Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1870-12-15
MISCELLANEOUS. Il
A W0MAN's WAY.
BIZ HHs.a N. AZ EDWARDS.

THE sunshine shimmer1ng through the
summer air golden vaporresting dream
lily on field and river ;lsilvery ripples rum,
ming throughs the ripe rye; the barley
heads swinging heavy and yellow; the
meadows acknowledgement the home lot
white with daisibs; the brown n-gabled, red
rooted, old farm-house, mellow-tinted in
the enchanted Atmosphere; the wide river
creeping lazily by; the glistening white
beach shelving down to it-this was the
scene on which Jessica Dale looked from
her seat among the branches of the ancient
ash that stood on the riverside. A little
way down the river a schooner lay close
up to the black wharf that stood tipsily on
its halfrottenf piles and, on this wharf
Jessica's eyes at last found resting place.
She lookedlong and earnestly at a group
of men on it ;.a few sailors lazily transfer
ring baskets of vegetables and firkins, of
butter from the wharf to the vessel; "a
few lank, seedy-looking men sitting on the
wharf-posts and empty barrels, swinging
their legs. On a pile of planks mans
figure was stretched at full length, and he
was apparently iplacidly gazing up at the
white clouds slowly forming and dissolv-
ing in the blue sky. gigT ~ ~ .rFt
The apron that Jessica was making fell
out of her hand and rustied down among
the daisies, but her thoughts, as well as
her eyes, were busy on the wharf They
were not pleasant thoughts it would seem,
for she puckRred up her pretty face into
numerous wrinkles, and curled her red lips
in a very contemptuous manner. yessica
was rightly considered beautiful girl,
brown as a berry from exposure to wind
and sun, with sweet, thoughtful gray eyes,
wavy brown hair, small regular features,
and the rosiest sof lips and pearliest of
teeth, and trim, graceful E1igtIre She
even looked pretty when she was cross, as
then, in the ash-trees y si' ia sa 81. ~
The man on the planks. soon turned his
head in such way that he probably caught
glimpse of her white dress, among the
leaves, for he Instantly sprang lightly down
from his resting place, and walked swiftly
across the meadows towards her, vaulting
the fences on his way. As he drew nearer
il became evident that he was young man
of fine physique, with well-shaped head,
good, though Irregular features, and great
sleepy, brown eyes. AS he crossed the
last meadow Jessica sprang down from her
perch just in time to prevent the old gray
winged gander from shipping piece out
of her new apron. She met the young
man at the stile by the pollard willows.
1 am so rery glad to see you, Jessiea,"
he said, ferYently, as he helped her over
"For what reason, Bernard? You seem
wonderfully in earnest" "ot s-''' 3
Why, no reason, except the pleasure of
being with YOU" sif9l7tr7 y
Not having seen me since nine o'clock
last night. " 79s s;aa AsIa ..fciaz q a. /.
" But youare always fresh and beauti-
ful sight i have been wondering what /
could do with myself this afternoon, and
beholdl Fate sends me YOU" ~ye
wonder you are not sun-struck lying
SUM-"
Il don't mind the hot sun! 1t never
hurts me. - g" -
And yet, the 5coldest day last winter,
you worked out of doors all day, building
that lee palace for me-" { ais a
enjoy the cold, too, and take the. sea
sons as they come. Heat and cold are
alike to mesD4gr .ef ftts
"You don't mind storms, either, 1
should judge from your walking fifteen
miles in the worst one we had last spring,
TOR no purpose, Itbelieve, but just to show
that you could do it."
:" Yes, 1 can walk any reasonable dis
tance in any weather" said Bernard, care
lessly, but secretly much pleased that his
companion remembered all this.
Does anything make you sick, Ber-
mo; have not had days sickness
since was ten years old. II
"I should think, Bernard; you might be
as much as six feet high" she said, meas
uring him'with her eye.s d
!" Very near the mark Lam five feet
eleven" 30. 3.a,a,s t!.shs q -t..
Well" said JJessica, stopping under
meath the pollard willows, and surveying
her companion from head to foot, here is
a young man, five,feet eleven, broad shoul-
dered, never sick, who minds neither sum
mer's heat nor winters, cold, nor terrible
storms, and yet who can find nothing in
all this wide world to do on, this, long sum
mer day but lie on pile of planks or
lounge upland down the river bank with a
girl" So
The young mans brown face flushed
crimson. rlBut1what can / do, iJessica ~
Help those sailors down there on the
wharf, and perhaps you will put little en-
ergy into them, 80,
doing that?'s ,gscE q g; go -
"Just for the sake of doing. something,
Are you going to live this lazy, useless life
all your daysy"
"You know very well my uncle won't
help me to get into any business, or rather,
he can't, for he never has ready money"
"Help yourself, then"