Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-01-11
ROSE GRAY'S STRATAGEM

ROSE GRAY'S STRATAGEM.
This must be the place." said the
Hon. Jonas Colby as he alighted from
sthe stage, in front of low farmhouse
from which the smoke curled lazily
and hung in fantastic eddyings above
the tops of the cherry-trees that looked
with their white blossoms like great
drifts of snow. The bees hummed
endlessly among the flowers, gather
ing a sweet harvest for Winter-a les.
son for the indolent. A comely matron
came out of the low-roofed kitchen and
proceeded to the we'll to fill her kettle.
1t was the ancient sweep to which hung
the veritable cold oaken bucket" that
the good woman seized, and sent down
almost further than you could see, be-
fore it touched the cool, sparkling wa.
ter below. Mr. Carey, the owner Of
the farmhouse and the broad acres
surrounding it, was somewhat old-fash.
ioned in his notions, and still clung to
the primative mode of drawing water.
just as Mrs. Carey had filled her kettle
she heard the sound of wheels, and
turning she saw the stage leaving, and
gentleman coming up the path.
"Why, I declare if it amt Mr.. Col
by, and Rose off traipsing i'll the woods
us usual. I did SO hope she'd be al
home when he came" and Mrs. Carey
hurried into the house. Fanny,
she said to her youngest daughter, a
sprishtly girl of twelve, "go and find
Rose, tell her to hurry home, Mr.. Col
by is here" then smoothing her apron
she went into tho front room to well
come her visitor.
He was evidently favorite of hers,
you could tell that by her reception OF
him. Mrs. Carey was not given to
wasting her Establishments on any one
not particular friend. But let me tell
you who Mr.. Jonas Colby was, and why
he was received by Mrs. Carey'as though
he was the grand duke himself. To
begin, he was q gentleman of Falstaff-
ian proportions, very self-important,
very pompous, and withal very rich.
He was n member of Congress from a
certain district, and last, though not
least, he was in search of wife-he
was forty himself-who was all gentle
ness and meekness, and who would
yield him implicit obedience, and who,
as he grew old, would sustain and CON-
tort his declining years.
Oh, wise Mr.. Colby. He had met
fair Rose Carey, and she had seemed
tho embodiment of all that was beauti-
full and good, consequently he had So
licited the honor of addressing her.
Mr. and Mrs. Carey were fairly over
whelmed by the honor; that the rich
est and most influential man in all the
country round should select their
daughter to be his future wife was too
much, and they fastened to assure him
that they would be pleased and honored
to give him their daughter, never dream.
ing that Rose would object; the girl
had too much good sense for that Of
course.
In her rambles that afternoon, Rose
had found congenial spirit in the
shape of little Julia Burton, and the
two girls, after gathering berries and
flowers till they were tired, sat down
on little grassy knoll, under the wide
spreading branches of a beech-tree.
Julia was arranging the flowers and
ferns they had collected, in boquet.
Rose, declaring she was too tired for
anything so energetic, at last threw
herself down ON the messy carpet, rest
ing her head on one white arm, lazily
watching the progress Of the boquet.
Now and then she would daintily pick
berry from cup she had improtisvd
out of large leaf, and drop it between
lips almost Us red as the berries them
selves.
| "Say julie, give me that ?" she said,