Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1860-02-10

lcONTISUED.l


tire Of the little mesdow, through which
crept GLOW, bright stream, keeping thu
grass about 1t greeper than the eea, and
set thick with blue violets and colder
co~sl'ps; while on the drier banks o
moss and turf that skirted tie marehy
borders Of the brook, hundreds Of sunny
adders' tongues Haunted their yellow tur-
bans, all dropped with garnet, in the
spring and etill further back
among bndded lupines and sweet fern
myriads Of anemone., fair and frail, ben,
languidly to the v arm breath OF the south
seeming just ready, so aerial we're their
shapes, to take fight from their rest upon
earth. On the inner edge OF the meadow
great gray rock abut,ed from the hill.
side right On the green-sward; about its
base clustered a quaint crowd of brown
fiowerel trllums, and the delicate straw
bells Of May-ahile on its lodges, from
every crack and shelf where a grain OF
earth could harbor, sprung innumerable
coumblnes of the brightest scarlet and
gold swaying and dancing, and tossing
their jewcled heads ike veritable fairy
Processes, SO full of laughter and de-
light, that you waited Involuntary to
hear the peal Of musical mirth from their
tiny bells, and fancied, on each new sigh
OF the fragrant air, far off echo from
Their linking in some distant field
Here my task cran, and IN few min
utes Llzzy's basket was filled to the
brim with roots, and her hands with the
blossoms fit representatives Of her gay,
BRILLIANT, graceful self, AS she stood
poised on the ledge Of the rock-her
sunbonnet hanging by one string, her
face blrning with the warm flush Of
youth and health, her blue eyes glowing
deeply in the sun light, and her soft
chestnut hair coiling in lustrous rings
about her throat, lifted by the light
wind, and melted to living gold where q
sunbeam kissed it.
! know ! stood there with mouth and
eyes wide open, like the sun-struck tool
was, 'glowering' at Liz1y, who must
have some idea Of my condition, for sud-
denly she began TO descend the rock
with free, firm steps, like q chamoise
lat least, suppose SO, vide Buffon), and
remembered afterward, as one does re-
member things seen and not perceived,
that there was furtive smile glttering
IN tie corners of her eyes. AS for me,
was altogether in maze, for the idea
had sndienly taken possession Of me
that 1 was IN love, actually, Ill good ear
nest, IN love with my cousin Lizzy y
Everything | had the presence of mind
10 recolIect, favored that idea. Did |
not obey her like bond slave ? was l
not always so lonely at Uncle Downes'
when she went away? | admired her
beauty more than that OF any other wo-
man. | admired her mind in its active,
earnest, and noble development.
Her character had faults, to be sure,
need Of some small feminine virtues
but love would teach her those. All
did she love me Tom are you
asleep:' pealed from the lips of which
had been dreaming. No, Lizzy,
was thinking Come a few steps fur
Their then, and | will find you better
place to think, for if you had eyes to
see, there is hornets hes, visible about
foot from Your head, in that maple
sapllng, and you are in what the news
papers call precarious situation SO
am though. to myself, adding alond,
Il am bound to follow you, mademoisclle;
only lead me-
A brief walk over the green field
brought US 20 its upper corner, where the
brook leaped and chartered over stony
bed, before it sung itself to sleep in the
silent channel below. Over this little
nook stood two great apple trees, rosy
with bloom, filing the air with their
delicate and peculiar odor, and all muir
INJURIOUS with honey bees, whose loving
labor.song only heightened the cool ST.
lcnce Of the shadow and the perfume
while the little brooks laugh toned it.
self 10 3 bobolnk's voice, that echoed
its mad mirth back again from the near
est fence post. sit down. said my liege
lady, 1T is too pleasant here not to be
enjoyed
seated myself on the turf, still in a
dream, while Lizzy bathed her hands and
face in the cool water, and anchored her
flowers to stone on the edge of the
stream to keep them from fading. She
came back to me looking as fresh and
lovely as the spray of pink apple-blos-
SONS she held in her hand, and seating
herself beside me, began to talk about
them. Her entirely unembarrassed air
gave me a sort of SILVER. but listened.
aren't these blossoms very pretty, Toml'
There is something specially fascinating
to me about 'apple-blows, as Uncle Asa
calls them they are SO refined, SO gra-
cious, SO home-ike; wi,hal softly and
warmly tinted, and of such delicate
scent, little bitterness about it, just
enough to make it piquant, not insipid
a sort Of common sense, do you under
stand! And then they are SO full Of
promise for future winter firesides; |
have vision Of whole cider-barrel and
ten apple-pies 10 the very cluster ] hold.
but really l am serious about their beau
ty and expression, my flowers will do
we'll to mate the wild pigeons won't
they 4!
As she spoke an oriole flashed across
the meadow, and her own comparison
for herself made like a flash across nv
thoughts; how beautiful and piquant
she was! and oh Thomas Petition Ste
vens, what fool you were. died in the
grain! numbered on my knees before