The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-14
(By Donald Allen.)


Yes, Miss Madge is here, but she
hain't gwine to fool away her time on
you no more dan / am. Dis am our
busy day. See?''
Miss Madge Rayburn was not so far
but that the humble of voices reached
her ears. She drowsed and wondered
and rose out of the hammock and
walked around the house.
What is 1t, Linda?"
Dis yere fool woman wants to make
fools of us, Miss"
The gypsy advanced and took the
girls hand.
ct will be at night
.Burgiars!" grunted Linda.
TT will be in winter"
Wish 1t was yere todayi'
There will be a high wind and fly
ing snow"
One O. dem billiards or buzzards,
or Whatever dey calls 'emi'
You will meet him midst the
storm
''Hu! 1t will be de miIkman!"
And love and marriage will come"
concluded the gypsy, as she released
the hand.
q quarter for the woman" said Miss
Madge.
Linda obeyed with very bad grace,
and after the gypsy had departed she
said to the girl:
Il list hope her gang will come back
chickensi"
Il have heard of their foretelling
wonderful things"
Say, now, Miss Madge, dat fool
woman jist tryin' to make as big a
fool OBJ you as she is herself! Doan'
you pay no 'tention to her tall, fur
It's All nonsense. De way you'll git
mar'd am to stay right we're It'll a
young man comes along and stops to
ask you how fur it am to Herpaer's
Hill. You will answer him dat it am
nine miles, and de meanest sorter
road, and he will be so tickIed dat he
will be- NJ" -
1t was an all-the-year-'round coun-
Try nome that the Rayburns had, but
Miss Madge lacked neither callers nor
admirers. They came and went with
out seeming to arouse much interest.
and now and then the cook would
grumble to herself:
Dat gal am gwine through ten
miles of woods to pick up a crooked
stick at last! 'Tain't my bisness to
talk to her, as I haint quite one of de
when I'll have to-
Not word was said between Madpe
and Linda about the gypsy from thai
hot summer day It'll one day in mid
december. Then the girl got word by
would be out to visit her on The
O'Clock train. There being good
slelghlng, the pony and cutter would
t De MADE use of to go to the depot, two
nlIes away The mother fell in with
tne plans, while the father would PASS
the night in the CITY o
At O'Clock the man of all work
got the rig ready.
1.-THE wind is I'D and it,s rorcb
colder" said the mother.
Miss Madge, dar's gwine to he
one OF dem blizzardsi' warned Linda
as she tucked in the robes. INV bones
ached SO I couldn't sleep any last
night Can't fool an old nigger's bones |
when a billiards. comm a howkin'
and a growlin'H'
There is going to be a change in |
the weather." replied Madge.
Oars romance gwine to happen |
now" observed Linda as she entered !
the house.
''How-where? % asked Mrs. Ray
burn.
Linda laughed and fled to her do
E.ain, and two minutes later it was
blowing hard and the half dozen snow
flakes had increased to hundreds 1t |
doesn't take blizzard long to blossom
after it buds. Mrs. Rayburn knew that
her daughter had not driven more
than a mile yet when there was such !
a gle blowing and such a whirIing of
snow that no horse would or could |
face it long. When the pony refused |
to go on what would the girl do? If
she tried to turn him about and make
for home the chances were all in ia
vor of an upset There were two
houses between the Rayburns' and the
village, and they were not occupied by
acquaintance. They would give the
girl shelter, of course, but would she
ask it?
An hour was fretted away Then
Mrs. Rayburn telephoned to the rail-
road depot to have her inquiries an
swered:
mo girl-no pony-no cutter-no
train! Don't think your daughter can
get here through the storm. VIII CALL
you up if I get any news
A quarter of an hour later wires
were down for thirty miles around,
and Linda was trying to console the
anxious mother by saying:
Don't worry one lille bit, honey
Miss Madge has gone to meet her
destiny
For heavens sake, what do you
mean by that?"
"Romance-lub-a husband"