National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1870-11-25
JUST 4 DIRE AN.

The midsummer sun shone down upon
h. charming little village of Mavfeld
lnd this was the pretty domestic picture
Ihat It's rays lit up;
cottage with slanting roof, and
brad latticed windows, and whitewashed
salls cleaning through tangled masses
d voodbine and scented tea rose. A
Barrow gravelled path leading up straight
6om the little green gate, with noddlng
pass and blooming flowers nesting close
6cether on either side and few big
r. rs a background to the whole The
6y domain enclosed by low stone wall,
D. over the wall-under the shadow of
- low lahurnum, whose fallen petals
brmed a carpet of golden tissue for her
! fct-the leaning figure of young girl.
. \ girl with great laughing eyes and
Gmpled cheeks, with Hebe's face and
Aphtodites form. Her straw hat hung
q neighboring branch, and her rich
1nt brown hair, tossed back carelessly
rih an impetnous movement, displayed
ecandld, intelligent brow, and n pair Of
pct child-like lips slightly apart, rs
VII upturned face she intently watched
p ieecy cloudlets chasing one another
erongh heavens blue vault, and listened
y the singing Of birds hard by. She
- reyelling in her ncw-found liberty.
ts maiden who had reached her seven.
tenth year on this glorious day of
Nmmer Released from the trammels
q the schoolroom, she felt as though
eo hal thrown off the iron chains Of
eayery. and was free free rs the halmy
= and the floating butterflies She was
1oiherlcss. and the only child Of book.
Eorm n dabblcr in ancient lore, whose
FN Ari0feS were Plato and Plutarch,
y whose familiar subjects were all the
"a 'Iogics. Plunged III grief at the
e'ath Of wife whom he adorcd, he took
Y sturdy as a mode Of oblivion. and. i'm.
e'r.ed N musty folios, he sometimes
bfsoi he had n daughter and yet she
~, nnutierahlv dear ~ his heart.
>he was wild little creature. this Ethc
ro't' or Ethic, as she was usually called
~ was full Of the cxurbcraut spirits o
ldhood, and her greatest enjoyment
'med to bc derived from running
srough the vcrdnnt woods and fields
~ tanning her lovely face rich brown
H,le to match her lnstrous tresscs.
Listen TO her soliloquy as she lean
Gon the wall
"hat can papa mean by saying tina
mn l'''' commencing my battle will
Battle, indeed. when all is =,
Srlght and 40 peaceful ! | could stay her
Er'Ier, with the breeze tanning N.
'eks 80 sweetly. like 10 see th
le smoke curling through thc tree
u gong upwards, upwards. until !
~ itself III that strange shaped cloud
l''e 70 see the butterflies skimminl
w the flower beds. and the bees
' everything else that seems 40 gny
Enf 90 people s1y. Life is n mistake
snake their wise heads. and look sa'
~ ominous2 Life IL delicious o
~ day rs this, and feel rs happy n
ana she broke or two big clusters q
Ghow blossoms from her canopy. nm
Yaced one IN her bosom and one in ht
ur' with all the coquctry of girl !
~ teens, aud then, glnncinp down iii
- w see " any one was cominv VIII
guy notice her attempt NJ fncry, sl
Hnod figure in the distance.
hayiield was quite rural locality an
appearance of It's inhabitants. few
,npor' was very familiar to one anothe
WI, shaded her azure eyes with n tin
mn' while she tried to discover whie
'nc Mnyhcld mngna,cs WINS in vie,
~ was not the village Hscuapus, Al
iew Tor he was low Of stature aud inclii
|" Obesity; neither was II the nc
iae' who was fragile in form, and.
'e oi his evangelical notions. sport,
eye-glass nor was II the Squire
ahiofd Manor, for he was a Meth
san IN years and NJ red as q rose. Eth