The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-05-16
Linda, tlippantly, who did not relish the
praises of another.

Linda, fippantly, who did not relish the
praises of another.
On the whole, Mr.. Erskine was we'll
enough satisfied and employed with his
present friends, without making any great
effort to seek a passee woman, who might,
after all, turn out indifferently. pleasing
At least Miss Linda was gratifed to see
that he took nc. step toward that end. He,
however, put the same question to his
landlady on one occasion: "Do you know
anything Of Miss Loring, Mrs. Pasty?"
"Bless We, dye mean Laury Loring?"
"That is her name, 1 believe:
"Why, she lives up ter Seven Oaks. It's
putty place, Seven Oaks is---but mort
gaged-with no end ofgables and p'inted
roofs and diamond panes in the winders,
and a heap of staircases and passages to
lose yer way in, and that leads almost
anywheres, and sliding panels in the vain
scot, and portraits in the halls, out of
which the gentlemen and ladies walk at
dead o'night, in their satins and laces, and
toast each other in the big dining hall.
But, law save us! they amt got so much
to brag of, them Lorings amt now, but
the house, and grounds and the ghosts of
fine forefathers. The help says as how
they live mighty near the wind and Miss
Laury she'd never wear. hoops, and amt
got no taste in Citing herself up. Old
maids dom t,mostly hev.''
els she an old maid-Miss Laura?'
81 reckon so; never see forty agin, if
I'm judge; only, ye see, the Loring hair
holds its own from the cradle to the grave,
and that's kinder misleading. She don't
hev no attentions from the young fellows,
though maybe that's cause she don't live
handy-some folks like to hev their
sweetheart's within arm s-length. I ba-
| ieve the. Episcopal rector did take to going
| there to consult some old books, but he
he'd call out West. It's romantic like
out to Seven Oaks; if ye're particular,
John d harness up and take We there any
day; it's only matter of four miles,"
But Mr.. Erskine was not particular; he
intended to go there, sooner or later, be-
fore he left Brierthorpe, just to please his
friend, but he anticipated no pleasure
from the excursion: an old maid in rusty
| alpaca, with the airs of miss, presented
no attractions to his mind g eye, and he
rather looked forward to the occasion as
an ordeal, and put off the evil day from
week to week. But Fate was even might
Ter than the will of Mr.: Erskine; she car
ried him to Seven Oaks in spite of him.
self. 1t occurred to him one morning
when pleasure Jagged and Miss Linda had
gone topa neighboring, town for shopping,
that
| "Asoutherly wind and a cloudy sky
Proclaimed it a hunting morning."
He had been advised that he would
bag plenty Of birds in the Decpden woods,
and he boldly took that direction; but
finding that the Deepden woods were a
fraud, he accepted the further, advice of a
woodman in the green solitude to go out
to Loring's Folly" As pretty a BIT of
wood as you're like to see, and the birds
they takes to it kindly; only the old man
Loring, you see, he built mill there,
where the brook be, but the brook it froze
up in winter and dried up in sumner, and
the mill fell to pieces the birds don't