The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Fayetteville, N.C.) 1864-186?, 1864-03-15
lin Sharks was a farmer


! particular n,urning haA been nrqlsssiosel
NY his neigh5nrs te purchase n.l:1erosas little
! articles, among which were tls@ee. yartls of
pink satin ribbon TO atiorn the new hat of a
! certain sis.low faced girl in the neIghhorhood
The same girl had before naasie si.niiar re-
quests the bachelor, III the iaint hope Ell
bringing him within the circle Of her charms.
BIZ; j im steercd clear Of her, rs indeed Of ad
girls supposed to ben,arriageabIe. lie hat
strange ideas upon matrimony. believing J.
to be a state more tc lie dHs:ssie.s than courtl
ed, and an e5ectual end - all int1iv iei,,a
liberty upon tho part of nla11 The holy
ties which the niniste: so.eshn tvs performed
were but as the meshes which bind the free
| SOUL and doom it to captivity .ssa an;sery
He had lived to thirty aud three years
and each year Of his un5veIr loss LIE lad i'm
pressed the friner upon his. mind t4ese unjust
ideas. In property he was well cough sit.,-
ated to make himself snd a lars~ ld1ily COM
Portable, and in character unbfsa1iled. d.
not believe that he had ever lcyssl for t3sere
were 10 visible sears upon his .r.iad and terri
perausnt which 1nafks sthe r..rns 4nst fury OF
| p>ss,G1s So i i've. !. <, s.sa s. s.,th hs
aged mother as conspahio>S not cafing to
ever mar III serenity wish the pleasant music
Of the nutsety, or the broil;ng noise Of a ne..
mistress of tie house. At church he was a
regular attendant, with RS ey.s for the fash
ing dresses ami merry faces of the female part
OF the congregation. 10 sum up our esti-
mate of his character, he WAS crusty old
bachelor, with no compassion or sympathy for
the devotees of love and pleasure, though as
kind hearted otherwise as could be imagined.
But Jim Sparks came home this evening
with nes visions thronginy his brain. atd
new fancies weaving their bright webs before
his eyes AS he sat down tc the supper ta--
| bic, long spread for his coming, hrs mother
lrcmaraed-
mo mother, didn't think But yes,
believe it is''
Ibid you get the ribbon fcr Sally sherrer,
Jccms ~
''Oh yes, marin, very pretty girl ~ said
Jim, looking intentiy at the pictures upon his
tea cup.
''Why5 who is pretty Not Sally,
hope.'
oh, no. The woman bought the ribbon
from. \ plague upoa Sally Sherrer's beau
tys"
The old lady opened her eyes wide at this
announcement. There was evidently some.
| thing the watter with her son5 and readily
suspected fnat there was awou1an connected
with the disorder.
''Very nice business for ladies', th.t, deems
selling goods" she venturcd to remark.
Yes, just the place for them, and some
mighty nice ones in it::'
! l do not know how far the old lady would
have carried her discussions u,t.ti HE proper
sphere ef woman. had she not at oucc seen
that her sou did not wish to talk at all:-
She cat her zeal In silence. pondering all the
time in her mind the probability of deems ever
marrying and making himself the comfortable
country gentleman she SO much admired.
Three weeks had-passed and large crowd
of city and country folks had assembled at an
old mill some four miles from Jeem's house,
to spend the ,.ay in pleasure. Most Of the
party went into the woods, gathering fowcis
ss:sssAs ssaas' sang KID ssa saset'ah' snd play
Rosa Reynolds was there, because she loy et
so much to escape from the rooms Of her
mothers shop, and spend the entire day in
the country where she could inllale the fresh
air and gather loads Of bright flowers. She
came not as others do, to entrap and bewtch
men; bu: to enjoy and Strengthen hersclE-
So it mattcred lltle with her if none OF the
tounS gentry ever begged the privilege OF
her company in advance of a game. She
found enough pleasure in being free and in
sporting in the glad sunshine.
Jim Sparks was there, aal he had watched
with delight the fitting form of Rosa as she
buried to and fro in the excess of her joy
He had no, spoken to her, for they had never
been introduced, and he felt confident to his
own mind that she neither knew or cared any;
thing about him. But for all this, he still
looked fondly after her, happy merely because
he wa, happy, not knowing that she inter-
ested herself one moment about him or his
concerns.
AT last. wearying Of so inactive part in
the pleasure of the day, Jeems unl,bered
his fishing, tackle, went to the creek side,
and begand angling. 1T is noble SPORT ard
one in which all great men have loved to in
uulge-so much opportunity for reflection
and fancy. And Jeens was not unlike all
his great predecessors, for while lie anglod,
he thought to himself Of fair, merry face,
peering over the smooth waters, with u rod
and line in hand; waiting for bite: All ct
once he was transformed into a huge perch,
with a mouth large Mississlppi cat, end
fins like great boards. He played and sport
ed around the tempting ba.t, now just ready
Ito take hold and then again playing off, until
it was suddenly withdrawn, the smiling face
disappeared and he was alone in all the waters.
What oad, childish fancics great grown up
men sometimes have! The little ny ymph Rosa
had orcpt noselessy up behind the abstract
ed, drowsy fisherman, her face had ,.ionc up
Oh the waters; and 10 what a transform
alton he had undergone.
\ rude jerk cnrried bobber under and line
away from sleepy Jcems, and, s2ringing up,
he sraspcd at the floating pole. At the same
time piercing shrick rent the air, and long,
loud plunge as some .one failing into the
water. Rusbirg~ ~ H. aebaak kmeut, he
mounted the race leading to the mil, and rum
ming some twenty sssps further. he saw
the form ofa female houndefing in the Water.
It was not sufficiently deep for her to drown,
but she cried aloud as tAoogh there were but
little other hone than for her to find watcry
grave. 1t was Rosa, but all the light and
beauty of her countcnance gone, and one dark
cloud OF terror over spreading her whcic
face.
Rcaclin: down the side Of the frame. he
sraspcd her extended hands and dragged
poor frightened Rosa Fey NJ Ids from, the watery
clement out on the pianking above. She
was sad looking wreck OF faded beauty and
crum Piled fi..-ry. The muddy water stream
ed IN small r;vuiets from her collapsed skirt,
and hiding her face in her hands, she cried
i,~x:1