The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1874-05-17
TIE ROSE !! TV1iVNHE
Bi BRET HARTE.
CHAPTER |.

inson's Hall where there had been
dancing and rcvolry, aud the moon,
Qiding high, painted the black win
flows with silver. The cavalcade that
an hour ago had shocked the sedate
pines with song and laughter, were all
dispersed; one onamored swain had rid
den east, another west, another north,
another south, and the object of
their alteration, left within her bower
at Chemisal Ridge, was calmly going
to bed.
/ regret that am not able to indi-
cate the exact stage of that process.
Two chairs were already filed with
delicate enwrappings and white con-
fusion, and the young lady herself was
half hidden in the silky threads Of her
yellow hair, had at one time borne a
faint resemblance to partly .husked
car OF Indian corn. Rnt she was now
clothed in that one long, iormless gar.
ment which makes all women equal,
and the round shoulders and neat waist
that an hour ago had been 50 fatal to
the peace of mind of Four Forks had
utterly disappeared. The face above
it was yery pretty; the foot below,
albeit sharely, was not small. "The
flowers, as a general thing, don't raise
their heads much to look after me, >"
she had said to one Of her lovers with
superb frankness.
The expression Of The Rose to.
night was contentedly placid She
walked slowly to the window, and, max
ing the smallest possible peep hole
through the curtain, looked out. The
motionless figure Of horseman still
fingered on the road, with an excess Of
devotion that only a coquettc or a wo.
man very much in love could tolerate.
THE Rose at that time was neither,
and after reasonable pause turned
away, saying, quite audibly, that it was
too ridiculous for anything. As she
came back to her dressing table it was
noticeable that she walked steadily and
erect, without that slight affection Of
lameness common to people with whom
bare feet are only an episode. Indeed,
it was only four ycaIs ago that, with
out shoes or stockings, loug-limbed
colty girl, in waistless calico gown,
she had leaped from the tail -board of
her fathers omigrant wagon when it
first drew up at Chemisal Ridge. Ger
tain wild habits Of the Rose had out.
lived transplanting and cultivation.
A knock at the door surprised her.
In another moment she had leapcd into
bed, and, from darkly frewning eyes,
from its secure reccsses demanded
who's there
An apologize murmur on the other
side of the door was the response.
'Why-father-is that your
There were further murmurs, affirm.
a.i9e, anrraoo.ory and ro~sisto".
Wait, said the Rose. She got up,
unlocked the door, lcaped nimbly into
bed again, and said Come
The door opened timidly. The
broad, STOPPING shoulders and grizzly
head of a man past the middle age ap.
pearcd; after a moments hesitation
pair Of large diiiident feet, shod with
canvas slippers, concluded to follow.
When the apparition was complete it
closed the door softly, and stood there
"a very shy ghost indeed, with appar-
emily more than the usual indispostion
to begin conversation. The Rose re.
sented this impatiently, though | fear
not altogether intelligibly.
DO, father, | declare
You was abcd, jimmy, said Mr.. Me |
Closky, slowly, glancing with n singu.
lar mixture Of masculine awe and pater.
nal plide upon the two chairs and their
contents. You was abcd and on.
lrossed.'
Il was.
Surely, said Mr.. McClosky, seating
himself on the extreme edge of the
BED, and painfully tucking his feet
way under it, Surely. After
'ause he rubbed a short, thick, stumpy
'eard that bore general resemblance
o a badly.worn backing brush, with
he palm Of his hand, and went on,
\ ou had good time, jimmy.
Yes, father.
They was all there
Yes, Rance and York and RYDER
nd Jack.
And jack Mr.. McClo.ky endeay-
red to throw an expression Of arch in.
uiry into his small, tremulous eyes,
ut meeting the unabashed, widely
pened lids Of his daughter, he winkcd q
tpidly and blushed to the roots OF his
air. O
es, Jack was there said jenny.
ithout change of color or the least
circumstances in her great gray
yes, and he came home with me I
he paused a moment, locking her two 1
ands under her head and assuming t
more comfortable position on her pii, /
w. He asked me that same oaes. 9
on tgain, father and / said yes. Its t
be--soon. We're going to live at a
our Forks, in his own house, and next !,
inter we're going to Sacramento. | ?
oppose its all right father, eh?' She r.
the question with slight d
lex through the bed clothes as the N
arental McClosky had fallen into am h
Dstract reycric, Il
Yes, surely said Mr.. McClosky, re. fl
'vering himself with some confusion, h
fter a pause he looked down at the Il
al clothes and nottin,, than, ,.,ll | p,