Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-05-24
THAT VOICE.

A day in June, 1903, and one Of the
loveliest early summer days the world
ever beheld-a cloudleSS sky, golden
bright sunshine, soft fragrant air, joy
ously sweet songs of birds, faint mu-
steal murmurs of brooks and plashings
of fountains, delicately green grass
lingering violets, and budding roses.
On the lawn i'll front of the elegant
mansion of Leon Fishback, Esq, 4 party
of young people are playing Follow
follow-follow-me" IA game somewhat
resembling ESQ their mothers and grand
mothers tell them) an old game called
"puss in the corner, played quarter
of II century or more ago, only in Fol-
low-follow" the players, instead of beck
oning to each other, beckon to u group
of metallic balls, around which they
stand in circle, and he or she who
proves to have most magnetic force the
balls follow with Il rush, while the re-
mainder of the players rush rs wildly
in their efforts to secure the place lett
vacant by the flying one.
AT this moment the balls are rolling
pell-mell helter-ske elter, knocking against
each other with pleasant ringing sound,
after II pretty, fair-haired maiden, whose
little feet, clad i'll slippers all cleaning
with silver and gold, flash in the sun
SHINE beneath her blue satin Turkish
trouserlets as She. springs lightly over
the greensward amid the exquisitely
modulated laughter-no no one shouts
loudly III this refined twentieth century
of her merry companions.
In the back garden, on a green clover
sweet grass-plat, stands Il broad deep
basket Of newly washed, snowy white
linen, and Il hanging-out machine, plant
ed firmly in the middle of the plat, is
industriously raising and lowering its
wooden arms, grasping the various
pieces in its wonderfully constructed
hands, and hanging them upon the stout
no-clothes-pins line, which is slowly re-
volying around it, and to which they
adhere without farther trouble.
In the dairy the rosy-cheeked dairy
maid is reading love poem while the
automatic mixer is milking the beau
tiful white COW that stands just outside
the door; in the kitchen the cook is
indoently rocking to and fro in a low
rocking chair, watching the "magic
rolling-pin" roll out the paste for her
pies, ready to stop Its pendulunl-like
movement the moment the crust is
smooth and thin enough; and small
servant boy, with his hands i'll his pock-
cts, lounges against the wall in one
corner near tall stool, whlstling softly
to himself as he waits until the pair Of
shoes the electric blacking- brush is pol
ishing thereon attain the proper degree
of brilliancy and mirror likeness.
This is prosperous place, this do
main Of Leon Fshback, Esq, and Leon
Fishback himself is II tall, handsome,
energetic, positive man of one-and-thir-
ty-a bachelor, who gives home to his
widowed sister and her fonr half-orph-
aned children, and in return is taken
care of by her, with the assistance OF
the old housekeeper-to tell the truth,
with great deal Of assistance from the
old housekeeper-as well as any brother
was ever taken care of by any sister.
Still, people, as people will-especial-
ly people with grown-up single daugh-
ters-w wondered that he had never mar
ried. ltwas not for want of opportunity
he had not done so-ob, no indeed! for
dozen lovely girls, half dozen more
or less charming widows, and several
ladies Of neither class, had, since his
coming into the property of his uncle
and godfather Leon F;shback, SEN,
{whose ashes iii solid gold casket stood
in sort of shrine, made Of hundred
rare woods, in the south drawing-room
intimated 20 him, in every way that the
shrinking sensitivaness Of womanhood
would allow, their perfect Willingness
nay, anxiety-to assume the role Of mis-
tress of the Fishback mansion.
But Leon had walked calmly among
them, dispensing hospitality kind wo, ds,
and gracious smiles with the strictest
impartiality, distinguishing none BY the
slightest preference, until few weeks
before this beautiful June day when his
young guests merrily called, Follow
follow-follow-n to their highly pol
ished admirers on the closely shayen
lawn
Then came to visit his sister All old
school friend, Laura Beardsley, By
name, who haG been residing in far
distant State, but with whom the sister
had kept up warm correspondence
ever since they parted At the college
door the day on which each was pub
licly hailed with loud acclamations as
Mistress Of Arts.
Miss Beardsley is lovely woman of
eight-and-tYenty summers, looking at