The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1874-08-14

phan niece, was busy doing up black
berries"
Fresh as a rose, with hazel eyes. soft
ened to intense blackness at times by
the shadow of their long lashes, and
smiling scarlet lips, she stood there
her calico dress concealed by the house.
wifely apron of white dimity that was
tied round her waist, and her black
curls tucked remorselessly back of her
ears-looking demurely into the bub-
bling depths of the preserving kettle,
like a beautiful parody on one Of the
witches in Macbeth )" while on the
whitely-scoured %pine-table beyond a
glittering tin vessel was upheaped with
the beautiful iet-black fruit, each sepa-
rate berry flashing like the eye of an
Oriental belle.
"Ursula !"
The pretty young girl started, very
nearly dropping her skinner into the
preserving kettle.
"How you startled me, Harry"
Harry advanced into the kitchen, with
an admiring look at the bright face
flushed with a little blush and a good
deal of stove heat.
"You are always at work, Ursula"
81 have got to work, Harry, to earn
my own living" Ursula Percy answered,
with a slight uplifting of her exquisite
black brows. 81 am not an heiress
ike Miss Bradbury"
"Confound Miss Bradbury" ex-
claimed our hero. 81 hear nothing but
Miss Bradbury the whole time"
"She is n very sweet young lady,
Harry" said Ursula, in mildly re-
proving accents.
81 dare say; but-what a lot of
blackberrics you have here, 10 be sure,
Ursula"
"Forty quarts" said Ursula, de-
murely. "Aunt Darling always en-
Joys them SO much in winter"
Harry put a honey-swees globule of
fruit into his mouth.
Blackberries are beautiful fruit,
Ursula"
Very" and Miss Percy skinned
diligently away at the bubbling caul-
dron.
Especially when you are doing
them up" added the young NJ. d.,
with rather a clumsy effort at compli-
ment.
Ursula did rot answer. Harry walked
up to the range and took both her hands
in his.
"Harry, don't; the berries will
burn"
"Let EN- burn, then who cares?"
"But what do you want ?" she asked,
struggling impotently to escape, and
laughing in spite of the grave look she
fain would have assumed.
"To see your eyes, Ursula"
She lifted the soft hazel orbs to his
face, then withdrew them with sudden
shyness.
"Do you know what answer 1 read
from those eyes, dearest?" he whis-
pered, after q moment or two of silence,
broken only by the kissing and SIM
mering of the boiling blackberries.
"No."
81 read yes!"
so, Harry, 1 dare not. Uncle and
aunt are 81 determined you shall marry
Miss Bradbury"
"And l am so determined not to
marry her. Is a man to be given away
as if he were a house and lot, or a bun
die of old clothes, l should like to
know? Ursula"
"Harry, they are burning / am sure
of it. l can smell them. o, do let go
of my hands!
Harry Clifford deity seized up the
big iron spoon, and stirred the boiling
depths vigorously.
Its all your imagination, Ursula"
ono, it's not /; and if they are the
least bit scorched they will be spoiled
for Aunt Darling"
"But, Ursula"
The creaking sound of an opening
door beyond suddenly dissolved the
tete-a-tete. Ursula almost pushed
Harry Clifford out of the kitchen.
"Youll be on the piazza tonight
when they have gone to the concert ?"
he persisted, asking through the crack