Litchfield enquirer., 1876-06-22
CHEM MENcE.

l The ar among the pines that 0ay seem ed heavenly to Paul Ashford, where, deeI in fragrant shade, he lay upon the mellow carpet of fallen leaves, his ears filed with a sea-like murInur, his eyes upturned to the blue sky of late June. -as
 Such a contrast to turbulent Gotham, whose never ending whirl of business and pleasure, tbronged pavefhents and noisy | streets. made the green and quiet of this New Hampshire village little short of par. ! adise to weary eye and vermont nerve For the glad life. which abounded here was not that of restless humanity. but o1 vegetation. bird, and insect. with here and there group of lazy, large eyed cattle. Upon Paul Ashford fortune had bestow. ed that golden mean implied in the phil osopher's prayer, "Give me neither power ty. nor riches" To one of his tempera- ment, however, this was an injury rather than benefit. The possession of greater wealth would have afforded scope for the l exercise of his generous impul>es and cul- tiyated tastes, or the stimulus of poverty | might have aroused his dormant energies to develop more fully the gifts with a hich Nature had endowed him.
 For that partial dame had chosen to make Ashford a glaring instance of hel favOritism, and the curse that turks, as cynics say, in every blessing rendered this versatility hls chief drawback. In itera- ture, art ,and music he was scleyer. when in either path alone, with the aid of 6 little adverse criticism, he might have risen to eminence. But his book had been pronounced a success, his sketches full of promise, his tenor at amateur con- certs faultless. and having taken his place as an Admirable Crichton," he had be. come nothing more. So his great natural | gifts had achieved for Ashford little be. yond that'soclal celebrity which is the re. suit of such accomplishments. when united with good temper and a. handsome per. | son.
 Possessing a comfortable income and no incentive to action, he might be likened to the incest, brightest of engines, finished within, polished without, lacking only steam. And, as consequence, at twenty five he fell prey to eanui.
 'You need thorough shaking up," de- clared his physician, not sorry for the op- life while. Don't visit Saratoga or Newport, but take pedestrian tr,p to the | mountains, and end your campaign by two months in some place much as God made it. Don't come back till your face is browner and your eyes brighter. And go without your friends, to make the change complete.
 Which advice Ashford first laughed at, then pondered, and finally followed. Amidst the grandeur of cloud-cutting summit and deep ravine, the clear mount am air had filled him with fresh life, while ruddiness upon his cheek. Ennui had cIipono1 nff li1xo old 11,,n hn- fore the delicious afternoon when he had thrown himself down to rest little, before resuming his tramp, under the pine trees in the outskirts of Hilburn, a hamlet nestled amidst that Alpine scenery. He took book from his knapsack, only to find that reading accorded less with the place than dreaming; and before he fairly knew it, his dreams were genuine, for he was fast asleep.
 From this repose he was disturbed by a stinging sensation in his forehead and by a girlish voice in which amusement and vexation mingled.
 ''Now: Jimmy. you know you're doing wrong. What if should tell Aunt Ke- &ury ?' ..
 II don't care" responded juvenile Irre- possibility, "and I'll do it again." But here the victim opened his eyes, in time to see branch of pine needles whisked from above his head.
 The actors in this drama were @ girl of ten or eleven years and boy considerably younger, each with basket of the earli- est ripe strawberries.
 The former met Ashford's first look of annoyance with frank gray eyes.
 Jimmy didn't mean any hurt but I couldn't help it. he's SO full of mischief. D
 ''I should judge so" remarked Ashford. as, restored to good humor, he surveyed that embodiment of gypsyhood, whose ragged hat brim shaded pair of saucy black eyes and tangle of dark curls; and he thought what an anomaly it seemed to see this Southern hue and temperament among the clear-cut outlines of New England landscape the garnet fire hearts imbedded in cold white quartz.
 The girl, too-probably his sister, from certain likeness was pretty child, ma- ture for her age, with brown hair sum- warmed into red, square forehead. and large gray eyes. These latter were the most striking features of her face, contra dieting as they did the practical mouth by sad, nnchildish yearning. r
 ''Such eyes as those seldom find what they seek" thought Ashford, and he at once felt interested in the girl. She, on her part, unaccustomed to the genus gen. tleman, was divided between admiration for the strangers grace and elegance and a painful consciousness of her own bare feet, old dress. and gingham sun-bennet. Knowing nothing of Maud Muller, she found no comfort in the precedent of that maiden's ''brier-torn gown and graceful ankles bare and brown" but to Ashford the familiar lines recurred,
 The sight of her berries, however, brought back his mind from the regions of poetry to the fact of an unromantic .ap- petite. and caused him to ask his new ac- quaintance where he could obtain nights lodging and something to eat.
 . The square forehead was knit in medi- tation.
 'Uncle Zabdiel's is the nearest house i; Jimmy. and live there, right down by the river. There ain't another till you come to the village, and that's beyond Enoch. Greens pasture lot, three miles of. I guess uncle could keep you"
 "Uncle Fab ain't at home. Clem," vol unteered Jimmy. "He'n' Aunt 'Tury went over to the village this morning, you know, with the wagon and old Tom.-Old Tom, he's our horse" for the enlightenment of the stranger; ''and Miss Jones is there now"
 "Oh yes, I forgot" said Clem. ..Miss Jones, she takes care of the house when Aunt 'Tury goes off; she's real neighhorly, you see: But. anyway, you might come home with us and get some supper; they'll be back soon.
 The house presently announced as ...Un- cle Zab's" was of class common in that primitive region-squara, red, one-storied, with two dormer windows projecting from the roof. and porch covered by wood bine. In front board fence inclosed the box-like yard, divided by straight path from gate to door step into two compart- ments filled with old-fashioned flowers.
 Here. side by side with roses. spice pinks. and sweet-williams. bloomed other flowers less fragrant tall hollyhocks of every hue which hollyhockdom owns; sum- flowers that. despite the devotion dwelt