The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1909-05-07
~Ol'ver Wendell Holmes,

THE pathetic life of q woman who had
married to please" Narrated by
Jessie Anderson Stickney.)
Ii was drawing near the close of the
month. and the uppermost thought In
every mind that morning was that
within twcntv-four hours, what the
simple folk OF Grand Manan had been
pleased 10 cal. the queer crowd at the
Turner place would BE no more by
sea or shore" For six weeks We had
been enjoying life in that quaint little
Island rs only ten arrant Bohemians,
blessed either with clear co~nsciences or
bad memories can. but now IL was all
over, and tomorrow would see cur woe
oiled and sun bllstered faces turned
sorrowfully toward civilization again.
Meanwhile we had finished break
fast and were waiting for Asa-in fact
full three-fourths Of our stay I'm Grand
Manan had been spent in just such
waiting for Asa" On the night OF our
arrival at the island. Asa had lounged
up To the little place we had hired and
graciously proffered his services as
guide or anything else we pleased dur
Ing our stay. A lean, lank, lackadaisi-
cal young giant. his exceeding length Of
limb. and air Of good fellowship, some
how captured our fancy, and we hired
him then and there. and ever since,
Asa's yagaries. Asa's ov%erweening lazi-
ness. aud general .undependableness,"
as little Mrs. Graham styled 1t, Asa's
o ul-harrowlng good nature and never
failing ~penitence, had proved an unend-
Ing source OF amusement and amaze
ment To- us all. while Mark Densnore,
our author candidly confessed that
Asa had provided him with material
for unlimited copy.
Asa was even later than usual this
morning. however. and we were CORE
spondingly elated more than usual
when his familiar white horse and long
ramshackle wagon ratified round the
corner. As antediiuvian coach drew
up at the door. we saw that instead OF
Asa's beaming. good -natured face and
long loose jolnted figure, the driver was
4 woman-and such a
As she swung herself over the side
and came up the graveled walk with A
long. easy graceful stride. BERTHE Boyd
was the only one TO speak.
'DIana of Ephesus In n fsherman's
Jersey. by all that's holy" he said.
Journalism seems to engcnder the read
mess Of tongue.
A tall, slender figure. set of by the
close fitting blue jersey AMI scant flannel
skirt she wore a grandly poised head
with a wealth Of brown gold hair
caught carelessly back from the face rs
fawiezs as though chiseled from mar
bic. and ms eoiorless. save for the
browuish tlnge 1t had gained through
constant exposure 10 the sun; dark
gray eyes, 50 dark "a 70 seem almost
black under the shade Of the lashes
q mouth perfect In curve and coloring,
though perhaps a tribe too closely shut
and severely held for perfect beauty
top on the whole with a wide~brimmel,
battered straw hat that had once been
white. and you have u Diana" as we
saw her for the first time.
I'm Asa's Wife" she said simply. as
she halted In the open doorway. "Asa's
sick. hut | can drive you all right II
you'll let me- Then. with a shade
more "a gerne~s. as no one spoke-.I
really can. and--and. we need the
money so."
or course that settled II. and we
climbed into our accustomed places in a
silence ~ contrary io cur wont that II
would have filed any beholder with
wonder.
So that was .Asa's redoubtable wife /,
We had heard much of her since our
arrival. for II was generally acknowl-
edged among the natives that Asa's
wife was just "A little 'off" In her head,
and that AS Nancy. u chore woman,
graphically put 4. "Asa'd got his hands
full and his galluses to hold up In the
management Of the said better half. In
fact. we had very often forgiven the
eell6w eor some more than ordinary ex-