The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-02-03
Returning the Presents.
100000
BY ARNOLD GOLDSWORTHY.

G OPHIE MEADOWS sat in the little
y parlor at the back of her mothers
shop and gazed dismally out into the
garden where the last brown leaves
were falling from the limbs 10 the
soggy footpath below.
The scene was not altogether an I'M
sympathetic one for Sophie, since she
was sad at heart that dull, misty after
noon. Indeed, there were signs that
she had been crying; and when Sophie
cried, her nose grew very red indeed,
and a woman will rot incur risk Of
that sort without the most acute
proV0cation.
In the cpring it had all been so diff
fcrcnt David Trotter, who managed
the village flour mil for his father,
and who was beside a most eligible
young man in every way, had asked
Sophie to be his wife. and the earth
had seemed so fair 10 her then.
Summer had~been spring intensified;
and the brightness OF her life had
seemed quite dazzling. And now
everything was cherries and damp,
the sun was cold and the fire of true
and only love had spluttered out and
left Sophie with bruised heart and
red nose
Everybody knew it was Dayids-
that Is. Mr.. Trotters-fault; or, at
least; everybody to whom Sophie had
rnrntioncd the matter.
Sophie's mother had perhaps not
qIite Grasped the full meaning of the
awful crisis in her daughters bright
young life. The good soul had even
spoken lightly Of it, affecting to treat
IL as mere lovers quarrel, and that
at time when Sophie had been seri-
ouSIy considering whether she ought
to go into a nunnery or just pine away
and die in the back Darlor of home.
Sophie knew for fact that David
or. rather, Mr. Trotter-had been seen
flirting With Faith Duker, the creature
who set her cap at everybody. The
thing had been seen in the village;
and after a likely bit OF scandal had
gone the round Of a village like Dun
Stead its own mother would not have
recognized it at the finish.
- David had gone so far as to meet the
creature second time by appoint
ment, and that, OF course, capped his
tniquity Everybody knows that no
self-respecting girl can put up with
goingS-on like that. .....-
It would not have mattered so much
If ne had admitted his error, and had
10
fitting display Of contrition. But David
had had the effrontery to deny the
charge, and had actually punched
young Harper about dreadfully for iust
casually mentioning the matter to a
circle of friends at the Blue Anchor.
Which just shows you the true char
acter OF people like David should
say. Mr. Trotter.
And yesterday Sophie had taken her
pen in hand, and after laboriousi sly
studying the dictionary so as to be
sure that She had got the long words
right, had intimated to Mr.. Trotter in
cold and dignifed terms that all was
ROW over between them, and he would
receive per bearer the presents he had
HttuS hi, anu HeuCtiOElH tHey s.eTS
strangers foreyermore. Amen.
On other days Sophie would have
been helping her mother in the shop;
but to-day She could do nothing but
sit and watch the leaves fall. AS it
grew dusk she got up and lit the lamp
There was her knitting on the table.
The woody squares hanging from the
needles were the foundations of pair
of socks that had been intended for
him. Now, of course, they would go
to the heather via the parish church
and the missionary society. No doub.
the heather would be more apprecia-
tive, though perhaps woollen socks
il the tropics might be a little trying
10 the untutored savage mind. And
then
Sophie"
It was the voice of Mrs. Meadows,
calling from the shop. And moment
later the good soul put her head into
the parlor and aided:
Sophie. It's David. He's come to
see you"
1'Tell him l don't want to see him,
mother" she said. after what's ZAP
pened don't want to speak to him
again
Mrs. Meadows turned back to her
shop. but before she could repeat the
portentous message, David was already
at the parlor door. Mrs. Meadows was