The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-08-18
Milstellautous,
A NEW STORY OF AN OLD
STILE.

SIIAEs
THAT old stile! 1t stood on the out
skirts of the village, and was the trystipg
place of 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
nutting or berrying. Every young beau
ty had her own experience of its suita-
bility for trysting- place. The matrons
loved it from old associations and recol-
lections 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 stile. True, it
had been repaired again and again for
the villagers loved it, and kept it in order.
Still, the old stones were there, and it was
the old spot.
Pretty Nellie Greyson, as she sat there
one summer afternoon, pulling to pieces
the last boquet left there for her by some
loye-lorn farmers son, thought sadly of
the many times she had fastened to the
old stile with her handsome lover, the
guest of tie village, George Lawton.
Poor Nellie George was the son of an
opulent merchant, man of wealth and
influence, and had been sent into the
country to recruit his health at his cous-.
ms, Nellie's mother. -.
1t did not take long for the handsome,
talented young Lawton to win the simple,
trusting heart of the lovely village girl.
Nellie had received sound English edu-
cation; but to this was added no accom-
aplishment. Her soft, sweet voice spoke
no foreign ngue her pretty white hands
could call out music from no instrument; ;
and although she could dance the simple
figures of the country dances, she knew
no rules for stately carriage, or the most
finished manner of receiving guest.
George taught her French. 1t was an
amusement to while away the dull hours
in country village, and Nellie was an
apt scholar. AS they bont over the book
in the little parlor, what wonder that they
were tempted out, and took the grammar
to the old stile to con the verbs, jaime
and j'adore' Then the old stile was
such famous place to practice the duets
George taught Nellie; and their united
voices woke the echoes in the woods near
them, probably very much astonishing
the trees by operate airs.
s. George had gone home. He had spo-
ken no word of love to Nellie, though
every look and action 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 village beauty sat mu-
sing on the old stile, no one would have
dreamed that half the male hearts in the
village were made over to her. Old
Farmer Greyson fumed and fretted at
Nellie's altered ways, and was half tempt
ed to command her to accept the son of
, his neighbor jerks, who was evidently
piniDg away from the trouble caused in
his honest heart by Nellie's indifference
to his suit.
"Nellie, lass" he said to her that
morning, am love you true and fondly !;
will you be my wifes Nellie. your town
beau has always beauties around him
bell forget you, Nellie" s -
-s And then the beauty fred by this
sheer, vowed she cared nothing for her
town cousin, and would not marry, not
because she loved him, but because there
was not man in the village worth ha-
wing. Oh, Nellie! Nellie!
AS she sat musing on the old stile, she
saw the village schoolmaster, Henry
Sparks, coming towards her. Now Nell
lie, before George Lawton had turned her
silly little mead, had given most decided
encouragement to Mr., Sparks; and he
felt fully welcome as he took a seat be-
side her on the stile.
s"Good afternoon, Miss Nellie" he said,
trying to detain the hard she pettishly