Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-08-20

very convenient to her purpose, since,
under strange name, she would escape
good deal of the watching and gossip
which, in her own proper person, she
would have had to encouter. So Jimmy
and Kitty were privately drilled into
their new relationship by sAunt Nina
who was known to the neighborhood as
Miss Neeny Pratt, and, taken at the valu-
alton of her cotton gowns and gypsy
straw, attracted no notice more burden
some than an admiring glance from some
young farmer whom she passed in her
daily rambles with the children The
villagers, indeed, opined that Miss Neenv
was little fanciful-which was their
way of calling her "odd''Abut, the YER
dict once pronounced, troubled them
selves no more about the matter, for fan
cifulness, in all its varieties, is not as
high a. ,misdemeanOr in country as in
city eyes. ssh 80 eu.
But, accustomed to homage, change,
amusement, Of course she speedily found
this monotonous life frightful bore? On
the contrary, she did not find it monoto-
nous, for every day brought her some nov
city: from milking and butter and bed
making to sketching, rowing, climbing,
berrying, there was scarcely a possibility
of the country which she left untried
And watching Iimmy's puny muscles
harden, and little Kitty's white cheeks
take color like the wild roses in the
hedge briers, she actually found more
interesting daily occupation than noting
the progress of a filtration, or undressing
Mrs. A" at the hops. Very strange
taste, no doubt, but tastes never are to be
accounted for
= But if Miss Lascelles enjoyed herself,
what shall be said of the two poor young
things that, like good fairy, she had car
RED away from squalor and .privation?
Truly, to them this was another world in
Its utter unllkeness to any thing they had
ever known. Though not out Of child
hood, they had never yet been children,
and Miss Lascelles saw with delight the
transformation coming over them, as they
rolled on the grass, tumbled down the
hill-sides, scratched themselves among
brambles, screamed, laughed, and whoop-
ed like wild Ingines," as Mrs. Hutch
ms said, and, in a manner, got tipsy on
mountain air and unlimited sunlight
Undoubtedly for the time being they were
little animals like the puppy and the kit
ten they played with, Miss Lascelles aid
ing and abetting, in the belief that by
taking care of the body now she was do
ing the best service to the soul hy-and- by.
One of the children's favorite occupa-
tons was driving the COWS home at night,
and then standing by to see them MIXED,
performance which lost none of its in
terest from the bowl apiece of warm new
milk with which it ended The milk, real
country milk, with no smack of the pump
handle, was, perhaps, a greater marvel
than even the COWS to these benighted lit
tie cts, and they swallowed it literally
open-mouthed. A pretty sight it was, this
SO thought chance conner
who had strayed down the lane by the
backyard, and stopped to look over the
bars at the scene inside Miss Neeny's
blue draperies falling as gracefully from
the milking as ever they had done from
the music stool, her black hair crisping
into picturesque lights and shades against
the sleek side of the white cow who stood
chewing the cud, her large mild eyes med
fixed on Kitty perched on an
overturned wheelbarrow, and steadfastly
the gaze with her great blue
English eyes, while Jimmy, divided be-
tween admiration and kind of fascinated
fear, lowered round Farmer Colby's big
chestnut horse, that it's owner had left tied
to post while he drove bargains in but
ter and cheese in Mrs. Hutchins's dairy,
and that champed and paved and other
wise testified impotence at the delay
The sun, just disappearing behind the
hills, as II to make sure that all was as it
should be before retiring for the night,
shot forth a last keen blink that searched
out CLEAN Of gold in the moss under the
gable and a tiny crimson flower in the
grass, while the chestnut's coat shone as
if vanished, and the shadow of the old
cherry tree heightened till it seemed to be
growing out of sight. 81
The stranger, whose knapsack on the
and stout stick in hand, to saw
nothing OF dusty gray garments, bespoke
him pedestrian tourist, after looking on
for minute unperceived, put his hand on
the bar and called to Jimmy But Jimmy,
whose nerves had not yet hardened to
country boys stolidity, jumped back at
the sudden sound, unfortunately at the
precise moment when the chestnut launch
Ell OFT alta fly that was buzzing about
him. The fly, with contemptuous b-r-r,
sailed off untouched, but poor wingless
Jimmy lay his length on, the ground.
AT Kitty's scream Nina looked around,
but before any body could move, the
young man was over the bars, and had the
boy in his arms. He was a sur
geon, he said, and Nina anxiously
awaited his report of the boys injuries.
They proved less serious than she had
feared-a slight conclusion of the brain
and broken leg, broken so clearly, as the
young surgeon with professional enthusl-
asm declared after setting it, that it might
almost be trusted to heal of itself. -
Nevertheless DR.. Hilton, as he gave his
name, did not trust it to itself. Perhans
he felt that as he had indirectly been the
cause of Jimmy's battering, the least he
could do was to leave him as sound as he
had found him. So the knapsack was I'M
strapped, and, with.its owner, remained in
definitely under Mrs. Hutchins's gambrel
roof. Never surely was patient better
tended than Jimmy Pratt. The Young
man told him stories and invented games
for his amusement, taught him, to the
boys intense pride and delight to play on
a creaky old fiddle that !, had spent its best
days IN the service Of the deceased Hutch
ms, brought him news Of all the small
happenings Of the farm and the village,
till he was well enough tt. be moved, after
which, in sall favorable weather the
daily rambles were resumed, Jimmy
riding in great style, and comfort
on DR. Hilton,s hack Tho no;rb