The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-05-06
OUR LOST LUCY.
BY MARGARET VERNE.


June. Mother had flung open the sittip
room windows, and beside one of then
We sat together, sewing and talking
The climbing rose vines had begun t,
bud about the pillars Of the piazza, ant
the pan>ies that run in a little border a
long by the path to the gate were, open
ing, one by one, their purple hearts t.
the summer. .4 IN i.-
Little Lucy, the pet and playthiug o
the whole household. from orr stern faith
cr down TO the youngest and most bois
ferrous Of our brothers, sat upon the car
/, pet sorting out lap full of wild violet.
/ and honey suckles that, she had jus
brought in from the fields. Bravo, our
house-dog. lay curled up at her feet. watch
ing her as she threw away and selected
her flowers with queer mixture of ex-
travsgauce and fastidiousness. Once in
while he would growl and snap his
jaws as malicious hy buzzed about his
cars-or wag bis tail gratefully as Lucy
would pause in her dainty employment
to brush away his tormentors, and stroke
bis long, silky ears with her dimpled flu
gers. ... .,- ..,..,- '-.,..
All at once the music of hand organ
came 10 through the window, Lucy
sprang to her feet, grasped her apron of
flowers, aud ran out upon the piszzo;
while Bravo, shaking himself. and tread
ing with sort of dosgish disdain upon
those she had discarded, stalked leisure
ly behind her.
We stopped sewing and leaned forward
to catch a glimpse of our entertainers.-
man The latter carrying in her hand
tamhourine. f.,
May l dance, Maggie! called Lucy,
as they struck up lively measure
| nodded assent, and the next nome ut
she was tripping across the piazza to the
music of the organ. 1t was a simple
dance | had taught her for amusement,
and she could execute it without single
misstrp. A pretty picture she made out
there, where the shade of the roses and
the sheen of sun were plated together SO
lovingly; ber long, yellow curls floating
backward from Der. shoulders; her neck
aud arms bare, plump and dazzlingly
white; one hand ela>piDg the broad rib
bons of her hat, which had half fallen
from her bead in ber breezy motion, and
the other holding up her white func With
IFS wreath Of blue aud scarlet blossoms;
ber cheeks fu-hed to crimson with ex-
citemcHt, AMI her clear, brown eyes, spark
ling with delight ... =. ia
| noticed that the woman watched her
with evident admiration. never once ia
king her eyes from her uutil she stopped,
exhausted and with a coquetish courtesy
threw berself down in the cool portico,
leauiDg her head back against one of the
pillars, till her hair looked like tendrils
of gold dropping through the emerald
vines. ...,.........-
| tossed small bit of coin out of the
window to her, and she, with gleeful
laugh, put it between Bravo's teeth, and
bsde him carry it to them.
The man shoudercd his organ with a
low bow. aud had started to 60, when his
companion touched him op the shoulder
and spake a few words to him in for
eigu, jarring language. lie turned aud
looked at Lucy, and then answered in
the same low. and rapid. iDdistinct tone,
which [ could not uuder,tand, While an
expression, strange cunning and almost
cruelty, passed over his face. .rn-
For the first time | scrutiDized them
closely They were an evil looking cou.
pie. The man was short and thick set,
with tu>hy whiskers, eyes almost bid uu-
der wrinkled, shelving eyebrows, and thin
wide lips, one of which was gashed with
long, crimson scar The woman was a
dark, mulattoish looking person, with
crisp, black hair. aud little, sharp gray
eyes. Two square. yellow teeth projec-
ted over her lower lip, and her chin was
long and protruding They were both
ragged and filthy in appearance. aa
| sbuddcred iDyoluutarily as looked
at them and as if an instructive knowl-
edge of my sudden aversion had inAuen-
ced them, they both lifted their eyes to
mine. There was something in the ioso
Ieut ebdic tuSJ gave uc 'hdt oiouSu' 'oo
angry blood to my face. Mother bad
ready withdrawn from the window,an
glad to escape from the uncomfortable
feeling that had come over me, follow.
ed ber.
Where is Lucy -
The afternoon had worn silently away,
and We we're laying the table for tea,
when mother asked the question. went
to the window and looked out expecting
to see bcr asleep, with head among the
vines, for the piazza was her favorite af-
ternoop resort. Bravo was there, wink
ing and half asleep, his shaggy body
stretched out in the sun - but Lucy was
gone. ~ se sis uea.
Il guess she has run out to the field to
meet her father and the boys, answered
in reply to mothers inquiring look, she
isn't in sight! M
Nothing more was said until the men
folks came into supper. Lucy was not
with them. DOR had they seen her on their