The daily gazette., 1877-03-28
Rersis Aliens First Love
BY BABSoN,

A May morning. Persis Allen stood
upon the hillside, looking down at the
overfiowed meadows, full of yellow cow
slips. They dotted them all over, like
little gold stars.
She watched them with still shining
eyes. She was quiet little thing. with
ewes that often shone but never sparkled
l--great, liquid, dark eyes which made
her only beauty.
| "Here, little girl!-how far is it to Cap
tain Aliens house?"
Persis was startled, but she looked
around quietly; then finding that she
could not answer without calling very
loudly, she walked down the hillside, and
leaning on the stone wall, pointed up the
road. Tl
"Do you see that brown house by the
Ipines?" f.l 81 B ~ - -
eyes," replied the young man, Civ
Ing one glance at the house and two at
her. t-o' -rl',
| "Just beyond that is a cross road. You
cannot see it from here for the trees. Take
| the left hand turning, and Captain Aliens
house is the third, about quarter of mile
ton."
"Thank you." ne
| Persis looked up, met gravely the stran-
gers eyes, and turned away. The trave-
Ter rode on.
"Zounds!" he said. 81 thought she was
a child. What an odd little thing! She
looks like one of the elves who stole little
Bridget, and never brought heriback for
seven long years. What is she doing up
on that hall, wonder? Can those flow
ers in the bog be buttercups? But I've
forgotten about country flowers, with a
good many other things. Heighho! Get
up, Circe! There isn't much more of this
detestable road, it seems"
He dashed down the muddy road like a
Centaur. Persis watched him, watch
ed him with admiring, absorbed, dreamy
eyes.
"My lover shall ride like that" she said
softly, "But," with little light laugh,
81 hope when he comes that he won't
find me with my sun-bonnet hangin.
on my back, and my shoes muddy"
The little white May flowers were
growing all along the road-sides, as Per-
sis went home. Down at the crossing an
apple tree was all in blossom. She put up
her little hands toward it. in a kind of
ecstasy-then went on quietly, singing
lowly and swinging willow wand.
She looked more than ever like fairy,
to Vincent Lord, as she came winding
among the lilacs up the path to her
fathers door, where Vincent Lord, the
traveller stood, talking to old Captain
Allen within, while before the door was
Phil, the hired man, trying to manage
Gree, the horse who was vicious, and
pranced dangerously about.
AT sight of the horse, Persis paused
whereupon Vincent Lord sprang forward
and catching the mare by the bride, cut
her severely about the legs with his whip
and sent her to the stables, prancing and
foaming He went back to the door, and
Persis came up-just bending her head to
him, as she went in.
Her father was in his armchair by the
door.
"Persis, dear-Mr. Lord has come to
stay with us for while. He's old Cap'n
Lords youngest son, Persis-one of the
boys that never saw-but he's welcome
for his fathers sake. Any kith or kin of
my old messmate is welcome here. Just
tell Joan to lay the cloth for dinner,
daughter. It's our dinner hour, Vincent
twelve O'Clock. 1 'spose you amt
usedto such early hours for dinner
eh?"
Vincent Lord, who freakfasted at elev-
en-, dined at four and supped at twelve
laughed, and said something about doing
in Rome as the Romans did. Persis W ent
out, thinking more of that laugh, and the
coal black eyes and raven curls, than of
the dinner.
After dinner she went out into the
porch and sat down on the steps, with her
head on her haAd, and the festoons of hop
vines dropping about her. In little
while there came leisurely step behind
her. She looked up.
"Looking at my garden"
"Where was your garden?"
''In the meadows. The cowslps are
ell in bloom"
Oh, smiling, treacherous, ,fattering eyes
Persis' white lids dropped under them.
sLittle fairy! Little queen of the cow
slips! Is all the wild country your gar
den?"
eyes. l have gardens in the woods
where the vioIets and arbutus grow and
in the fields where the clover and butter
cups blossom"
''That is very nice, And who is your
gardener"
She pointed upward, bright, smiling,
glad and reverent. Vincent Lord looked |
at her in astonishment.
.'What strange, strange child you are!
Will you be my cierone while stay |
here?"
80, yes"
sYou know all tle secrets of the wood |
l believe-what the birds say to each |
other, what the flowers are thinking
about-where the little brown men ofthe
forest leave their calumets, and wherethe
grows" |
She shook her head, laughing an /
blushing.
81 never found cinque-foil in my life"
she saidk