The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-01-01
LIMA FERNiE.


with pettish impatience and astonishment.
John looked very: ::hcadstrong, and wilful,
and desperately in earnest about the subject
under discussion. 'It is always hard word
with you, mother, said, he, deprecatingly.
'What can you have against Lina?'
Have against, her! She's tho most conceit-
ed, selfish, uppish, wasteful wench in all
Brigham!' = was the uncompromising reply.
sMarry her! She'll break your heart in n
twelvemonth! She'll break any honest
mans heart, with her idleness and love of
fnery.'
mother and isn't it women's ways to like
to set it off a bit?' pleaded John. 'You
never saw any harm in her until took on
with her.
1T is not for me to lightlo neighbours
daughter when she is nought to me {; but
when you talk of bringing in lass like Lima
Fernie, and setting her up over your old
mothers head then it's time to speak Il think.
hoped you'd have acted more sensible
when it came to seeking wife, John. A
fine Young man, like you, with n well-plen-
ished house to bring her to, and work the
year in an the year out. Why, you might
have the pick of the parish'
'And that's what Lima is; she's the pick
of the parish. Show me her match any
where.
Il say nought about prcttiness; for red
and white, and blue eyes like wax dolPs,
Lima would be hard to beat; but they won't
bake your bread, or guide your house, John,
mind that! What can she do?-there's the
question:
why, suppose, mother, that, like other
girls, she can learn. She's only young.
Il don't like her bringiug-up. don't
like the family, John. They have never
borne very good characters, either at home
or abroad
'And is poor Lima to be blamed for that?'
'IIave you spoken to her, yet, John?'
no. thought | must speak to you
first
well, then, l'vc said my say. If it had
been Mary Jcnncr, or Libbie Frost, would
have been glad to make way for either of
them; but it goes sorely against the grain
with me to give place to Lima Fernie.'
'Mary Jenner's older than me, mother,
and Libbie Frost is downright ugly
Il don't mind of hearing you say so till
Lima came home from aunt's her in Lcndon.' ,
'Libbie's well enough for some things, but
could not fancy to marry her if there was
not another woman in the world,
Mrs. Ilarland sighed deeply, and piled her
knitting pins fast; John continued to hover
about her, scarcely satisfied to act against
her counsel, yet fully bent on getting Lima
Fernic for his wife.
Il wasn't beauty, John, rs well you may
see,' said the mother, with q wistful smile;
;,.1 I la,st
think he ever regretted his choice, was n
good useful articleh he used to say
you're deal better like than Libbie
Frost, now; and, mother, there'd be you to
put Lima in the way of things, you know
he insnuated.
'Shcs not one that will take kindly to
teaching; but wish you would not talk to
Inc about her any more. If your hearts set
on her, know you over well to expect you
to change it,
John acknowledged that his heart was set
on Lima, and that miserable man he would
be that day he thought she looked codly on
him; and finding his mother really indis
posed to indulge him with any further con-
vcrsation on the sub ject, he strolled down
the neat little garden into the vilnge street,
and turned naturally towards Llna's cot
tagc.
Lima was standing on her doorstep, hav-
ing gossip with nc ghbor; she haunted
the doorstep very much and never scrupled
to hold anybody in conversation-man,w wo-
man or child, young or old, rich or poor,
friend or stranger, who passed by that way.
She had not an atom Of shyness. Indeed,
Johns mother was much more correct in
bnr e tn yi1l,r, IoIl, fhnn u, q
John himself. Lima was verv pretty, very;
nobody could gainsay that. Her complexion
WAS of creamy fairness, with a brilliant but
delicate bloom; her hair was bright golden
her figure was short, but plump. Lima
knew she was u beauty, and liked other
people to know it, too. She had no bjec-
ton to the assduiies of the handsome Young
mason. Indeed the longer the train Of ad-
mirers, the better Lima liked it; SO when she
saw him coming towards the cottage, she
brid!ed her white neck, and looked rs cap
tlvatinglv unconscious Of him rs ever she
coud-a needless vile, for poor John was
already prostrated by the power of her
charms, and perfectly incapable of 4 single
reasonable reflection with regard to her.
As he approached, Maggie Sanders, the
other gossip, drew oft, and Lima invited John
into the house. lie accepted the courtesy
gratcfully; for there was only the deaf old
grandmother sitting by the fire, and she
would take no heed of their conversation
John had not ut any time skilful tongne ut
Common place chat, and his present absorb
Ing feelings for Lima made him even less
fluent than usua-a matter Of which the
girl was clearly sensible; but, by and by,
he got one Of Lina's nice little hands in his
hard brown ones, and after rcmarking that
1t was as white as lady's, he said, with a
glowiwc blush on his honest face:
'Iina, | want you to give it to men
'Give you my hand, John! Why, what
in the world could you do with it p asked
she, feigning not to understand him.
Il mean, Lima, will you be my wife. Do
you like me well enough?'
'Why, John, never so much as thought
about you'
But will you try to think about me? 0,
Lima, think of you night and day, and get
no peace for thinking of your
Lima laughed merrily, and tried to pull
away her hand; but John held it fast all the
same, and would uot let 60 until she an
swered him.
Il don't want to be married, John,' said
she, half pcttishly; 'and besides, / know
your mother is cross, and does not like me.
She thinks that fright Libbie Frost would
suit you BETTER
'But don't think SO, Lima; and so, what
does it matter? You would soon get round
my mother, for she is real good. She
scarcely knows you.'
'Yes, she does, and she always looks at
me as if she were jealous about you,--and
I'm sure she needn't be.
Don't say that, Lima, don't. Id rather
she was ever SO jealous than that YOU should
not care for me. Do you care for me, Lima,
darling
Just little bit; as much rs that and
tho rural coquette measured off the first
joint of her little finger as the amount Of
her affection for the ardent young mason.
It's beginning, Lima. 1t will be the
whole hand soon;' and John looked no,
dissatisfied.
Don't be over sure,- John. Didn't tell
you Id no thoughts Of marrying yet? O,
it's dull, ever so duh to get married when
ones youngr and the lively maiden lifted
up her hands in horried depreciation of such
wearled fate. Johns countenance fell,
But not If you liked me, Lima" insinua-
TED he, imprisouing the little hand again;
sdon't be unkihd.'
don't like ron p,,,h ,o,, lo