Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-09-09

about it. He expected to leave her at
some cottage gate near by, and SO he
did presently. A pretty low-roofed
house stood just in sight, with row of
red and white hollyhocks nodding up
to it's caves. A scarlet-runner, drip
ping and shining in the shower, half
hid little window facing on the lane,
wherein a fantastic assemblage of
spools, beads and jars of confectionery
looked out with an eye to trade.
The girl flung open the gate.
"Won't you come in?" she said.
"Aunt Polly will be glad to see you.
"No, thank you," said the young
man, staring stupidity after her, as she
disappeared among the hollyhocks.
olives there, does she?" he said,
contemplating the tiny shop window.
'sI'm too late for the train to-day.
Guess I'll call in to-morro Wonder
if they keep fishing ines?''
The young man fingered about the
village, and trying vainly to get a sense
of his situation, or rather want of one,
young BROMLEY brushed his coat with
extraordinary care.
"No signs of shower to-day" he
said, as he strolled up the road
"Wonder if I'd better take the train ?"
And with that he turned up the lane
toward the little shop. A clean old wo-
man, in wide-frilled cap and wrinkled
face, sat rocking herself in the doorway.
She looked up as the gate latch clicked !;
great cat purring at her feet rose
sleepily, curling his tail, as the intruder
entered ''Fishing lines % The old
woman sat 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. All we'll, the young
man recollected just then that he want
ed some thread. He was often in want
of bit to sew button on with. "Poor
young fellow !" said Aunt Polly to her
self, commiseratingly Boarding, I
suppose. And needless? He couldn't
to be sure not. And while the good
woman was putting up parcel suffi
| cient to restore all the stray buttons in
| Christendom, her customer sat expect
ant. waiting, but not for the package !;
perhaps trim little figure might sud
denly alight in the room, coming in
from among the hollyhocks, or tripping
dainty 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
contemplating the query.
"Sairy Jane? / hain't seen her to-
day; but their house do leak some
that's certain, which is bad for Tom,
who's got the whoop-" ...-. ... ..-
But suddenly the old lady grew en-
lightened. Her spectacles seemed to
enlarge themselves. The frill on her
cap widened out interrogatively.
''.Bless my soul !" she said !; "what
upon airth am I thinking of, to be sure.
[ do get things a little confused, what
with so many inquiring arter Sairy
Jane and Tom. And you be the young
man that see her home with the UNI
brella miss Wander, I 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 after the shower. I'd be
obliged to you, sir, if you're going
that way, to just let her know they're
all SAFE
Going that way The young man
fingered as he closed the gate, and the
sense of his poverty and idleness did
come upon him then with madly
weight. What matter to him, or to
any one, which way he drifted? 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. a -
So it was Squire Vander's daughter
he had escorted so bravely with the
umbrella Squire Wander, who owned,
as Aunt Polly had told him, s'no end of
lands in these parts. - "What fool
am to be lingering about here ="
though our friend, as he wandered on
".I'l be off by the next train" ..'
But then hadn't he a commission to
Miss Wander, wasn't he charged with
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 pass.
ed the squire's big mansion wistfuIly.
What right had he to took in at the
plckets-a poor wandering wa1f that
would shortly be in want of a break
fast? The great fields of waving corn
goldened in the sunlight, the orchards
on the slopes hung Justify ripe with
frnit, and under the trees here and
there the cattle stood cooling them
selves in the shade, and lazily whisking
off the flies, a pretty sun-lighted scene,
where probably no comfortable farmer,
no hospitable house mistress, would
have conceived it possible that the
decently dressed young man strolling
idly by was without a dollar in his
pocket or an object in the world. aoa q
Object! Oh, well, perhaps not ex-
actly that. For if one can translate
the CLEAN in the young mans eyes, as
through the trees that skirt Sn11ire