Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-05-23
THE HERALD.
THAT VOICE.,

4
ously sweet songs of birds, faint mu-
steal murmurs of brooks and plashlngs
of fountains, 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
Observation-Disclosures" - a game
somewhat resembling ESQ their moth
ers and grandmothers tell them) an
old game called 'puss in the corner
played a quarter of century or more
ago, only in Follow. follow the play.
ers, instead OF beckonlng to each
other, beckon to 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 rush, while the remain
der 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 roll
ing pell-mell, helter-skelter, knocking
against each other with pleasant
ringing sound, after a pretty, fair.
haired maiden, whose little feet, clad
in slippers all cleaning with silver
and gold, flash in the sunshine be.
meath her blue satin Turkish trouslets
as she springs lightly over the green
sward amid the exquisitely modulated
laughter-no one shouts loudly in
this refined twentieth century--of her
merry companions.
La the back garden, on a green
clover-sweet grass plat, stands a
broad, deep basket of newly washed,
snowy white linen, and hanging out
machine, planted firmly in the middle
of the plat, is industrionsly raising
and lowering its wooden arms, grasp
ing the various pieces in it's wonder
fully constructed hands, and hanging
them upon the stout no-clothes- pins
line, which is slowly revolving around
it, and to which they adhere without
farther trouble.
In the dairy the rosy checked dairy
maid is reading love poem while
the automatic mixer is milking the
beautiful white COW that stands Just
outside the door; ia the kitchen the
cook is indolently 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 pendu-
lum like movement the moment the
crust is smooth and thin enough; and
a small servant boy, with his hands in
his pockets, lounges against the wall
In one corner near a tall stool, wits
Ting softly to himself as he waits I'M
til the pair of shoes the electric black
ing-brush is polishing thereon attain
the proper degree of brillancy and
mirror-l LIKENESS.
| This is prosperous place, this do
main of Leon Fishback, Esq, and
Leon Fishback himself is tall, hand
some, energetic, positive man of one
and-thirty-a bachelor, who gives a
home to his widowed sister and her
four halforphaned 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 we'll as any brother was ever
taken care of by any sister.
Still, people, as people will-espe-
cially people with grown-up single
daughters-wondered that he had
never married. 1t was not for want
of opportunity he had not done So
oh, no indeed for a dozen lovely
girls, half dozen more or less charm.
ing widows, and several ladies of nci-
ther class, had, since his coming into
the property of his uncle and god
father Leon Fishback, Sen. (whose
ashes in solid gold casket stood in a
sort of shrine, made of hundred rare
woods, III the south drawing-room),
intimated 20 him, in every way that
the shrinking constituencies of woman
hood would allow, their perfect will
lingness-nay, anxlety-to assume
the role of mistress of the Fishback
mansion.
But Leon had walked calmly among
them, dispensing hospitality, kind
words, and gracious smiles with the
striotest impartiality, distinguishing
none by the slightest preference, until
a few weeks before this beautiful June
day when his young guests merrily
called, Follow follow folio to
their highly polished admirers on the
closely shaven lawn.
Then came to visit his sister an old
friend, Laura Beardsley by name, who
had been residing in a far distant
State, but with whom the sister had
kept up a warm correspondence ever
since they parted at the college door
the day on which each was publicly
hailed with loud acclamations as Mis-
tress of Arts
Miss Beardsley is a lovely woman
of eight-and-twenty summers, looking
at least five summers less, with an ex-
ceptionally sweet voice, All exception
ally bright smile, an exceptionally
graceful figure, and exceptionally win
ming ways. And to this bewitching
woman has Leon Fishback, the hith-
erto apparently unimpressible bach
elor, devoted himself since the mo-
ment he took her slender little hand
in his hand and babe her welcome to
his home. And it is by her side he
letters, interrupted by the merriment
without, in the deep, pleasant, vine-
enwreathed bay-window Of the library
as the fair haired girl comes flying
across the garden, pursued by the
tinkling balls.
Laura starts from her seat with a
BLUSH, and, leaning from the window,
Coax them away, Bella dear. They
are dancing on the flower bed And
as the girl obediently turns and
speeds in the opposite direction, she
draws back her pretty head, and,
looking at her companion, says, sHow
much Bella is like her sister Teresa
that is, when Teresa was only
sixteenp
'Is she?' asks Mr.. Fishback.
why, don't you remember?' says
the lady.
4 do not replies Mr.. Fishback,
with emphasis.
r