The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-06-11

IN tttA'J - SSI1'- 'AN
cate face, and the deiicately pcncilcd
ruff"
What an ideal" said Miss Perry. the
daughter of my hostess. And yet, since
YOU suggest it, | can trace quite Il RESENT
blance. L remember hearing papa say
Once that she was quite a belle III her day,
and there was something of a romance
connected with her.
1t was in Il dress precisely like this in al
its details in which Miss Perry was array
ed when she peered over the rOSe-bu>h on
the afternoon in which my story opens,
and greeted me with her innocent
Peep"
So" she family articulated, your
amusement and nonsense for this
summer are falling in love with an unso-
phisticateL c~ountry-girl. Quite delight
full"
Miss Perry" ! exclaimed, in blank
amazcmcnt. "you wrong me by your mis-
applied irony. NV words were not tritling
ones. a you seem to think. | was 900
abrupt and precipitate. | am but a tyro
in wOoing."
| put my arm around her slender waist
as | spoke the last words. and she suffered
Il 10 remain there an instant, and then
withdrew shrinkingly. giving me Il half
startled, half-shy look Is she Glidcd Il OF
the rOOm-a look that haunted me for
months aftcrward.
saw her no more that afternoon. and
the next morning Fred and were OFT on
a trOuting expedition before she was aStir.
At supper she was absent, and hcrmother
volunteered the Information that she had
gone to visit her cousins over the NOUN
tains.
Its in the Timing county, some twenty
miles off, she said. ''One of the bows
was over this way on some business or
other. and she appeared kind o mOping.
and when he spoke ont Jest bundled her
off quick. tn do her good. She's a gal
like all others
Twenty miles" repeated. "Shell
probably, then, be gone some five Or six
days"
"Five Or six weeks, more like" was the
reply. II told her she'd have to stay.
most likely. till We sent for her. and that
wouldn't be till after harvesting was all
over. The men and hOrSesis mighty busy
during the hot weather.
Il say. Fred" | said that evening as
we sat on the piazza smoking our cigars,
I've been thinking that I'll 90 back to
the city tomorrow or next day. To tell
the truth, it's getting 4 little dull and mo-
nOtOnOus, and
Dull and mOn0tonous. What has got
into you? Why, it's only a day or two
since you We're going 10 stay a month yet.
You're just the queereSt chap
"Tve been told that often enough to
know it by heart, Fred. think | shall
90 up by tomorrow nights train, unless
you shall go too if | wait over Il few
days"
ut any rate"
All right. 1t is settled, then. Walk up
to the station with me, and you can send
my trunk along s0meday when the wagon
is going up"
The next evening we arrived at the
little rise in sight of the station some time
before the train was due, and we sat down
on a rude stone-wall overlooking The
valley.
"By-the-way,'' said Fred, suddenly.
:" didn't show YOU this. believe. She
looked so charming | couldn't help IT,"
And he opened his portfolio, which he
invariably had with him, and showed me
a sketch he had made of Miss Perry the
day she was masquerading, which had
thus far proved so disastrous TO me. II
was a ~perSonified lily-of-the-valley, with
the delicate features of her whose name Of
Margaret somehow grated on my ear. and,
as Miss Perry" was too formal, | had
taken to calling her "Puss."
81 say, Fred, | want this | said.
"Nonsense! You'd better let me keep
| this and you take the original"
"a wise man is content with what he
can get | responded briefly, as / put it
in my sacilel.
Fred rave me a curious look, which |
did not interpret till later in the season,
and made no objection to my appropriating
his sketch.
The II was sinking behind the noun
tain, the valley we had Just left having
been for some time III deep shadow.
where are your canvas and cOlOrS?' |
presently asked. "Ihere'S an effect of
chiaroScuro that would draw praise from
the most conservative critic"
Fred needed no second hint; and as he
painted away, | observed the beautiful eff
feet, and made occasional ierky remarks
on a variety of subjects, presently saying {:
"HOw q propos that maSquerading wig
was, She is, indeed, a lily-Of-the-valley,
i've ways charming i'll a supcrlative
sense"
The whistle sounded just then, and |
started in haste for the train, leaving Fred
busy on his picture hardly looking up
when he said sOod-by, and p%rophesied my
return in a few days.
Several times, after my return to the
city, | came near doing so, wondering If
it were not cowardly in me to strike my
cOlOrs at such a moment, and if"PusS"
did not expect me to come over the noun
tain to see her.
Nearly two months had elapsed, and |
had heard no word from Fred. | was on
the point of putting a change of linen in
a sachel, and taking a ~twO-days' run in
search of him, and to see if Miss Perry
had returned. when | received a letter,
which, to say the least, indefinitely post
pOned the matter.
l give only those parts my readers will