Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1920-11-11
MISS sOPHRONIA
By susa n F. Haytord


and looked it, and knew that she
looked it; hut. as this eventful May
day afternoon she sat in the little
front room and looked down the years
of her youth she knew that of all days
this was the happeSt.
For the first time the thrill of real
adventure was hers She was to spend
the summer at Seaside hotel, and,
moreover as the owner of it.
week before she had expected to
90 on with The same life as the last
forty years had held till the eventful
day that brought her the letter from
a lawyer in the city telling that she
was the owner of Seaside by the will
of her late uncle. Jared Stone
Seaside was ia 20 on the same as
before. She had lhat very day com
pleted the arrangements with Mr. Nest
ley as proprietor and he was to attend
to everything Her presence there as
owner was not to be known to anyone
at the hotel save to that suspicious
person himself.
June came and went with little ex-
citement at,the Seaside except to Miss
Higgin. The season had been cold and
the guests few, but there We're rare
days when she and the young man Of
the orange tie, Mr.. Harding Graves,
hoated, and evenings when the moon
was bright across the water
1t was the first Of July that Miss
Sophronia looked in her glass and mar
veled at the nnaccOuntableneSS of love.
And he says MY eyes are beautiful"
she reflected. as she worked at the tell
tale crows feet with the new vanishing
cream that Mrs. Winters. who passed
for forty, had told her about
But Notwithstanding the thrill of the
new excitement and the softly modu-
lated voice Of her escort. there We're
moments when Miss Sophronia was
troubled, one reason for which being
the pretty blne-eyed girl who presided
at the Seaside piano. The other was
the somewhat angular but sturdy form
of Ezra BascOm. that had peculiar
way of appearing in her dreams of late.
For twelve years Ezra's brilliantly
polished No. 9'S had crossed the Higgin
threshold on Sunday evening. and ev-
cry pleasant Wednesday evening they
had driven behind EZra's handsome
roam: hut never word of love had
passed between them.
But whit troubled Miss Sophronia
was that she had promised to write,
and after a week of Seaside distrac-
lions had forgotten.
4 July brought it's usual flock of vaca-
tion'Sts and The man of III" orange tie
waS @rnHt'v ny demand Miss Sophro-
NJ, "ntrA t's;s and considered his I'M
SeltiShneSs one ,.f his, most admirable
qualities. Still there We're hours that
he stole away to entertain her and
escort her wherever she willed TO 90,
while all the time the hlue-eyed pianist
cast tender glairces nj him while hep
cheeks grew pale under the demandS
of the Seaside guests.
The season waS 70 close the Secon!.
week IN September. and the last of Au-
gust. her conscience having been more
heavy then usual of Late Miss Sophro-
MIA sent a picture postcard to Ezra,
and in return mail fiaringly attrac.
tive one came in return. In the center
sat a Youthful swain on a rustic seat
| one arm about a ghoStly vision of a
sweet young thing. and underneath,
"ThiS is Il lonesome town without you. y
while the one. word Ezra" was writ.
ten in the corner.
Miss Sophronia put her hands over
| her hot face as the realization OF
| things came over her.
| "POOr Ezra" she sighed. ooh! This
isn't right. AMI she loves him. | know"
"rhis" meaning her affair Will, the
| man of the Grange tie.
Tia, Mr.. Hau'ing Graves had been
very attentive all Snmmer could not he
denied. Half beau" she had called
him mt FIRST: then later she had con-
clNaea that he was an ":slnnst hean. y
But of late the pleasure had been
married hN the thoughts of the little
hlue-eye.i girl who wasn't fifteen years
older than he. Miss SOphronla felt
sure that she cared for him. and even
If II" was pleasant with the Others, she
decided that she would not lie lie
I cause of Il broken heart ut least. ."'
then "it'S not being true to Era. hs
concluded as she rang for the hellho.
and dispatched a formal note to 'hs
man of the orange tie. pleading 3 hs al
ache tina, made their sail to the pn'n
lmposSible ana thanking him very de
mnrely for a very happy summer. g
Two weeks later. back in her littl
parlor. Miss Sonhronia was plannin,
for the new house. and as she planne.
her fingers were busy on a long Whit,
silken Seanl. Only one thing trouble,
her she wondered II She had reail,
had firtatlan that summer. To he
mind il was y srieVOus sin, and how
could she ever explain it to Ezra? Lfs
then the little Hunter girl came frnll
the post office with letter. II wa
from Mr.. Wesley. telling her when h
wonld be there to settle the season
business: also to learn the terms 10
the sale of the hotel Enclosed was rh
account Of the EMPLOYEES of the SIM