Richland beacon., 1873-04-26

present, miss-Miss FlOra?'
81 have completed my education, sir,
in frigidly dignified tone.
"ln.ieed! | wish could say as much
Miss Floy, lis Johns Try rejOinder, ,as wit
an amused smile he turns away from he
to direct his conversation to Kate and me
When John chooses to talk, his converse
ton is truly delightful-even FlOy sits en-
tranced. listening to his animated descrip
tiOns OF the new and strange countries h
had seen.
"Well, what do you think of your 'con
quest nOw?' whispered Kate, a littl'
Enaliciously, as, tea ended, we enter tn,
parlOr together.
"WhO wants to make a conquest o
such an old bear" asks FlOy, shortly.
BIT next morning, 10 and behold ap
peared Miss FlOy, i'm her simplest dress
hor pretty fair hair braided round hel
head, and an air of demure propriety
diffused all over her little person. Sh,
greeted John with dignified humility
John, who had quite forgotten yesterday
little passage-Ofarms, returned the greet
ing kindly, but took slight notice of hel
otherwise. She tried to talk profoundly
to him, and bored him terribly; ant
when that evening she approached him
bearing pOnderOus geological work, ont
passage of which she innOcently asked
him to "explain," John, am sorry t(
say, lost patience, and snubbed' our lit
tie cousin shamefully.
my dear Miss Floy," he said, very
blandly, "1f were not afraid of offend
ing young lady who has completed hel
education,' | would advise you not to at
tempt at present work of this profound
nature. Kate has in her library book
entitled 'Short Lessons in Natural His
tory for Youthful Beginners which il
you really desire to learn, you will fine
both amusing and instructive"
THANK you, SIR" said FlOy celOring
scarlet, and making him a sweeping cour
Jesy, I'm sorry l disturbed your sub
lime meditations, even for moment"
From that time, Floy, throwing aside
her little pedantic mask, resumed hel
curls, her petulance, her sarcastic on
slaughts. One day, she wrote parody
OF his last article-very cleverly done il
was, too, with most laugh-prOvOking car
icatures-and left it in plain sight on hi;
study-table. Her little sarcastic speeches
were as stinging as the wasps' NEST SHE
hired our little Irish boy to deposit in hi:
coat-pocket. The good professor, though
usually Indifferent to her attacks. mani
tested at times the irritation of grea
dog when fly tickles his nose too inces
santly; at which time Floy's exultatior
was excessive:
"Now, John, I'll take no denial, you
must 60 to the picnic with u.s."
80, my dear Kate"
4" You needn't talk if you don't want
to; but 60 you must. It's very bad fsl
you te cOnfine yourself to the society Of
flies, and cOckrOaches, and such 'pesky
varmint'-isn't it, FlOy, darling-mustn''
he goT' ,
a naughty shrug, "the flies, and cock
reaches, and the other pretty little crea
lures. would shed more tears over his alb
sence than We are likely to. l dare say.
John looked really hurt for moment
as he glanced across the table at his saw
age little opponent. Kate gave her cross
look that appalled, her somewhat.
Come, John, you'll go with U.S."
"Well, yes," John assented at last
with sigh Of resignation but to Floy he
addressed n ither word nor look during
the remainder of the breakfast.
Two hours later we were on our way
a merry party of thirty or forty at the
least. A ride of several miles brought
us to Sylvan Falls, place whose Wild
and romantic beauty rises before me
now, like the memory of delightful
dream. Plunging into the woods at
once, we followed the narrow path that
led to the falls, the distant music OF
which soon resOunded in our ears. On we
scrambled, often "Indian file," over the
narrow uphill and dOwn-hill path that led
through the woods shouting and SCI cam.
ing as we clambered over the huge rocks
that often StrOve to arrest our way. The
music Of the falls grew louder and louder
and at length sudden turn in the path
brought them to eur view. Down what
seemed huge stairway hewn in the sOlid
rock, they plunged, bursting into white
fury of foam over the detached pieces o.
rock which here and there strOve to inter
cept their mad career.
Here we paused to rest, admire the
scenery, and eat our luncheon, for whiol
the most poetic mind was by this time
ravenously anxious. With two excep
tiOns, We were all In the best of spirits
One of these was John, who, never mucl
at his ease in such q gathering, began tt
feel excessively "bcred," )" and took th'
earliest opportunity to slip off, unper
ceived. The other was Fl0y, who, fO
such naturally bright little body, ap
peared uncommonly dull; and aftel
awhile, she too slipped away, desertint
several youthful admirers, who had beef
trying to entertain her. The history o
her subsequent adventures l receives
from Kate.
Floy, when she set out, had no inten
ton Of roaming to any distance; but, ab
sorbed i'm her own rather sOrrOwful ref1eC
tons, she wandered on insensibly. Poo
little cOquette! She now suspected.
think, that she was becoming entangle'
i'm the net she had cast for another, an
was by no means so insensibie to John
GOODNESS as she would have had us imag
inc. 1t was not till she had wandere
some distance that . feeling of lonelines
oppressed her, and she turned to retrac
her steps. But that was no light mat
ter; it was easy, very easy, to los
ones self in these old woods. Ami
all the crooks, and turns, and de
vious pathways, the poor child 500
found herself bewildered, and began t
cry in sad earnest. Then she called TO
help, but no voice answered her. Plunl
ing desperately at last into path she ha
a vague hope might lead her in the righ
direction, she followed it for some dii
tance, pausing. all at once, with q violer
start, as in q little thicket on the side
the hill she saw-John Durham
Floy's first feeling was one Of intens
relief; the next instant she shrank bac
into the shelter Of the trees. "rn folio
at q distance" she muttered, but nc
let him see me for the world-the poml
Gus old prig!"
Still she could not for the life of he
help putting out her little head to sc
what the ' 'pompous old prig was doing