Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-07-25

n T was the first warm day Of spring
Miss Salina Davis, white-haired and
slightly stout, stood at the daintily
eurtained window Of her neat dining
room, and looked out upon bed Of red
Reraniums. She held an open letter in
her hand. Not many long year had
Miss Salinas face worn such an ex-
preston of woe.
When the postmaster's whistle sound
ID, Miss Salina was pleasantly engaged
IN removing her pretty flowers from the
pit In which they had rested all winter
b the round bed in the middle Of the
smoothly shaven green plot At the
click Of the gate she had come forward
pleasantly, as people do to greet wei
come visitor, and extended gauntleted
hand to the postmaster. The letter that
was delivered to her bore the postmark
EST. Louis" Miss salina had no regu-
lar correspondents. The handwriting
was not familiar to her; she couldn't
remember, for the moment, any person
al friends who might be writing to her
from st. Louis.
There were people In the town who
aid that not even dynamite could give
Miss salina shock. By inheritance,
By education, by religion, she was Of
the serene kind.
Deliberately, and with care, she
opened the letter and began to read,
herexpression, as she progressed, chang
ing from serenity to surprise, and then
10 actual dismay. By the time the sig
nature was reached, for the first time
IN her life, Miss Salina had suffered a
severe shock. She stood for moment
like one transfxed, and then walked
quickly into the house.
A soft breeze fluttered the white
curtains Of the dining room windows
between which Miss Salina stood still
rs a statue.
"If you please, ma'am-" Miss
Balina turned to the maid-of-all-work,
and gave her orders for the day. Then
awakened from her trance, she sat
down in a rocking chair, and suffered
3 tear Of self-pity to trlckle down her
cheek. She opened the letter and re-
read It:
"My Dear Aunt Salina:
Although we have never met, I have
always loved you as mammals only
sister. When this reaches you, my
dear child will be without a relative
Ia the world save yourself. Dear Aunt
salina, for the sake of mamma, be a
protector to my child. L leave her to
Fou. All have been able to give her
Is a good education. She graduated
last year from the high school, and ex-
poets to teach for her livelihood. She
ls g sweet child, and I am sure will
give you no trouble. Your loving
CORA"
For thirty-flve years Miss Salina had
lived alone. She cared nothing for So
cial life, and few people ever came to
the house. She loved most her books
and her birds and her flowers. Miss
Ealina gloried in her solitude. Now
this beautiful solitude was to be broken
"a upon by a girl Of IS, who probably
would I'LL the house with loud-talking
people, who would look upon her aunt
Nd Ill O&LSg ulOSI SOudS PCOp4S QO
upon those under whose care they are
left. Miss Salina felt the earth slipping
from under her feet. The house with
It's beautiful old furniture was no long
or hers. She had loved her inanlmate
objects as If they had been human.
Ehs glanced up at the portrait Of her
grandmother that hung over the mantel
shelf. The quiet eyes seemed to look
serenely down upon her. The red pop
In the gilded cage above her head
moved happily behind It's prison bars.
The mockingbird that lived in the live
oak tree was singing away as merrily
as If nothing had happened. Only Miss
salina was wretched. She buried her
face in her hands and began to cry
softly.
Miss Sallna had one regular visitor,
Bob Tyrrell, the c!eyerest young man
IN the village.
Bob had been a caller on Miss Salina
from his boyhood up. He was a genius
In his way and loved to drop IN and