Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1905-11-17
er fans, tho cut-glass decanters ana

glasses. the painted china in the cor
ner cupboard. the foot-stool like a mel
on. the lamp-mat like a rose. Nothing
had worn u OF grown shabby in the
spinster's little home.
"Once," he said, Miss Nancy sat
for a minia ture to a painter then we'll
known. 1t was a speaking likeness.
Does it by chance remain In the
houseY'
Il think 1t does" I said. The heir,
q nephew, a rich man, who lives In
New Orleans, wrote orders that the
house should be sold with all Its be-
longings. and I think the miniature
you mean Is here"
l went to the e%scritoire, and drew
from one Of the drawers the likeness
Il narrow gold frame. l doubt If 1T
really resembled any living being.
1t was a beautiful doll. all pink and
white with blue eyes, little brown
curls penciled IN the forehead. and q
white frill about the neck; but as l
put 1t into the hand of Bachelor Bar
ton. lie gazed upon it with rapture.
Miss Nancy's very self" he said,
"as she appeared at twenty-five. There
are no such women now" He paused.
and. with n low bow, added. with
the exception Of the fair lady In whose
presence now stand"
l Courtesied. hope did 1t proper
ly. l. seemed the only thing to do
under tn, circumstances.
After this l begged the old gentle
man to visit any portion Of the house
and grounds he pleased, and when he
went away presented him with Miss
N0ncy'S miniature, for which he
kissed my hand, standing at n long
distance and touching my fingers as
though they were sacred relics.
We talked him over at teatime. Jack
and i, and made up our minds thai he
had once been a suitor OF Miss Nan
cy's. 1t was not a very difficult nat
ter to guess that. and from that day
he called frequently. He made he his
confldante at Inst.
He had adored Miss Nancy, he told
me, and she had returned his affection,
and they had become engaged to each
other, with the consent of the mother,
and all went merry as Il marriage bell
until, In some manner, he offended the
object of his alteration.
! Judge he made her jealous, having
been in his day a beau Of the first
water. and much admired by the la
dies; but he was too modest to say SO
outright. But, at all events, she would
hot forgive him. She refused him the
miniature which had been painted for
him; she took back her lock CT hair
II sent him back his letters, and in
all sorts of ways wreaked vengeance
upon him for his evil doing. Yet I be-
lieve she intended to relent and for
give; and he also thought so, 1 am
sure. He made every possible apollo
gy and overture, but she yielded not
one inch.
At last her mother died. That great
sorrow, it seemed to him, must bow
her pride, and she must more than
ever need a comforter, a consider, q
protector.
Allowing time for the first burst Of
grief, he wrote to her, asking her to
reply, whatever her fiat might be, beg
ging her to forgive him, and once more
| promise to be his wife.
"She never. answered me-" he said.
"She never gave me one word in re-
ply"
1t was on my tongue to say she had
been very vindictive, but l saw that
that would not do. Miss Nancy was
sainted in his memory, and could be
suspected Of no wrong whatever.
II erred beyond forgiveness, sweet
angel he said-"l erred beyond for
~giveness;' inc Bachelor Barton could
not have been moved from his opin-
ion by the whisper Of an angel.
".Auntie," cried my little nephew,
there's something In the crows nest"
was sitting in my garden, and the
voice sounded above my head.
I looked up with a start. In
the road outside arose a tall pole,
and from time immemorial, a
great crows nest had crowned it.
How little Billy had managed to reach
its apex I a not say, but there he
was, and, speeches. with horror, l
could only implore him, in dumb-slow,
to descend.
AIe lS"ClSu Will u ldO6h, AuhS
something to the ground, and come
sliding down after It.
"You naughty boy" I cried, az 1
caught him in my arms.
ITS not a bit like n nest, auntle."
he said. ITS all ugly and muddy.
There were some feathers in 1t, black,
and there was a dead bird, and there
was that cap-a queer cap. 1 never
saw such a funny thing"
He picked from the grass the object
he had cast down. 1t looked like a
crushed leather box, and had been
melted by the sun and soaked by the
rain until 1t was s~hapeless: but 1t GER
tainly proved to be a queer, old-fash-
toned cap, with a peak, and lined with
oiled silk; and as Billy tossed it about
and turned it inside out, a square.
white package dropped from some Sc
cret spot beneath his lining, which
had kept 1t from destruction adown
the years. s.z.E. j. Hf'~.' ..'.s 81
Long years they must have been, for
the letter had been written before the
days when envelopes We're used, was
curiously folded. and sealed with a
large seal on which was marked the