American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-11-27
VOL. XIV.

| iCdtu TIC Dut rs liic
must be done, and the farm hands needed
Ploaoman for a capable man to oversee the
farm of Isaac Hill. And, to illustrate the
advantages of advertising, somewhat tall
and thick-set man of twenty-five arrived,
one ElKanah Reed, with honest brown
eyes and a severely outlined mouth, which
a smile broke into tender lines and curves.
He carried ample recommendations in his
pocket, one of which bore the name of Guy
Grosvenor, the master of the famous Ridge
Farm.
And how long have you worked at
the Ridgeg" asked Uncle Isaac.
From boy, sir, on and off," was the
answer
| Ruth stood with one arrested hand on
her spinning wheel, listening pretty
picture enough, with her saucy, bright
eyes, the apple blossom color fitting across
her cheek, and her lips half pouted with a
smile. She had been too often told of her
charms not to believe in them, and per-
haps she was the least bit surprised that
Elkanah Reed never looked at her after
the first salutation. 1t was surely very
odd, when every clod-hopper in the fields
turned his head to gaze after her-and this
was surely no clod-hopper.
"And why did you leave the Ridge
Farm 81 she asked, presently, not caring
gard.
"Why, missg Because 1 wished to earn
more, by your leave"
so he of the Ridge is hard master,
Ell? Is he a bachelor still? Will he
never marry, think yous"
"Perhaps-if he were to see you, miss"
Ruth flung back her curls and made her
wheel buzz. This was the recognition
she had craved, but somehow 1t half dis
MI sQd her Sh ya in lint
Elkanah Reed was laughing at her.
Il would sweep the streets first" she
answered, scornfully Then she turned
her liquid glance full upon him, and her
scorn melted into smile that seemed to
make halo about her as she graciously
said: have met you somewhere, if l
mistake not; was it at the fair last
autumn
Every likely" he answered, indiffer-
emily; IL was there" and he addressed
himself to her uncle.
"They have told him I am fiirt and
he means to take care of himself, the
craven" she thought; "but when did /
ever have to beg for notice, that l need
mind if farm hand turns his eyes away
from mes He'll h. looking this way hard
enough before loHg, I'll warrant" But
for once in her life Ruth was mistaken.
Elkanah Reed was pleasant and civil to
cracked woman from the poor-house, who
came to the farm for her tidbits of dough-
nuts and cider, and brought dried herbs
that were quite as likely to be deadly
nightshade or poison-ivy as anything. He
seemed another order of man from that
with which Ruth had had to deal hither-
to, and her presence appeared to affect him
no more than if he were made of flint in
stead of flesh, and she were the ugliest
wfrys ia HI II xn1
to be sure, of dozen burdens; when I'm
Gle Isaac had an ill turn he watched and
sent Ruth to bed; he repaired her spin
ming wheel and praised her cooking; but
whether he took the heavy milking pals
out of her hands, whether he turned the
churn dasher in her stead, or held her
skein of yarn in place of the broken reel,
he did it with such nonchalance that it
was more aggravation than pleasure, just
as he would have done it for any woman,
plain OR pretty, married or single, with no
more visible emotion than if she had been
a lay figure instead of breathing beauty
accustomed to homage. Ruth was
learned in these things, and perhaps it
vexed her, this total disregard of the fas-
cinations she had deemed SO potent. Per-
hapsit piqued her that when a curl
brushed his face by chance he gave the
chance no heed; that when their two
hands met accidentally he did not appre-
ciate the situation-his own neither de-
layed nor hesitated; that he never sought
occasions to be near her; that he looked
at her as if the sight quickened no single
pulse, as if man had never been beguiled
by woman. He never said pretty things
to her, such as she had been used to hear
all her life, and to expect from the young
men about her; and when their eyes
CHANGED to meet no electric spark was
a. or fr1d 10
in and out, and sat at the game table and
beside the same hearth, and went to the
same merry makings, and knelt beside
her at evening prayers in Uncle Isaac's
keeping-rOOm for six months and better |
without making answers to the coquetry
in her eyes, without taking recognition of |
her charms. Naturally flesh and blood
like Ruth's could not long endure such |
she must either hate or love !
himi
One morning they were cutting off a |
dead limb from buttonwood tree near |
the house, and just as it was about to fall |
Ruth came sauntering across the yard, her |
curls blowing back from her rosy face, |
and carrying handful of burdock leaves |
for Uncle Isaac's rheumatism. In half a |
minute more her chances wouldn't have |
been worth fig had not Elkanah Reed |
dropped the ak he was grinding and |
the risk of his own head.
AZ say, Elkanah," sang out the man in |
the tree, that's pretty tableau of yours!
Practiced it before ?''
That night when Ruth lighted Elkanah's |
candle she detained il a moment and be- |
gan to say, You were very good this |
morning-to-todo as you did. l."
"Oh, that's nothing" he interrupted,
brusquely. do you think I'd stand by |
and see a woman Knocked DOWN."
But you might have been hurt your |
self. don't-know how to-reward |
you," she stammered, dropping her eyes
ever hesitated in her speech toward man.
"You will reward me-if reward is
necessary for doing ones duty-by forget
ling all about it, he said. And Ruth felt |
rs if it had been less cruel had he al
lowed the buttonwoOd bough to crush her
instead.
eff you are going over to the quilting
1t Jackson's," said Uncle Isaac, next
day, "you had better let Elkanah drive
you.''
Il prefer to walk, thank you," said
Ruth
They've found bears tracks in the
woods between here and Jackson's,' said
Elkanah. "You can go round BY the
highway if you like walking. It's mile
further but you avoid the woods
Ruth made no response, but Elkahah
was busy in the yard when she passed out,
with a saucy bow and smile, and he saw
hat she perversely chose the shortcut
through the woods. She went along
through the foot path with her head
Town, not much caring for the bears or
in their neighbOrho God, but de-
aging here and there to pick the tempting
Al 81.