The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1908-01-02

| in ceneral-then on the hi'hei Slho 20
| the way some three or four nelsh-
ho.s, houses aud opposite the black
,n,ith.s shop and postoliice. the latter
! ~ course in "A store. where YOU could
| inv ANYTHING from state groceries 10
| shingles.
IN short Fairfield was an eastern
,ill,ga whose cause had departed.
Community drained of the male prin-
cjnle leaving only q few queer men,
tha blacksmith and some halfiing boys
10 give tone to the background OF do2-
ems of old maids.
An unsympathetic stranger would
have felt that nothing was left to the
Fairticldians but memory, and the
sooner they lost that the better.
Take wineglasSful of raspberry
vinegar. two tableSpoonfuls of su3ar,
half cup each of boneset and rhu-
bard. a good fun cup Of the milk OF
human Kindness, dilute in gallon OF
water and YOU have the flavor OF
Fairfield. There was just enough OF
each ingredient to spoil the taste OF
all the rest.
Miss Matte rested her elbow on the
railing. her chin in her hand, ana
gazed thoughtfully about her. As
matter of fact. she was the most in
spiring thing in view. At a distance
of fifty yards she was still tall, slen-
der girl. Her body retained the habit
as we'll as the lines of youth, a trick
of gliding into unexpected. pleasing at
titudes. which would have been aWk-
ward but for the SuppleneSS of limb
TO which they testified ana the uncon-
sciousneSS and ease of their Irregular
ity.
Her face was child's face in the
enrolling sense of the word. The rec
ord Of the years written upon it seem
ed maSquerade-the face of a clear
eyed girl of fourteen made up to rep
resent her own aunt at fancy dress
party: Il face drawn tritle fine. a lit
tie ascetic. but balanced by the hui
NOR of the large, shapely mouth. and
really beautiful in bone and contour,
the beauty of miSnonette and doves
and gentle things.
You could see that she was thirty-tive
in the blatant candor of noon, but now,
blushed with the pink of the setting
sun, she was still in the days Of the
fairy prince.
Miss Mattie's reyerie idled over the
year upon year of respectable stupidity
that represented life in Fairfield. while
her eyes and soul were in the boiling
gold of the sky glory. She sighed.
A panorama of life minced before
Miss Matte's mind about as vivid and
full of red corpuscles as Greek
frieze. Her affectionate nature was
starved. They visited each other, the
ladies of Fairfield-these women who
had rolled on the floor together as
babies-in their best black or green OF
whatever it might be, and gloves
this though the summer sun might be
hammering down with all his might
And then they sat in closed room
and talked in reserved fashion which
was entirely the property OF the call
OF course one could have q moments
real talk by chance meeting. and there
were the natural griefS of life to break
the corsetS Of this etiquette. although
in general the griefs seemed to be
| long drawn out and conventional ar
| fairs. as if nature herself at last yield
| ed to the system, conquered by the
| invincible conventionality and stub
| bornness of the ladies of Fairfield. Il
was the unspOken but firm belief OF
each of these women that person
| Of their circle who had no more ides
Of responsibility than to drop dead ol
| the public road would never 90 t
| heaven.
Poor Miss Matte. Small wonde
she dropped her hands, sat back au(
wondered, with another sigh if it were
for this she was born. She did no
reb,,l-there was no violence in her
but she regretted exceedingly. In spit
of her slendernesS it was wild
mother lap in which her hands rested
an obvious cradle for little children
And instinctively 1t would come to yo'
as you looked at her that there coul,
be no more comfortable place for
tired man to come home to than
household presided over by this Sloy
moving, gentle woman.
There was nothing old maidish abou
Miss Matte but the tale Of her years
She had had offers. such as Fairfield
and vicinity could boast, and decline
them with tact and the utmost graf
tude to the sutton for the compliment
but her no" though mild, was firm
for there lay within her n certain quie
: valiant spirit which would rather Ell
dure the fatigue and loneliness Of ol
age in her little house than 70 take
larger life from any but the man VIII
: was ala commonplace In fiction,
real life sometimes quite a strain.
The sun distorted himself into a Ru.
:, by football and hurried down as thong
: to be through with Fairfield as 500
as possible. 1t was most magnificer
. sunset. flaming, gorgeous. wild--b,
yond the management Of the women
Fairfield-and Miss Matte stared int
the heart of 1t with longing for som,
thing to happen. Then the though
came. What could happen?" ST
III.