River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-05-17

autumnal beauty, and it dawned upon
her like the reading Of some new ana
beautiful poem.
Strange that there are people content
TO live in the city, when the country Is so
beautiful she thought, one evening, as
standing knee-deep in ferns, beneath a
canopy of crimson and gold foliage, she
gazed in dreamy delight over the lovely
enesc before her.
A rustling in a neighboring thicket
startled her. There was q sudden shot, a
whirring past of brood of partridges,
and the next moment dog rushed forth,
deliberately followed by gentleman IN
gray shooting dress.
As his eye fell upon the young girl,
standing in graceful, half-startled man
ner, he lifted his cap courteously.
II hope that have not alarmed you,
he said {" should not have fired had
known that a lady was near"
The dog bounded back with dead
partridge, which he dropped at his mas
tiers feet
Alice took it up gently.
Poor little thing Ii was cruel TO Kill
it," she said, pityingly, as she lifted her
brown eyes, softened with tender compass
sion. to the face of the stranger.
He smiled curious smile, IN which
appeared both interest and amusement.
"Then am sorry that | should have
killed it, and, in penance, will not fire
another shot to-day
Il have no right 10 require that sacrl-
flee of you," she answered, shyly, as she
turned away.
But he again addressed her:
1T appears that our pathways he In
the same direction. If you are going to
Mrs. Curtis, will you permit me to ac-
company you! The lady is an old friend
of mine, and was on my way TO see her.
ItIwas for her that intended these birds. :
II am staying at my Aunt Curtis" she
answered, land in consideration of the
motive, / forgive your shooting these poor
BIRDS
They walked, in the lingering sunset,
slowly along the lonely wood-path tina
led to the old farmhouse, pausing mo-
ment ON the brow of the eminence that
overlooked II, as it lay like brown birds
nest, embowered in trees in the meadows
below.
"Time mas forgotten this little nook,
remarked the gentleman. :" 1t is as UNI
changed now as | remember it fifteen
years ago"
"You do not reside in this neighborhood,
then"
mo. My home is in the Sunny South
but when boy used to be frequent
visitor to this neighborhood. Perhaps |
ougls to introduce myself. | am Philip
Warrington of b -, and nephew of DR..
Gray
DIR. Gray was her Aunt Curtis physi
elan, and resided on the next farm; but
it was the name of her companion that
now attracted Alice's attention. She had
become familiar with it from Charities
letters, and she said, impulsively:
"You have just returned from Europe.
Then you are my Cousin Charlie Sutton's
friend of whom he SO often wrote?'
II seemed a pleasant mutual discOv-
cry; and the two were no longer strang-
ers.
Aunt Curtis was delighted to see
"Phil." He had grown so wonderfully,
she salid-quite big boy.
And she related many remembered
bold boyish adventures of his, in the
old time. that seemed so long past 10
MIN. 81 10 SiiN
sisted that. as he had had a long walk,
he should stay to supper" and he
apparently nothing 10th, accepted the in
vitatiOn.
There is no place on earth excepting
perhaps on shipboard) where two young
persons thrown togethe" are so apt to
fall mutually in love as in a quiet house
in the country. Certainly, in this in
stance, the being :" thrown together" was
not entirely accidental, since Mr.. Philip
Warrington, in his interest in the old lady,
every day found something TO bring him to
Copley.
Now it was to bring her new paper,
or message from the doctor; then to
read to her some very interesting extracts
from a new book; and then again to offer
larks or cartridges, forgetful of the
cruelty of shooting them.
And in the soft, rich and dreamy Octo-
Der evenings. he and Alice, strolling in
the oId-fashioned garden, or down the
lane, rich in the autumnal flowers, or
seated on the meadow stile, beneath the
golden marles, spent such hours OF hap
piness as can come to us but once in a
life time-with the first dream of dawn
ing love.
And so it came to pass that Mrs. SUIT
ton, anxiously waiting at home, and still
taxing her ingenuity for excuses to keep
her niece 'out of the way" suddenly
heard something which sent la t!ll
to Copley Farm by the next days train,
in mood of mind by no means enviable.
And the first person she saw, on reach
inc Copley, was Alice. standing on the
old-fashioned "stoop," canopied by
autumn roses, with a remarkably hand
some and elegantly looking young man
by her side, the attitude and expression of
both revealing at glance what Mrs. SUIT
ton felt to be death blow to all her
scheming and hopes. She had aimed
well; but, as is the case with even the
most clever schemers had strained too