Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-08-20

a great cat purring at her feet rose sleep
lily, curling its tail, as the intruder en-
tered Fishing lines?" The old woman
set about fumbling, specialized search
among her motley stock, but none were
to be found He could get them up at
Squire Vander's big store in the village
Ali well, the young man recollected just
then that he wanted some thread. lie
was often in want of bit to sew a put.
ton on with Poor young fellow" said
Aunt Polly to herself, commiseratingly
boarding, / SUPPOSE And needles!
would he have needles? he couldn't get
no better than her'n anywhere. No, to
be sure not And while the good woman
was putting up a parcel sufilcient 70 re-
store all the stray buttons in Christen-
dom, her customer sat expectant, walt
ing, but not for the package; perhaps a
trim little figure might suddenly allght
in the room, coming in from among the
hollyhocks, or tripping daintily down the
old stairway visible just beyond.
Did-did your daughter get very
wet?" he inquired very abruptly at last,
| considering how long he had been con-
| templating the query.
"Sairy Jane? / hain't seen her to-day;
| but their house do leak some, that's GER
|
| the whoop-"
But suddenly the old lady grew en-
| lightened Her spectacles seemed to en-
large themselves The frill on her cap
widened out interrogatively.
"Bless my soulr' she said; what upon
airth am thinking of, to be sure! do
| get things little confused, what with
| so many inquiring arter Sairy Jane and
Tom And you be the young man that
| see her home with the umbarell?-Miss
| Wander, / mean Oh, bless your heart
she only stopped here to ask after Tom,
and to get in out of the wet; though she
| did match some worsteds, | rec'lect, and
what's more, left them behind her when
she hurried off arter the shower. I'd be
| obleeged to you, sir, il you're going that
| way, to just let her know they're all
safe" ...
| Going that way! The young man lin
gered as he closed the gate, and the
sense of his poverty and idleness did
come upon him then with deadly
weight What matter to him, or TO any
one which way he driftedl AS he
walked down the path among Aunt
Polly's nodding hollyhocks he could have
| found it in his heart to envy the old
woman her quiet little wayside nook
and the undisturbed certainty of her
| homely existence.
So il was Squire Vander's daughter he
had escorted so bravely with the um-
| brellai-'Squire Wander, who owned, as
Aunt Polly had told him, "no end OF
lands in these parts" "What a fool |
am to be lingering about herew thought
our friend, as he wandered on; "I'll be
| off by the next train"
But then, hadn't he commission to
Miss Wander, wasn't he charged with a
message for her, and wasn't business
| business? He heard the resounding
whistle OF the train as it swept out of
sight while he still loitered. He passed
the 'Squire's big mansion wistfully. What
right had he to look in at the pickets-a
poor, wandering waif that would shortly
be in want of breakfast? The great
fields of waving corn goldened in the
sunlight, the orchards on the slopes hung
Justify ripe with fruit, and under the
trees here and there the cattle stood
| cooling themselves in the shade, and
lazily whisking off the flies: pretty sun
lighted scene, where probably no COM
Portable farmer no hospitable house
mistress, would have conceived it posi-
BILE that the decently dressed young man
strolling idly by was without dollar in
his pocket or an object in the world.
Object! Oh, well, perhaps not exactly
that. Not if one can translate that
CLEAN in the young mans eyes as
through the trees that skirt Squire Van
der's lawn he catches a glimpse OF a
pretty figure in fluttering muslin, sitting
and swaying itself leisurely in a great
swing under the boughs of spreading
oak 10 and fro, to and fro, the airy figure
fits, the leaf shadows embroidering her
white dress, and glints of sunlight spang-
ling her braided hair Should he venture
ins He stood irresolute, and as he stood
there came an Eruption OF small boys
through side gate-a pack OF hungry
youngsters just let out of school.
! say, Bessy, is dinner ready?" they
cried.
"Come here and give me swing" an
swered Bessy, inconsequently.
As they approached, the boys caught
sight of the watchful, wayworn face peer
ing through the shrubbery.
"Why, that's the chap was down at
the store after situation" cried Jack,
Jim and Jerry in chorus.
Bessy turned hastily; she knew her
friend of yesterday in moment. Ion,
come I'M come IN she CTlcu. OuSnI
to have thanked you for your kindness
last night"
Il just-just missed the train,' said
the traveller, started out of his self-pos-
session, and naturally, under the circum-
stances giving utterance to the first fib
that suggested itself
"Going away? Why, don't you find it
pleasant herey"
Every pleasant, but"
"But the hotel and clearinghouse are
all full, / suppose.
ITO tell you the truth" burst out the
young man, won to strange confidence by
the frank eyes looking out at him, and
speaking out the bitterness OF his heart,
"it would make very little difference IN
my case--theyd crowd me out, whether
or no, for / couldn't pay for room"
Not pay for a rooml Bessy's eyes
looked up at the broad front OF her
fathers house where door and window
stood open free and spacious. So much
room and to spare while others were. SO
straitened. But the shadow on her face
was quickly turned to smile at behold
ing the alacrity with which Jack, Jim
and Jerry had monopolized the swing.