Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-12-21
THE ROMANCE OF
A CHRISTMAS CAROL

would suit you better. s:hail 1 see her
about them?"
Well, don't know replied Jervis,
Knocking the ashes out Of his pipe into
.he ilre beside him. II almost think I'D
prefer seeing them myself. You sec,' he
added. alphabetically, being an old bache-
Tor all these years 1 nave got used to
looking after myself
on, go by all means. l don't mind. 1
am sure you will like the rooms,
Well, ! will go right away now. Where
did you say the ~Broughtons lived?"
The Broughtons! Down by the old mill.
told YOU the other day. Ii was Miss
pratts rooms i told you To look at. She
lives in one of those nice new houses i'm
Leslie road: No. 3, l think ii is
mo. 9 Oh, very WE'LL said .Jeryis. and
putting ON his overcoat he wcilt out. 1t
was, however, toward the old mill that he
directed MS footsteps. and not toward the
em-neltly senteel locality of Leslie road.
There Was Il piano in the small sitting
room of which Jervis became the owner.
~ was Il very ancient affair. Jervis was
1ond OF music. and frequently
waitzes for his own amusement. One
ai'ernoon-it was about three weeks after
ne had taken up his abode in the house hy
the mill-time was hanging exceedingly
wearily ON his hands.
Tie had Il nasty cold, for one thing.
which made him cross and irritable: for
another, the rain had never ceased to fall
all day.
When Mrs. Broughton came in witt, his
Yea Things, his patience had worn quite
threadbare,
He reviled the weather. the season. the
climate In general and his own stupidity
TOT returning; home at such a tine of the
year. Then, calming down n little, he in
CURED whether Miss Broughton could lend
nm some music to amuse himself with.
Inc widow smiled, and, departing, pres
entry returned with Il great pile, which
she put down on the tab'e reside him.
Jervis thanked her, aa., hogan to turn
inc music over sheet after sheet.
Your daughter Is musicale" he re-
marked.
The sad-faced little woman frightened
UP.
oh. YES she replied, smiling. ..Madge
used to sing and play beautifully before
she broke off suddenly and the smile
disappeared. Jervis waited for her to COM
pete the sentence, but she made no at
tempt to do %so-only finished setting the
table and hurried away.
AS he drank his tea, Jervis continued to
turn oyer the pile of music with careless
fingers.
First came old scale books and sonatas
"AN IlCCSS lUdI
had been approved at the Ladies' Semi
nary OF which Margaret Rroughton had
peen a pupil in her girlhood. Then came
music OF a later date, waltzes, operas and
songs. Some of these had her name or
lEe name of a giver scrawled in the cor
her. Jelvls' eyes rested on q torn and fad
ed copy of Mary of Argyle in the top
rlght-hand corner of which was written in
a flour-shing hand: 'Madge, from Fred
~Crowther.'
"Whew.' whistled Jervis. as his hand
rested on the song; that's the very ticket!
Funny i did not remember before; but
GOOD Lord. how she has changed.
Yes. am certain she is the same girl
Fred crowtaer was engaged to when we
We're at Blakeley's together. Now 1 ann
beginning to remember things
He leaned his hea<, on his hands TO as
sist the process.
Now. What was it that happened? Her
father got into some sort of a mess. lost
fls money or some hing, ana shot him
self Yes. that was it, and Fred broke
n TIE sill He always was a beastly
ed that fe. low
s gentle tap disturbed his reviving mem
cries 1t was Marsarat herself who had
eeiite 20 re eve the tea things.
JtrNls watched her 4 few minutes in ST.
lsfee as she piled the china on to her
nave borrowed yc,r rusic..' he said
ct last hrcnaing the silence.
She looked up with a smile that recalled |
TO him the merry-faced girl whose por-
trait had stood on Fred Crowtl.er,s table |
years ago.
You are very welcome to it but I am
afraid it is all rather out of Gate"
II wish you would sing r,e something"
said the young man. impulsively. 81 am
awfully fond of music, and it is pretty
SLOW here by myself. I am sure Mrs. |
Broushton would enjoy hearing you, too"
II am afraid l am very much out of
practice" faltered Margaret.
OF course, because l have deprived YOU
of your piano all the time. Do practice |
a little tonight. l assure you 1t would be |
a most charitable action,
That evening Margaret Broughton sang
not one but many songs to Jerv!s Chand- |
ler's somewhat erratic accompaniment. It
suddenly struck Jervis when mother and
daughter had retired that 1t was a long (
tlme-a very long time-since he had spent
so pleasant an evening.
' He sat longer thar usual over his last
pipe. thinking and humm.ng occasional
snatches of the songs she had sung tn
MIN. 1t was a little after midnight when
he was startled by Il hurried knock and
the opening of his door. Margaret Broueh- |
ton stood on the threshold with pale face
and frightened eyes.
MY mother Is taken Ill., she rasped. |
Would you go for the doctor? l dare not
leave her alone"
Jervis bounded from his chair and was !
away almost before she had finished
speaking. his cold entirely forgotten. For
some days the patient little woman. with |