The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-04-01
ANYTHING FOR A CHANGE.

ANYTHING FOR A CHANGE.
Nellie Tyrrel was very pretty girl;
but very whimsical and impatient. She
read novels all day, and felt deeply the
gross injustice of fate in not making her
life like the lives Of the heroincs of fic-
ton. Chestnut Farm was miserable
place, in Nellie's view, and not bit like
manor, or a grange, or castle. Moth
ing mysterious or tragic could ever
happen on such prosaic ground, nor
could anything extraordinary occur to
any of the people who lived there.
Day after day the same mOnOtOnous
drama was enacted. The A train
passed up in the morning and passed
down again in the afternoon; but the
passengers seemed to be always the same
people, and certainly it was the
same locomotive and train of cars. Here
was breakfast, dinner and supper twice
a week John Mortimer paid visit; oc-
casionally some one else dropped in, and
i'm this set of incidents was comprised the
entire history of life.
Nellie was ennuied to death. This
lovely autumn afternoon she sat in the
doorway of her uncle's pretty farmhouse,
a book in her lap and rebellion in her
heart. The wind was sweeping the red
leaves from the trees, and the long,
tedious summer was fast coming to an
end.
"How much all this reminds me of my
life % mused Nellie. am growing old
without ever being young. From the
instant we are born we begin to die; but
some of us more rapidly than others.
Good heaven will there never be a
change?"
"Nellie," said little boy, making a
sudden appearance from the interior OF
the house, "Aunt Mary says you mustn't
sit here, because it is too chilly. You
will catch cold"
"I hope not" answered the young
lady, with infinite sc0rn. / may come
in presently" :,
dBut she wants you no,c," persisted
little Frank, her mischievous brother.
al shall come when it pleases me-"
"Thats rude, Nellie, and l daren't tell
auntie that. There's company in the
parlor, and she told me not to tell you
and she wanted to surprise you, and they
will be gone away soon if you don't come
inn said Frank, with that defiance
of grammatical proprieties which is the
pleasant privilege of childhood,
Company Some bore, ! dare say
but anything for change. Nothing
could be duller than sitting here"
So Miss Nellie went in. She foune
Aunt Mary conversing with the hand
soonest young man possible to imagine.
tall, dark, slender, rather piratical
looking, but on that account onl!
the more attractive. He might hav
sat for Lord Byron's "COrsair o
"Lara"-in fact, for anybody yer.
wicked and very splendid in appearance
Aunt Mary rather stifily introduced hin
as Mr.. Lionel Chelmont. Nellie coul'
hardly speak for embarrassment. Her
was her beau-ideal at last
1t presently appeared that Mr.. Chez
mont was an author. He was even nov
engaged upon book, and, being dcslrou
of rural solitude until he could finish II
he had called upon Aunt Mary to obtai
board and lodging with her, if possible
for month or so; if impossible, to obtai
information where such accommodate
in the vicinity could be had.
at is 10 quiet here" he said, in
thrillingly modulated voice and quie
is what seek. have lived in such
whirl of excitement during the summe
that am bent on trying the opposite e,
treme. 'Sick with pleasure, he almo'
longed for woe,' as the poet says, an
really the sentiment expresses my ow
feelings exactly"
alt is very dull in winter" said Aur
Mary.
"The duller the better" laughed M
Chelmont. "I don't have time for an
thing but nay book. / should be und
n load of obligation If you could accor
modate me, aud sha'n't be in the way
all; and as for price, anything you Iii
to ask will meet my views exactly"
He had such careless, scornful way
speaking, that Nellie already halflov
him. This indifference about what
was to pay was so romantic, and in SUI
contrast with Aunt Mary's penurio
ideas, and John Mortimer's greedy cour
ings up of the shillings and pence! Al
how admirably he was dressed-at Che
nut Farm he looked out of place. I
proper sphere would be mighty cas-
of some kind-one of those amazi
structures described in stories-wi
slaves around him, and all that sort
thing.
Aunt Mary finally decided to take h
for n fortnight, at least-his sojor
after that time to be longer, If mutua
agreeable" and payment" she cough
rather grimly, "in advance" AT t
Nellie's ears tingled-it was really
coarse, she thought-but Mr.. Chelm
merely said:
admirably businesslike! / resp
that quality; for haven't particle
IL in my composition. / scarcely XII
how to count my own money. ant
never was able to learn the multipl
tion table"
So he paid the fortnights board in
vance, and was established. Here W,
chance at least, and Nellie began to kr
something of happiness already.
At first Mr.. Chelmont's book clair
great deal of his attention; for he
NAMED in his room nearly all the Ii
He showed the effect of this confncm
being pale and without appetite bu
was always lively and agreeable,
very soon Aunt Mary began to like
better than she could have ever belle
would be the case.
She encouraged him 10 spend NOR