; but
his father, marrying again. had turned
him 0drift, and he had taken to engi-
neering as duck takes to water, and
went through the mill thoroughly
greasy, .rimy and happy.
He was older than ste and a young
w1dower, but his married life had been
a SHORT and wretched one; they had
separated, and he showed 10 the &C.
count of her death by shipwreck. The
twain fell in love. It is honest to say
that he fell in love for the first time
in his life, while Josephine gave him
a whole-hearted, passionate devotion
that no one but her lover knew her
to be capable OF.
They had been scr "a" twice, and on
the third occasion the quiet, half
empty little church had been startled
by the II forbid the bannsw in the
clipping tones Of a Londoner. And
the strange woman-town, not country
bred, bedecked and bedizened, called
Guy husband"
The shock nearly killed the loving
woman. Then her father died, and
she managed to exc out very scanty
living by doing odd dressmaking Jobs
for the farmers wives, and for q time
she had a few little pupils, too young
even for the village school. The small
blackboard on it's trestles stood in the