The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-02-21
Miranda Wood S Romance
BY Ethel Bret Hartc.

been scorching and lashing into
white heat the little New England
| village of Northfeld all day. was now
| setting red behind a cluster of frs
upon the far off fanks of the Berk-
shire hills, sinking slowly, drowsily
| to rest in vivid haze, as though worL
out with It's own fierce intensity.
One cottage, standing apart from
| this cluster of dwellings, alone seem
| ed desolate, this sense of loneliness
being tonight intensified by the al
most tragically forlorn figure of n
tall, gaunt woman sitting rigidly
upon the doorstep, her thin hands
| clasped tightly about her knees.
But tonight, musing on her door
| step, Miranda felt strangely troubled
| and perpleXed in mind, for a con-
versation she had overheard on her
return from work that evening kept
repeating itself to her brain with
| startling frequency and distinctness.
II had so happened that while
passing along the village street she
had encountered Deacon Scovillc,
who, in shirt sleeves and carpet slip
pers, a corncob pipe contentedly
tucked away In the corner of his
mouth, was chatting lazily over his
garden gate with Pete Farman, this
latter gentleman being entirely alb
sorbed in the engrossing though
somewhat strenuous occupation of
cleaning his nails with large jack
knife.
AS Miranda approached the Dea-
con had hailed her with n CHEEKY
Good evening, Mirandie. Powerful
hot, amt it," while Pete, looking mp
grudgingly from his rugged toilet,
had remarked with quiet insolence.
Most hot enough to roast taters on
your tin roof, amt It, eh?"
The Deacon's remarks Mirandy
had acknowledged with sharp bow
of assent, while her eyes had swept
scornfully the impudent, grnning
face of Pete Farman The next in
stant she had turned the corner of
the wood Sharply and was lost to
view behind the tall lilac hedge
which formed an almost impenetra-
bic wall at the side of the Deacon's
garden.
Here she stopped, ostensibly to
settle her bonnet with an angry jerk,
but in reality to recover her breath
and composure, which seemed 90 be
slipping from her in gusts of fury.
AS she was about to start on again.
the wind, swaying the lilac tops
hither and thither. brought the
voices of the two men she had Just
quilted clearly and distinctly to her
ears, holding her as though spell
bound in curious though Mortified
fascination.
"Hurrah!" laughed Pete Farman:
there goes the gal what's never
been kissed; don't wonder, it ed
take a powerful nerve. Gul, what a
facel Looks like she'd been reared
on persimmons. Euf!"
Then the Deacons voice drawled
softly:-"I don't believe that yarn
bout her never havin' been kissed.
Miranda's most powerful homely,
but she's got good heart all the
same, and that's bound to have
fetched some feller, leastwise long
enough to give her kiss"
So now Miranda was turning the
details of this conversation over in
her mind with Puritanlike precision
and candor. She had never had any
sympathy or even patience with love
and regarded all those suffering
from this strange malady as but
nf I'M IN ha
treated accordingly with contempt
scorn.
1t had also been Miranda's habit to
catechise herself, to turn her emo
tions to the pitiless light of her al
most morbid conscience. and she
now insisted emphatically, albeit a
trife mournfully:-
NO; | amt never been kissed"
But already the feeling of anger
and resentment which had at first
been paramount was giving place to
one of singular softness as she
| thought again of the deacon's words.
| So ''she had a good heart" she had
| almost forgotten she had one. and
| placed her hand hurriedly to her left
| side TO make sure that 1t was really
| there
Tonight some stronger will than
hers seemed swaying the current OF
her thoughts; some power at once
| alluring and suggestive with which
Reason battled fruitlessly; some
wine which seemed to lull her
senses into blissful confusion and
to which she finally gave herself up
with childlike abandon.
81 wonder what it's like" she
murmured, while again that vague
softness enveloped her as in a cloak.
Il wonder" she repeated-but
here the trees began to dance in lazy
rhythm before her eyes as, lulled by
the drone of insects in the grass, she
fell asleep.
Hide me quick, for Gods sake!"
cried hoarse voice in Miranda's ear
while rough hand upon her shoul.