The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1919-01-02
Acting Up
49,
By LINCOLN RoTHBLuM
Upright. 1918. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate,)

aCopyright. 1918. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate)
Mirandy jenkins folded her checked
bingham apron triangle fashion. and.
tucking the corner in at the belt, rest
ed her arms on the fence railing.
- 1t was summer time in the outlying
farm districts of the town of Carroll
ton and the air was redolent with the
green odor of alfalfa. Mirandy dis.
tended her nostrils to get the diffusing
fragrance. On the crest Of the hill,
topping the road which led past the
house, appeared a none too strong
horse. 1t dragged with tagging feet a
rig of doubtful origin. It would have
been difficult to- tell the occupation Of
the driver who sat beneath the ragged
and sagging top If not for the sack
which lay at his feet labeled in letters
of warning size, ~. S. Mail" AS the
outfit started down grade the man
raised his crushed hat and made an
eeffort to brush the outstanding hairs
into place. A ribbon" tie was next
adjusted and to it's already numerous
stains were added few more from
the dusty hands. When these offices
had been performed, he shifted the
areins from his right to left hand and
waved in recognition of Mirandy's
7fluttering handkerchief.
"NIornin', Mandy" was his greeting,
las he drew up before the gate.
"Mornin', Seth. Any mail for me?"
"Nothin', 'cept the county newspa-
Houps Wv. GRO nIpo Wy y
Poorly. poorly, Seth. The doc says
he won't last much longer" IT,
'Then We'll get married. Mandy, and
no putin it off again. Eh?"
Mirandy blushed as if this were the
flrst time the subject had been
preached to her. LA, Seth, how you
do talk" was the iirtatious response;
*'but 1t just seems like We'll never get
there. First it was grandmaw who
kept us from getting married, what
with being so sick and cantankerous,
and then you lost y'r job-and of
course we couldn't get married It'll you
was appointed this route, and now it
be my grandpaw sick and ailin' and
eatin' up the revenue"
OCLu CpdL OuI u SCuClOuO 4u1u VI W
bacco and after replacing it with
fresh supply. shook his head resigned
iy. swell. I'll be round tomorrow,
Mandy-so long,"
$50 long Seth. I'll be expectin'
you"
And Mirandy's WOrkWOrn figure
dropped as her eyes followed the de-
parting buggy. Sentenced to the hard,
manual drudgery Of badly managed
farm before securing even such ele-
mental education as the village. Of
fered; saddled with aged grandpar-
.ents who fought off every innovation
which might have lightened her la
fbors, and forced by eternally present
financial straits to forego any pleasure
which involved the expenditure OF,
money, Mirandy's youth had slipped
away almost without her knowledge,
until she found herself well on the
road to forty with a vapid complexion
and tOil-hardened hands as her $only
assets.
But in this sacrificing and unher-
aided martyrdom, to which she had
61NCH ACAoCAl WILL uClLlIOE COluDluluC
nor hope for reward, there were two
pinnacles of JOY. One was Seth, to
whose everlasting credit must be said
that none of the obstacles which had
delayed his wedding to A1irandy had
Aessened his fidelity.
-AIlrandy crept into bed, where des-
6ite the straw tick she soon fell asleep.
She arose unrested. The morning sun,
scarcely awake, suggested another
round of tollsome tasks. Perhaps
every morning it was the thought of
Seth which fastened the always rapid
sdressing and the chores were well
completed as she retreated to her bed
room to "fuss up" before waiting at
the fence.
But this morning Seth was destined
to wait himself into Impotence, for
r no aproned figure leaned against the
: gate as he drew up. So he walked to
meet her.
"'Mornin', Mandy"
"'.Msvnln', Seth. Any mail for me ~.
~"Nothin' 'cept the county newspa-
per. But l got letter. an seem as
you might as we'll get used to openin'
say mail now, I brought 1t to you"
A1irandy smiled at the subtle COM
fp1iment in a style Seth dubbed "prit-
ity."
"Why, It's from the government"
SMirandy exclaimed as she took the
Senyelope with Its Thanking privilege
stamp. Anything official frightened
'lor. but perhaps it was woman's In
tuitive premonition which foretold the
bad news her face so patiently reflect
: ed. ut says, Seth,'' she muttered, at
says you got to get-you got to get an
sAanto If you want to keep y'r job."
4 AAnd so to meet the governments
changes for efficiency went Seth's en-
{ tire savings. And though the new sys-
xn,,, opoontod hiS colGru no soon