The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1928-09-14
POOR
MISS
ANGEL.
GO by D. j. Walsh.l


Miss Angel, and she knew it. She
i knew it with shame and hu-
initiation and regret. Yet she
had done nothing to deserve the title
| except that she had waited too long
for a man who had changed his mind
concerning her.
Cora Angel had begun ''going" with
Henry Van Orden when she was
twenty. When a girl "goes" with
man it means that she accepts his at
tentiOn to the exclusion Of all others.
If they continue to find enjoyment in
each others society they become en-
gagged and soon after married. But
sometimes these tentative pre-engage-
ment attachments last for years with
out any other outcome than an In
creasing GOODNESS on the part of the
one or the other or both. Then 1t
may be heartache ensues, but this
depends upon whether love enters into
the arrangement.
From the first Cora had loved Henry
Van Orden, and she was the happiest
thing alive when he asked her for the
| first time to dance with him. After
that evening he escorted her home
from choir practice, to concerts, church
suppers and other functions Of that
kind. People become accustomed to
seeing them together and wondered If
they would marry. ~
Henry was the younger Of the two
Van Orden boys. He was handsome,
lively and with a good deal of camou-
| flage in his makeup. He never kept
any job long, but was always on the
hunt for something better. His older
brother, John, after getting what edu-
cation he could, went to work in the
bank and stayed there. That was
about as much as any one knew about
John Van Orden, for it was Henry
who claimed all the attention.
Without doubt, any girl in Hillville
would have been glad to be the re-
cipient of Henry Van Orden's favor.
1t was odd that he should have chosen
Cora Angel, for Cora was not pretty;
she was merely sweet, quiet, gentle
girl with tender mouth, dreamy eyes
and a cloud of wavy fair hair. Her
mother was a widow with consider
able means and they lived in the incest
way. Old Mrs. Grove said that Cora
would always have enough to take
care of the family, whether Henry
earned anything or not.
Cora went with Henry for years be-
fore he proposed to her. Up to that
point theirs had been the most casual
of friendships on Henry's part, and on
Cora's the most discreet. There was
never any spoonings. Even after they
became engaged they went on much
as before in the daylight opinion.
Henry never seemed to care to play
the lover and Cora kept her affections
out of sight. But she wondered some
times why Henry never sought to kiss
or embrace her.
They had not been engaged long be-
fore Henry left Hillville and went to
the city, where he found new job
more to his liking than anything the
small town offered. He wrote to Cora
and occasionally came to see her, but
he never said anything about their
getting married. And this went on
for eight years.
Cora was thirty now, little quieter
and gentler than ever. The girls of
her set had married; most of them
had children. A new set was coming
up which thought her rather old.
People began to ask her when she and
Henry were going to get married, and
she tried to smile as she answered
that she didn't know.
Then her mother lost everything she
street. In the turnover after the war
the stocks she had invested in had
become worthless.
Cora went to work. She could not
teach, for instead of going to college
she had waited for Henry. So she got
place in the bank. Mostly her bust
ness was long columns of figures.
Sometimes when she went home at
night her throat was dry with read
ing, and always her heart ached
For Henry Van Orden had suddenly
ceased to write to her. When the
news of her mothers misfortune went
abroad, instead of rushing to his girl
and begging her to marry him, he
simply ignored her, and none knew
better than Cora what that meant.
She grew pale and thin, but every
morning as regularly as she pinned on
her hat to go to the bank she pinned
on her brave little smile, and even
her mother did not know all.
One day there was shortage some
where in accounts and every employee
of the bank had to stay unit! the thing
was settled. 1t was seven o'clock Of
wild, winter evening when release
came. Cora had telephoned to her
mother not to worry. She was tired
and faint as she pinned on her little
black velvet hat and drew on the fur
coat which was leftover from their
days of aff1uence.
AS she stepped from the side door of
the building John Van Orden joined
her. John was cashier now, and
NEss Ts1