Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1878-06-21


where the ripening fruit of the wild
shone like tiny rubies along
the course of little musical brook, all
fringed with reeds and alders and tall
growing ferns.
Strawberries, indeed |" said Barbara
to herself. "It's dreadful to be the
youngest of family of girls, and have
to pick strawberries for ones elder sis
ters' beaux."
And she pushed the yellow curls out of
her eyes, and went to work in lugubrious
earnest, popping the largest and sweet
est of the berries into her little round
rosebud of mouth, staining her dress
as she knelt down to seek the shy trea-
sures nnder the clustering green leaves,
and crimsoning her hands with the
haste she made.
wonder which of 'em he'll marry?"
said Barbara to herself, as she paused
a minute to listen to robin which,
perched on the boughs of feathery elm
beyond the brook, trilled out his bar
carolle of glad music. "Lisette is the
prettiest, of course, and he can't know
what dreadful temper she's got. But
Maude is literary, and has read all the
new books, and can talk so well. Gentle
men like intellectual ladies. l wish
with sigh-"that 1 was intellectual. /"
And our little maid fell to work at the
again for full five minutes.
And then she shook her basket, and
peeped into its depths with eyes of
azure despair.
"Not half full" said she to herself;
mot quarter full. Oh, dear me | how
[ wish some one would come to help mel
And there is some one stretched provok-
ingly in the shade under Squire Dallas 8
big oak by the stone wall where the
sweet briers grow. People have no
business to lie IN the shade when other
people have to be working hard in the
sun And do believe it's Squire Dal-
lass new hired man, and he ought to be
at work in the bayfield, instead of lying
there under the trees with book. And" "
Barbara added, surveying the distant
faineant with resolute blue eyes from
beneath her upli ted hand, che shall
work; he shall help mel"
"Young man p she called out. The
robin trilled, the brook made a cool,
tumultuous splashing over the messy
stones that formed it's bed, and no an
swer came back to Barbara save the
Autter Of the leaves in the hazel copse
under the hill.
"Young man, I say |" she called out
again, this time with a certain accent of
the imperious in her voice. The recum-
bent figure under the oak tree straight
ened itself up at once, and made hasve
toward the stone wall that separated
Squire Dallas's domains from Deacon
Wyl de's south pasture lot.
81 beg your pardon, said he; "but
did you call ?"
"Of course I called" sold Barbara,
thinking within herself how tall and
straight and darkly handsome Squire
Dallas's new hired man was. "Don't
you think, young man, you ought to be
at work %
"At work ?" repeated the Spanish
browed stranger. "Well, perhaps I
ought"
"There's no perhaps about it,
said Barbara, brusquely. "Of course
you ought. And since you don't choose
to work for your master, you may as
well be working for me-"
"My master?
esquire Dallas, of course" said Bar
bara. "Dear me, how stupid you are.
"And how, may venture to ask, did
you know who WASP" he questioned,
in an amused sort of way.
"Oh, it didn't require any great ex.
ercise of brilliance for Mat," responded
Barbara, with little nod of the head.
81 know Squire Dallas has got new
hired man; and if you're not he, who
are you ?"
"That is the question:" said the
stranger gravely.
"But wemustn't stand talking here,
went on Barbara, in business-like sort
of way. '"Iake the basket and go tC
picking strawberries just as fast as evel
pany at our house I'm Barbara Wylde
you know, young man-and must gel
back with the berries for desert as quick
ly as possible.
"All right" said the stranger; "I'n
tolerably quick at this sort of thing,
believe" "
81 hope you are" said Barbarian
tent on extricating n tiny rose-prickel
from the point of her stained forefngel
-"and at other things too. Because, i
you're not, Squire Dallas won't keel
you"
"He won't eh?"
Barbara shook her head. "The las
man went away because he couldn't eh
dure the squire's driving ways" sale
she. ooh, I was so sorry He wal
nice. He used to lend me books anC
things over the fence, and he taugh
district school in the winters. I use(
often to come here and talk with hin
over the stone wall, because, you see
it's lonesome up at the house if L Ok
have two grown sisters. Lisette is cross
with me if I ask to borrow any of he
books-she has dreadful temper, hal
our Lisette-and Maude is too intel
lectual to trouble herself about slip G
girl like me. Grown sisters are dread
full, :" with solemn shake of the head.
And suppose you are not grown,
said Squire Dallas's hired man, with
curious CLEAN of amusement around thu
corners of his mouth.
"No," said Barbara, "I am onl,
sixteen, and haven't got trains to my
dresses yet. But perhaps when thu
girls get married, and one of them il
sure to marry this Captain Severn-Oh
take care, you're tipping all the berrie,
out upon the grassl Squire Dalla
won't keep you a week if you're a
clumsy as that"
But the hired man luckily succeeded
in righting the basket before its Grim
son contents were irretrievably lost.
cts oil right" said he. "see how
rapidly it is filing up. But suppos,
this Captain-I forget that you said hif
name was2"
You mustn't forget things" sale
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