The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1903-03-03
MIRANDY'S
ROW
by MRS. GEORGE p. HAsBRoUcK.

after city folks an city ways" OBJ
served Mrs. Rightmeyer TO Mrs. ODER
baugh. as they sat together at Widow
Diedrich's quilting party; IAN Griffin''
Corners nd a-been quite as well off Ell
it nd never heard of such things az
summer boarders."
THAT it would" returned Mrs Died
rich, "ez anybody thet's had 'em
knows. They're that fnnicky 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 Nevins9" said Mrs. Ober-
baugh.
why, amt you heard she's keepin'
steady company wi Arthur Morrison,
what's boardin' down to Mrs. Van
Blums?"
Land salses alive. eff tibet don't beat
all Mirandy, what's close onto 20,
got city chap for beaui"
Eyes, an awfully gone on him too,
they say. tell you, Mirandy's got to
look quite clipper"
Mrs. 0berbaugh was too much as
tonished to reply, nothing quite so
startling having come within her no
tice for years.
Il hope he's not after her money"
Mrs. Diedrich remarked, after pause.
BLESS you, no; rich man like him
wouldn't think shucks of Mirandy's
little bit; but ! guess he sees she's
capital manager, an IL make things
go twice ez far ex one of them city
gels"
AN Mirandy's got beau at last.
Well, well, Welt ] 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 late settin' but added
eggs"
Yes, 1t 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 golden
afternoon. Left an orphan in early
childhood, she had been adopted by u
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 38 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 q girl had been DESTROYED by
care and toll. AS the people at Crit
fms Corners expressed it, "Mirandy
always held up the heavy end"
Her life had been colorless and sad
beyond expression; not a single CLEAN
of love had come into It until she met
Arthur Morrison. He loved her-ah, II
was impossiblel 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, repeated
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 Injuries with
which he would surrcEad her; he
loved her, and in that assurance Law
wealth of riches passing all magma
tion. Everyone noticed how the old
careworn look passed away Curing
those days of her lately found happi-
ness, and when at times blush would
steal over her face, II 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 purchase
while the mail was being distributed.
and though she never ventured. TO ask
II there was a letter, her lingering
steps and wistfu looks were perfectly
understood. This had gone on for
some weeks. when one morning Miriam
da received a letter from the.dead let
VI VaAstct anu Aounu Nltn1H IL ntT own
20 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 to un-
ravel the mystery; IL 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-neverl
Grifiin's Corners had, according to
fts custom, taken the liveliest inter-
est in the progress of Miranda's love
affair; but the little woman had been
very reticent, and speculation had had |
TO supply the lack OF actual informa-
ton.
Miranda's reserve being so well
known, 1t was therefore rather a sur
prise TO find her quietly discussing the
QUESTION of her supposed engagement |
at the minister's annual dona ton par
~. The little woman was the center |
OF group. and had an unusual glow
of color on her cheeks as she spoke.