The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-07-29
- saI .e'iFf0h the London Family Herald.
New Story of an Old Stile

the lads and lasses of TowerVille when our
grandmothers were young. Every child in
the village knew the old stile as resting
place when there was tired party of little
ones returning from huttlns or bertyng.-
Every young beauty had her own experience
of its suitability for u trysting.place. The
matrons loved it from old associations and
recollections Of the time when their own
hearts, then young, leaped to the music OF
some loved voice, and felt The pressure Of
some manly hand, as the speaker leaned
over them, sitting on the old siile. True, it
had been repaired ogain and again; for the
villagers loved it, and kepti it in order. Still,
the old stones were there, and il was the old
spot.
Pretty Nellie GraysoD, as she sat there,
one summer afternoon, pulling to pieces the
last bouquet left there for her by some love
lorn farmers son. thought sadly of the many
times she had hastened to the old stile with
her handsome lover, the guest OF the village,
George Lawton. Poor Nellie ! George
was the son of an opulent merchant, mun
of wealth and influence, and had been sent
into the country to recruit his health at his
Cousins, Nelle's mother.
1t did not take long for the handsome, tai
ented young Lawton to win the simple,
trusting heart of the lonely village GIRL
Nellie had sound English education; bu.
to this was added no accomplishment. Her
soft, sweet voice spoke no foreign tongue;
her pretty white hands could call out music
from no instrument; and although she could
dance the simple figures Of the country Ounce,
she knew no rules Of q stately carriage, OF
the finished manner Of receiving guest
George taught her French. 1t was on
amusement to while awoy the dull hours in
a country village, and Nellie was an apI
scholar. AS they bent over the book in the
little parlor, What wonder that they were
tempted out, and took the grammar TO the
old stle to con the verbs, j 'aime and j'adore
Then the old stle was such famous place
to practice the duets George taught Nelliei
aod their united voices woke the echoes in
the woods near them, probably very much
astonishing the trees by operate airs.
George had gone home. He had spoken
no word Of loVe to Nellie, though every look
and cticn was more eloquent than the most
studied speech. He wrote TO her; but the
letters, though treasures to her, did not fill
up the gap his absence made, and as the viii
lage beauty sat musing On the old stlle, nc
one would have dreamed that half the male
hearts in the village were made over to her
Old Farmer Greyson fumed and fretted al
NelIie's altered ways, ana was half tempted
TO command her to accept the son of his
neighbor lenks, who was evidently pinine
away from trouble caused in his honest
heart by NeIIe's Indifference to his suit.
"Nellie, lass" he had said to her that
morning, "I'll love you true aod fondIy
will you be my wife Nellie, your town
beou has always beauties around him; he'll
forget you, Nelie."
And then the beauty, fired by this sneer
vowed she cared nothing for her town cous.
in, and would not marry. not because she
loved him, but because there was not man
in the village worth having. Oh, Nellie
Nellie ,-,, ....-.
Assn sut musing on the old stile, she saw
the village schoolmaster, Henry Sparks
coming towards her. Now Nellie, before
George Lawton had turned her silly little
head, had given most decided encouragement
to Mfr. Sparks; and he felt fully welcome
as he took a seat beside her on the stle.
Good afternoon. Miss Nellie" he said
trying to detan the hand she SO pettishly
drew from his grasp. "Nellie," he added
in ,an altered tone, "don't be cross 1t is Sc
long since have had chance to see you
alone, Nellie" g. -sHa..2.% T.
|"Cross :" Nellie could getno further.--
She was almost ready, the silly beauty, to
cry, as the contrast between her last visit to
the stile with George, and this one, struck
her. -- 3" .5.h' ga ~ ~ &a1
"Thcre, don't cry, Nellie =" said her low
er. 81 love you as dearly as ever did; but
you see you have been SO taken up with your
town beau lately, that could not get o
chance to talk to.you. You were trying to
come up to him in learning French and
singing; but it is Of no use. The town la
dies can paint and draw. play the piano, and
some of them even write poetry; but they
can't make such cskes as you can, Nellie
or keep house SO nicely. shut my eyes.
when Twas in town, on their fine dresses
and pretty ways, and kept my heart true for
you. Now, won't you have me. Nellie :
I've been courting you more than ayear
ever since your sixteenth birthday; and yor
know love you truly .t45 n-tns !.
4 Poor Henry had chosen d most inauspi
cious time. The little heart he coveted hat
not had time 10 cast out the image Of th'
first man who had ever really touched it
and as Nellie sadly pictured George'sgrace
L ful manners and courtly address, and turnet
to the simple pedagogue beside her, the con
trast was 70 striking. Georges dress wa
90 different from that Of the yillsgers, who
living miles away from any town orrailway
: dressed III The fashion Of their grandparent
-Hehry and Nellie, as they sat on the ol
Q stiles would. could they have moved at ono
I into Questionable dsawipp Eoorn,s have bee,