The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1878-05-30
THAT VOICE.
[Harper,s weekly.l

IHarper's weekly.i
A day in June, 1908, and one of the
loyeliest summer days the world ever
beheld-a cloudless sky, golden-bright
sunshine, soft fragrant air, joyously
sweet songs of birds, faint musical muir
murs of brooks and plashings of foun-
tains, delicately green grass, lingering
violets and budding roses.
On the lawn in front. of the elegant
mansion of Leon Fishback, Esq, a party
of young people are playing Follow
Acknowledgements game somewhat re-
sembling ESQ their mothers and grand
mothers tell them) an old game called
"puss in the corner" played quarter
of a century or more ago, only in
"Follow-follow" the players, instead
of beckoning to each other, beckon
to a group of metallic balls, around
which they stand in a circle, and he or
she who proves to have most magnetic
force the balls follow with rush,
while the remainder of the players rush
as wildly in their efforts to secure the
place left vacant by the flying. one.
At this moment the balls are ro ing
pell-mell, helter-skelter, knocking against
each other with pleasant ringing
sound, after pretty, .fair-haired maid
en-, whose little feet, clad in slippers, all
cleaning with silver and gold, flash in
the sunshine beneath her blue satin Tur-
kish trouserlets as she springs lightly
over the greensward amid the exqui-
sitely modulated dlaughter-noo one shouts
loudly in this refined twentieth CEN
tury-of her merry companions.
In the back garden, on a green clover
sweet grass-plat, stands broad, deep
basket of newly washed, snowy white
linen, and a hanging-out machine,
planted 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-
volving around it, and to which they
adhere without farther trouble.
In the dairy the rosy checked dairy
maid is reading a love-poem while the
automatic mixer is milking the beauti-
full white COW that stands Just outside
the door; in the kitchen the cook is in
dolently rocking to and fro in low
rocking chair, watching the "magic-roll-
ing-pin'' roll out the paste for her pies,
ready to stop its pendulum-like move
ment the moment the crust is smooth
and thin enough; and small servant
boy, with his handsinhisp pockets lounges
against the wall in one corner near
a tall stool, whistling softly to himself
1.ar 70 faf oh he
electric blacking-brush is polishing
thereon attain the proper degree of bril-
liancy and mirror-likeness.
This is prosperous place, this domain
Of Leon Fishback, Esq, and Leon Fish,
back himself is tall, handsome, ener.
getic, positive man of one and thirty
a bachelor who gives home to his wild
owed sister and her four half-orphane6
children, and in return is taken care oi
by her, with the assistance of the ole
housekeeper-to tell the truth, with 6
great deal of assistance from the ole
housekeeper-as well as any brother wa
ever taken care of by any sister.
Still, people, as people will-especially
people with grown-up single daugh
ters-wondered that he had never mar
ried. 1t was not for want of opportu
nifty he had not done SO; oh, no indeed
for dozen lovely girls, half a dozel
more OF less charming widows, and sev
eral ladies of neither class, had, sine
his coming into the property of his un
Gle end godfather Leon Fishback, Sen
(whose ashes in a solid gold casket stoo,
in sort of shrine, made of hundre,
rare woods in the south drawing-roem
intimated to him, in every way that th
shrinking sensitiyeness of womanhoo
would allow, their perfect willingness
nay, anxiety-to assume the role of mi.
tress of the Fishback mansion.
But Leon had walked calmly anon
them, dispensing hospitality, kin
words, and gracious smiles with tn
strictest impartiality, distinguishin
none by the slightest preference, until
few weeks before this beautiful Jun
day when his young guests merrill
called, Observation-Disclosures" I
their highly polished admirers on tt
closely shaven lawn.
Then came to visit his sister an ol
school friend, Laura Beardsley by nam
who had been residing in a far distal
State, but with whom the sister ha
kept up a warm correspondence ev,
since they parted at the college door Il
day on which each was publicly halle
with loud acclamations as "Mistress
Arts"
Miss Beardsley is a lovely woman
eight-and-twenty summers, looking
least five summers less, with an exec
tionally sweet voice, an exceptional
bright smile, an exceptionally gracef
figure, and exceptionally winning way
And to this bewitching woman has LIE,
Fishback, the hitherto apparently u
impressible bachelor devoted himse
since the moment he took her slend
little hand in his and bade her welcor
to his home. And it is by her side
loiters, untempted by the merrime
without, in the deep, pleasant, vir
enwreathed bay-window of the libra
as the fair-haired girl comes flying acre
the garden, pursued by the tinkli
balls.
Laura starts from her seat with
blush, and, leaning from the windo
tentreats, "Coax them away Bella de
They are dancing on the flower bee
And as the girl obediently turns a
speeds in the opposite direction, 1