Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-08-03

~
n T was the first warm day Of spring.
Miss SSai.na Davis, white-haired and
slightly stout, stood at the daintiiy
curtained window Of her neat dining
room, and looked out upon a bed OF red
keranlums. She held an open letter In
her hand. Not many a long year nad
Miss salinas face worn such an e1-
preston Of woe.
When the postmaster's whistle sound
"a, Miss Salina was pleasantly engaged
In removing her pretty flowers from the
bit In which they had rested all winter
o the round bed in the middle Of tho
smoothly shayen green plot. At the
click OF the gate she had come forWard
pleasantly. as people do to greet a vel
rome visitor, and extended q gauntieled
hand to the postmaster. The letter tnat
was delivered to her bore the postnark
aSt. LOUIS Miss salina had no regu-
lar correspondents. The handwriting
was not familiar to her she couldn't
remember, for the moment. any person
ii friends who might be writing to her
From st. Louis.
There were people In tho Town who
tsaid that not even dynamite could give
Miss salina 4 shock. BY inheritance,
BIZ education, By religion, she was OF
the serene kind.
III Deliberately, ana with care, che
Spened the letter and began to read.
her expression, a. she progressed. chang
ang from serenity to surprise, ana men
70 actual dismay. BY tho time the sis-
nature was reached, for the frst time
Ia her life. Miss salina had suffered 2
severe shock. She stood TOR . moment
aikA one transnxed, and then walked
quickly into the house.
a loft bresas 1uttsred the white
curtains OF the dining room windows
between which Miss salina stood still
q I statue.
III you please, ma'am Miss
Salina turned to the maidofAll-work.
ana rave her orders for the day. Then
awakened from hcr trance. she sas
down IN i rocking chair. and suifsred
tear OF self.pity to trickls down her
cheelA She opened the Letter ana n
read It'll
my Dear Aunt Salinas
Although va hare never met ] have
always loved you - mamma's only
sister. when this reaches you, my
Dear child WIN bs without = relative
n tho world rave yoursslf. Dear Aunt
ealins, for the sake Of mamma. b Z
protector to my child. ! leave her 70
you. All ! have been able to give her
~ ! GOOD education. She graduated
aast year from the high school. and *
pects to teach for her livelihood. Shs
q 1 sweet child. and ! am sure Will
give you no trouble Your loving
CORA"
For thirty-Ave years Miss Salina had
lived alone. She CARD nothing for so
cial life, and few people W came TO
khe house. She loved most her books
and her birds and her flowers. Miss
Ealina gloried In her solitude. Nov
khis beautiful solitude was 70 b broken
In upon BY 1 girl % 16s who probably
would All the house with loud-talking
people, who would look upon her amt
- IN ogre, 10 most young people do
fHpon those under whose care they are
Ism. Miss salina felt tbs earth slippin0
f:om under her fest. The house With
~ beAutlful old furniture was no long
~ hsrs. she bad loved her inanimate
a,Qb1ects q II they had been human.
be glanced up At the portrait of her
krandmother that hung ' : the mantel
shelf. The quiet 49, seemed 20 look
aeerenaly down upon her. The red pop
~ the gilded cage above her head
moved happily behind IT. prison bars.
Nho mocklnshird that lived In ths live
eak ne was singing away y merrily
~ K nothing had happened: Only Miss
ealina was wretchsd. shs buried her
face n her hands and began to cry
softly.
Mis- ealina had one regular. visitor,
HI Tyrrell, H. cleverest young man
III III village.
Bob had been ! caller On Miss Salina
s1Sum III boyhood mp. He vas ! genius
III III NY ana loved 10 drop = and
s1aYk bifdlore with her. There va no
iiother woman In the town who had Miss
salinas culture. ~ hob slipped In q
s4he window on this morning before
Gol1G dpen 10 his WORK. ~ caught his
'o5d frlGnd n tears.
sWlg, Hiss 6alina,D Ne said, what
1(1nppened1 | just ran In 70 ehow
y01thi1sW water turkey that I eAnGht
pWn A. ~ cypress swsmp. I'm 6plne
haySs 4 stu4sd for your EAster pre-