Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1873-05-29
N TIE GROVE.

1t was 4 cloudy afternoon in July
The early morning had been prophetic o
4 pleasant day but, like great man,
prophecies of the present day. bad proved
utterly false. Yet Sunday School,
was Presbyterian in its belief. and SO did
not care for a sprinkling-hsd determin.
edly shut its eyes to the threatening look o.
the sky. and gone on q picnic, thirty mile.
from home. But the heaey drops of rain
which fell about the middle Of the dsy.
drove them from their original place oi
destination. the famous Lion Greek Bridge
Gorge. and sent thcrI on some Eve miles
. more 10 the town of IIorwich.
The excellent music discoursed by the
band which accompanied the excursion
lists, as well as the inherent curiosity OF
man to look upon strangers. attracted
many OF the residents of Horwich down
10 the grove. where the picricers were.
Jack Haviland was one of the many who
could not resist the tcmptation-Jack
and lis friend Marion. Down they went
10 the grove with one umbrella between
them.
Can any one hope TO describe the feel
ings pf . lonesome Young man who wan
ders through bevy Of young girls. any
one and every one Of whom he desires to
know, yet none Of whom he can know .
Jack was oyerfiowing with that incxpres-
sb!c feeling. And who can blame him.
or who would expect him to feel otherwise?
He had been shut up for six months, por-
in. over Parsons on Con,racts'-a book
so suggestive Of love dreams-'k eut's
Commentaries, law Glossary and
'Tomlins Law Dictionary till his night
ly dreams presented ghostly, trouble
some phalanx Of agents and principals.
Can any one ccnsure Jack for feeling a
longing desire for little human sympa-
thy aud human contact? He listlessly
leaned against pine tree and looked
around him.
just then two young ladies' came into
the field Of vision. One Jack knew, the
other was stranger. and the other was
the one Jack Immediately began to admire.
She was of medium height, dressed SIM
ply, yet tastefuly: white Garihaldi wais,
i believe Jack found out afterwards that
was tie name of it-bc.ted in BY broad
ribbon. daIk skilt. over which was loop
ed another striped black and white, and
out from andcr which pecped two pretty
feet, encascd in thick, but new boots; a
classical head-though Jack confessed to
NC, that If the figure head which formed
:hc frontisp'cco Of his Iliad, and which was
held up 10 innocent freshmen As that of the
blind 'old man eloquent. is classical, why.
he didn't think hers was-wi,h 4 great
mass Of hair, real, brown. living. hair.
twisted into grand coil behind, but not
50 firmly but that stray little cuy,s had
managed to creep out here and there to
give themselves an airing IS The wind flut-
tered abou: her face; and it was such 4
sweet, comely face withal, that Jack most
heartily envied the wind, and crowninc
all, was tasteful BIT Of head gear, such
a is worn -a-days.
Jack stood under the Pine tree and los.
his heart. But he might just as well have
lost it to the -thc-wiSp. q sprite. or
some other fearful DECEPTION. for what pos
sib.li;y was there Of his ever getting ac.
quaintcd with his suddenly set up divini-
", much less of-weil. Jack had no, rs
yet exactly defined it in his own mind.
Bat nature is a match maker. \ rather
broad statement, do YOU say. gentle read
cr: Does not the old couplet
There's divinity ,ha: shapes our ends.
Rough-hew them as we w!.l,"
apply to matchmaking rs much as to any
other course Of life? And do you want
any better authority?
Just then it began to rain. Jack had
his friends umbrella 1t would not do to
let her get wet. so without n word Jack
opened the umbrella. stalked over to where
she stood, and held it over her. He did
il in such an honest. earnest way, she
could not take offence She looked W
into his face and smiled: Jack smiled =
She laughed low, ripping laugh, Jack
n Historically short one
It's too bad. it rains said she. with the
accent on the too bad just as girls al
ways speak.
Il don't know" blundered Jack.
She looked at him curiously. and said
We'll. in n sclf-interrogatory wav, as
though she might have said, What sort
of an oddity are You ? and then laughed
again?
With that Jack also laughed, and came
to himself. Then he began to talk, and
they got on graudly.
The rain not ccasiug. Jack walked home
with her, for he found out that she lived
in town. When they had arrived at her
door. and she had thanked him for the
use Of his umbrella. or rather the use Of
himself and the umbrella, Jack knew he
ought to 90, bus-every Young man knows
how it is-he WASN'T quite ready.
My name" said be. lis Jack-Jack
Haviand."
"And mine is Clio Stanley"
"And-and I'm studying Law here in
town"
And am stopping here for the sum
mer with papa. | should bs happy to re.
ccive \ cali from you"
Then Jack went home.
The mex. day Jack thought it all over.
The one moment he called himself fool
the uext chuckiei over the action. and de.
cidsd, whh all the aeumea Of country
judge. toward which position he had as
pira,ions. that il was rather cute aud il
cute, Why he. as the perpetra,or, must bc
somewha. sharp. Nov be was inclined to
feel sorry and ashamed over it; then with
an appeal to the principal heathen dei,y
Of his vocabulary. Jack expressed himself
as 'deueed glad il happened, So he wen,