Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-07-28

"Heaven forbid,' he prayed, with Z
shudder at the image conjured up
"the metamorphosis of that sweet
voiced little thing into a Hillburr
BELLE"
Late in June once more a vine
shaded porch might have furnished q
genre painter with subject; pretty
girl sewing, while handsome young
man read to her, and lazy cat SLEPT
at her feet, all under a golden green
canopy of swinging woodbine. Nc
wonder the sun seemed loath to leave
the soft, flushed cheeks, the brown
curls shot with auburn, the gray eyes
deepening under close dark lashes
And no wonder that George Bond
looking up occasionally at Clemence
Burton, is so evidently of the suns
way of thinking!
This tableax was duly appreciated
by its sole spectator, who paused q
moment at the gate before its actors
were aware of his approach. Then a
sudden start makes George Bond lay
aside his book. The girls fair face
has gained pinker flush as the fair
haired, tawny-mustached gentleman
comes up the path, and Clemence has
no ears for reading now.
"Pardon my intrusion," said the
unknown, lifting his hat with grace
for which George Bond could have
scalped him, "but is this not the house
where Mr.. Zabdiel Burton lived some
years ago?"
"And where he lives still" laughed
the girl. "Why, Mr.. Ashford, dom
you know me? I knew yom direct
ly."
"What! Clemence-or Miss Bur
ton, must l call you now?-is it pos
sible you have SO grown out Of my
recollection? To veterans like me Of
course time brings few changes
but | confess l should not have
dreamed that you were little Glenn
cnce Burton-though might have
known you by your eyes?"
For the gray eyes wore still the la
off look OF childhood, despite thu
smiles with which she answered:
"Oh, no one thinks of calling M
Miss Burton Pm still only Glenn
And George Bond, transformed
into Monsieur De Trop, with thu
most amiable feelings toward th'
new conner, betook himself elsewhere
After all, was not his five years
absence dream? Or had time utter
ly.stood still in Hillburn? Ashfort
almost fancied he might have awak
ened from a morning reverie among
the pines in that past summer, ant
that all the succeeding events were
simply creations of his idle brain, 81
little change was visible in the worth.
Philemon and Baucis. But then h
looked at Clemence!
"Wouldn't "a known Glen, woul(
yer, Mr.. Ashford?" said the farmer
"Wouldn't "a thought she'd shot N
into sech a smart, good looking gal
with all the fellers arter her? Georg
Bond, 'Tury's nevy from Minnesoty
he's mos genelly raoun' the haouse
n 'tain't for his Aunt Ketury," will
concluding chuckle that sent tn
blood to Clemence's cheek, and mad
his listener reciprocate in full "ke
tury's nevy's" sentiments.
Life slipped wonderfully soon int
its old grooves, particularly after on
fine morning had beheld Georg
Bond en- route for "Minnesoty," hi
manly heart heavy with the though
of what he had left behind him, AM
the memory of that interrupted tet
a tete under the woodblne.
at I could only go to concert!
sighed Clemence from the depths o
one of Ashford's papers, which con
tanned a glowing eulogy of MADAM
-, a prima donna then electrify
ing America. "Oh, hoao | wish
might hear herw with kind of hope
less fervor.
"Nothing is easier" rejoined Ash
ford. "She sings in Boston on tn
twenty-frst, and we will attend he
opening concert"
BY "that art of putting things,
proveTbial among his friends, Ash
ford was enabled to execute the mos
impracticable designs. So now h
carried by storm the fortress of Aun
'Tury's scruples, until it was arranged
that Clemence's wish should be graf
fled Ill a few days visit to his cousin
Mrs. Gregory, who would exercise
general supervision over her,
The girls first impression of tn
concert was confusion of color
light, and sound, a crash of orchestra
with wild, sweet viollns wandering
in and out, and finally the voice tina
swaycd her rs strong wind bend
the meadow grasses-now low, pa
thetic, in its minor, now rising to tn,
full triumph of a p@an. Then sud
denly, while she listened in that hlgl
wrought mood peculiar to the muslca
temperament, as the sight OF tn,
great Florentine's mighty worl
awoke in Guido Reni the knowledg'
of his own genius, SO now aros
within this little country girl the con
sciousncss of her power, the secret o
the thirst that had possessed her,
" Like plants and vines that never saw the sun,
But dream OF him and guess where he may bs
And do their best to climb and get to him.
And now that her sun had risen, tn
gray eyes lin its light grew satisfied
Ashford, looking at her, was strucl
by the girls beauty as she sat il
ecstacy, her cheeks two roses, deli
cate, yet vivid, her lips parted, he
whole face luminous, her hair glori
fed by waves of floating light. An'
possibly Clemence was not the onl..
one to whom that evening brought
revelation.
Singing ones hearers to heaven
gate. and washing dishes at Uncl'
Zabdiel's-how could the same worlt
reconcile such extremes? Thus pom
dered Clemence, looking back at thi
fairy land from the farm house stant
point once more; and her abstraction
drew from Uncle Zab the guess tha
"somehaow Glenn had left herself IL
Bosting."
But those wonderful songs, repeat
cd in a voice that called sweet echoe
from the river banks, made an I'M