The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-12-05
THE DAILY
ESFIORT STORY
Miss Mariana's Family.
sy HiLoA MORRIS.
Copyright. 1917, by the Mcclure
N Newspaper Syndicate.)

Il ~ LC0pyT1kuLt 4UAtB W Sh0 AASSh0AS
n Newspaper Syndicate)
- j, ISs MARIANA wINN's ole house
M fronted on Shannon sqaurc
4t4 Shannon Square was not large.
Il was one Of those blessed bits OF
green that offer Fairgrounds for chill
dIeu, shade on hot days. and sunny
= benches on the crisp. cold afternoons
that come In the late September.
There we're always plenty OF peop.e
81 Shannon Square, for below It was
( poorer section Of the city, crowded
With children. The children sought tho
park as ducks seek water, and older
people followed - big sisters to lock
litter the children. old men who liked
to sit and watch life go past, and some
times young people who arlxfousiy
scanned the Help Wanted" columns
a In the papers.
!, Miss Mariana liked To open the long
white shutters at her front window
FBnd watch the people in the Square
kShe had no yeranda, and the little
park was her front yard. She loved
i; It at all times Of the year. but espe.
cfally in autumn, when the leaves piled
up for children to play in and tne
branches, half unveiled. traced deli.
cate patterns against the sky.
In truth Miss Mariana was some
times q little lonely land she found
comfort in the people outside. She
used to imagine things about them:
make UP romantic stories about their
apparently sordid lives. Her own life
had been SO quiet, so remote from ro
nance, that 1t thrilled her delicately
even to think Of romantic things, such
. slove affairs and travel and adveu.
t,lre. Miss Mariana was only twenty
eight, but she had spent her life in a
quiet round of duties that was like q
stitl hack-water in the city's busy life.
Her mother had been an invalid, re-
curing constant care, and when she
died Mariana was thin and bit faded,
with spare figure and plain couture
that were far from girlish. Yet thera
was look Of innocent youth in her
eyes. shy, and a bit wistful. There
was no one to notice it, however, and
She continued to live alone In the old
house. watching the people in the park
drilling her days with dreams.
There was one young man in par.
hcular who sat In the Square very
often. He brought little boy with
him. fine, sturdy child Of about four,
! who romped on the patch of lawn with
Nthe other children. The young man
himself always seemed to be busy. Flo
would write steadily for several hours
sat q time, only looking up now and
then to call the child, or going after
him II play became too rough. Some.
times the little boy would come and
climb up on the bench with his father.
J lsnuggling q; curly head against bis
shoulder. And the young man would
patathe child and go on working now
and; then looking down to smile at bis
little son. They seemed to be good
pals.
Mariana tried va.nly to imagine
what the young man might be doing.
Also, she wondered where the mother
was aud why there was no one else
TO. care for the boy. She often hoped
that the young father, who must be
a widower. would notice some OF the
pretty girls who sat In the park 1t
was q shame for such pleasant mcE
to look so lonely. But he never did