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

CLEMENCE.
Harper's Monthly for July.
The air among the pines that day
seemed heavenly to Paul Ashford,
where, deep in fragrant shade, he lay
upon the mellow carpet of fallen
leaves, his ears filled with sea
like murmer, his eyes upturned to the
blue sky of late June.
Such contrast of turbulent Goth.
am, whose never ending whirl Of
business and pleasure, through pave
ments and noisy streets, made the
green and quiet Of this New Hamp-
shire village little short of paradise
TO weary eye and worn out nerve! =
For the glad life which abounded
here was not that of restless humani
ty, but of Vegetation, bird, and insect
with here and there a group of lazy.
large-eyed cattle.
Upon Paul Ashford fortune had
bestowed that golden mean implied
in the philosophers prayer, "Give me
neither poverty nor riches" To one
of his temperament, however, this
was an injury rather than benefit
The possession of greater wealth
would have afforded scope for the ex
ercise of his generous impulses and
cultivated tastes, or the stimulous OF
poverty might have aroused his dor
ment energies to develop more fully
the gifts with which nature had en-
dowed him.
For that partial dame had chosen
to make Ashford a glaring instance
of her favoritism, and the curse that
turks as cynics say, IN every blessing
rendered this versatility his chief
drawback. In literature, art, and
music he was "clever," when in either
path alone, with the aid of little
adverse criticism he might have risen
to eminence. But his book had been
pronounced a success, his sketch full
of promise, his tenor at amateur con,
certs faultless, and having taken his
place as an "Admirable Crichton,' u
he had become nothing more. Sc
his great natural gifts had achieved
for Ashford little beyond that social
celebrity which is the result of such
accomplishments, when united with
a good temper and a handsome per-
son.
Possessing 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
he fell prey to ennui.
"You need thorough shaking up
declared his physician, not sorry for
the opportunity. "Leave off your
make-believe life while. Don't
visit Saratoga or Newport, but take
a pedestrian trip 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 bright
er. And go without your friends to
make the change complete"
Which advise Ashford first laugh
ed at, then pondered, and finally fol
lowed.
Amidst the grandeur of cloud-cut-
ting summit and deep ravine, the
clear mountain air had filled him
with fresh life, while sun and wind
had left their wholesome ruddiness
upon his cheek. Ennui had slipped
off like an old garment long before
the delicious afternoon when he had
thrown himself down to rest little
before resuming his tramp under the
pine trees in the outskirts of Hill
burn, 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 singing sensation in his fore
head and by girlish voice in which
amusement and vexation mingled.
"Now, Jimmy, you know you are
doing wrong. What if I should tell
Aunt Ketura?"
81 don't carc," responded Juvenile
Irrepressibility, "and I'll do it again.
But here the victim opened his eyes,
in time to see a branch of pine
needles whisked away from above his
head.
The actors in this drama were a
girl of ten or eleven years and boy
considerably younger, each with a
basket of the earliest ripe strawber
ries.
The former met Ashford's first
look of annoyance with frank gray
eyes.
"Jimmie didn't mean any hurt;
but l couldn't help 1t, he's so full OF
mischief"
81 should judge So" remarked Ash
ford, as, restored to good humor, he
surveyed that embodiment of gypsy
hood, whose ragged hat brim shaded
a pair of saucy black eyes and a tan
gle of dark curls; and he thought
what an anomaly it seemed to sec
this Southern hue and temperament
among the clear-cut outlines OF
New England landscape-like the
garnet fire-hearts embedded in cold
white quartz.
The girl, too-probably his sister
from certain hkeness-was pretty
child, mature for her age, with brown
hair sun-warmed into red, square
forehead and large gray eyes. These
latter were the most striking featurel
of her face, contradicting as they die
the practical mouth by a sad, un
childish yearning.
Such eyes as those seldom tint
what they seek, thought Ashford, ant
he at once felt interested in the girl
She, on her part, unaccustomed t
4l,o crouuu gentleman Wae divided