Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-05-20

you were masquerading How like a
My of-the-valley it looks, with the round
| delicate face and the delicately-
! ruff
"What an idear' said Miss Perry, the
F, daughter of my hostess. "And yet,
| since you suggest it, l can trace quite a
| resemblance. l remember hearing papa
say once that she was quite belle in her
| day, and there was something of a 70.
nance connected with her."
1t was in dress precisely like this in
| all its details in which Miss Perry was
arrayed when she peered over the rose
| bush on the afternoon in which my story
opens, and greeted me with her innocent
"Peep!'
80" she family articulated, "your
amusement and nonsense for this
summer are falling in love with an un-
sophisticated country grill Quite de-
lightful!"
miss Perry!" exclaimed, in blank
amazement, you wrong me by your mis-
applied irony. My words were not trifing
ones, as you seem to think. | was too
abrupt and precipitate. am but tyro
in wooing."
| put my arm around her slender
waist as | spoke the last words, and she
suffered it to remain there an instant, and
then withdrew shrinkingly, giving me a
halt-startled, half-shy look as she glided
out of the room-a look that haunted me
for months afterward.
saw her no more that afternoon and
the next morning Fred and / we're off Oh
a trouting expedition before she was
astir. At supper she was absent and her
mother volunteered the information that
she had gone to visit her cousins over
the mountains.
:" It's in the Timing county some TWEEN
ty miles off" she said Zone of the boys
was over this way on some business or
other, and she appeared kind O. moping,
and when he spoke ont jest bundled her
off quicker. tn do her good She's a
gal like all Others"
Twenty miles!" repeated. "She'll
probably, then, be gone some five or six
days"
Give or six weeks, more like" was
the reply. Il told her she'd have to stay,
most likely, till we sent for her, and that
wouldn't be till after harvesting was well
over. The men and horses is mighty
busy during hot weather.
I" say, Fred" said that evening, as
we sat on the piazza smoking our cigars,
I've been thinking that Iii go back to
the city tomorrow or next day. To
tell the truth, it's getting little dull and
monotOnous, and"
Dull and monotonous! What has
got into you? Why, it's only day or
two since you were going to stay a
month yet. You're just the queerest
chap"
five been told that often enough to
know it by heart, Fred think l shall
go up by tomorrow nights train, unless
you shall go too if | wait over few
DAYS"
"Not I. l shall stay another fortnight,
at any rate"
"All right. 1t is settled then. Walk
up to the station with me, and you can
send my trunk along some day when The
wagon is going up"
The next evening we arrived at the lit
tie rise in sight of the station some time
before the train wcs due, and we sat
down on rude stonc-wall overlooking
the valley.
by the way" said Fred, suddenly, 81
didn't show you this, l 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. 1t
was a personitied lily-of 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.'
" | say, Fred, want this" | said.
"Nonsensel 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 l put it
in my sachel."
Fred gave me a curious look, which
did not interpret till later in the season,
and made no objection to my appropri-
ating his sketch.
The sun was sinkingibeEind the mount
ain, the valley we had just left having
been for some time in deep shadow.
"Where are your canvas and cOlors?"
presently asked. There's an effect Of
chiar0-oscuro that would draw praise from
the most conservative critic"
Fred needed no second hint; and, as
he painted away, | observed the beauti-
full effect, and made occasional jerky re-
marks on a variety of subjects, presently
saying:
How oprapos that masquerading wig
was! She is, indeed, a lily-of valley,
both lily and valley being in their re-
spective ways charming in superlative
sense"
The whistle sounded just hen; and l
started in haste for the tr ain, leaving
Fred busy on his picture, hardly looking
up when he said good-by and prophe-
sled my return in 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 al such a moment, and if "Puss"
did not eyDect me to come over the