Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-03-28
NO. rs.
Gales and Sketehes.
A COUNTRY CHORIsTER.

at is the case" said Jane, "of the
sheep that tumbled over the precipice, and
the whole flock rushed pellmell after it.
Of course our little eve lamb couldn't be
expected to escape the ridiculous infec.
| ton"
At this obscure hyperbole Mrs. Fairfield
| opened her eyes and looked at her eldest
daughter in bewilderment.
| Its plain to be SEEM pursued Jane,
THAT Dora's head over ears in love with
Miles Van Dorm, like all the other fools
| in the parish :"
| Mrs. Fairfield quite blushed at this bold
| assertion.
"rm ashamed of you, Jane" she said.
severely. ''Dora's mere child. and has
| no more idea of that kind than babe in
arms. should think you'd have more
delicacy than to accuse your sister of Civ
ing her love unsought"
| That's all balderdash, mother" said
the practical Jane. IL don't profess to
know much about the tender passion, but
the little attention I've bestowed upon it
proves to me that it holds itself quite be-
| yond the volition of its victims. Her fall
| ing to gain the appreciation of this piping
shepherd is the only thing that give me
hope of quenching her love tor him."
| Nonsense, Jane" said her mother.
| cor course she respects him-we all do;
but as for love"
| "As for love-" repeated Jane, Il never
saw a more decided case OF infatuation in
my life. The way she hung on every note
OF his at the singing sch ,ol tonight was
simply dstracting.'
| "Shes foud of music,r pleaded the
mother.
| "Yes, and for that reason" said Jane;
''she should have listened with anything
but delight. His voice is passable, mere
| ly passable; in the high notes it fails igno-
minious!y. But high or low, true or false,
upon every note Dora hung enraptured.
| FELT a chill creep down my vertebre as |
looked at her"
| Jane Fairfield was the eldest of two
daughters of the village school-master and
had, years since, left the paternal roof and
gone up to the city in search of fortune.
Steadily eschewing more aesthetic but less
profitable employment, she had served a
long apprenticeship to the dress making
business, and having graduated with an
artist in that line at the metropolis, she
counted her future safe in her own hands
Devoting herself to her needle and shears,
the world dwinded down TO a small CON-
pass with Jane, and time fled speedily by.
Once fortnight she ran down home. and
heartily enjoyed what domestic amuse-
ment she could CLEAN there-advised and
harranged her mother, scoded and drilled
her little sister, accepted reluctantly the
benign patronage of her father. and look
ing around upon the village folk, devOut-
| ly thanked Heaven that she was not as
other people are.
| In all dispositions like James there must
| ha oil MT in i'm har
was too strong to be diffusive. IL was
necessary there should be contracting
point. With her it was ambition. Not
for herself that was given up long ago
with bitterness that partook Of scorn
Nothing could be done withaut reasona-
BILE capital. and poor Jane had scrawny
figure, harsh voice, and general tout
| ensemble that possessed more character
than grace. That portion of James life
which the French gracefully term the
beauty of youth, had been frittered away
in the struggle for independence, so that
Jane had ceased to hope for any personal
joy; but it had become a delight to her
fancy that something might come of Dora.
When her sister was but child 1t
chanced that she sang simple little bal
lad within hearing OF Il professional friend
of James, who fell into raptures over the
pure clear notes, and declared there was
the germ of fine. of perhaps an extraor-
dinary, voice. Jane cherished this SEM
blance of promise, and as soon as Dora
was old enough she was brought to the
city twice "A week and placed in the pro-
fessors hands, as docile little pupil as
that ardent lover of music could desire.
And the child grew lovabIe as the years
went by-lovable and, above all, lovely;
above all with Jane, as it was the one
thing she held altogether without ap-
proach. She had been known in one of
her flights to declare the result of genous
could be attained by application. but
nothing had ever been found that quite
took the place of beauty. So the ener-
getic spinster gloated on Dora's fresh
young loveliness, upon the 1.-the plant
form, the shifting lights of her hair, the
wonderful color that was never the same
from one minute to another--now faint
and fading rapidly, now bright. vivid, in-
creasng IN intensity, until it glowed like
a flame, then fleetlng again like the gor-
geous ints of an evening sky.
The music lessons went on, the profess
sor became more and more encouraging,
and poor Jane reveled in FOOLS paradise.
Heaven knows what lofty aspirations took
shape IN hef mlnd. hen her eStaDliSh-
ment was closed, and Jane, who could
well afford it, took a hack 10 the stylish
boarding-house where her nights were
spent she allowed her busy hands a rest
ing spell; they lay idle in the folds of her
welfitting robe, while her imagination
wove many fanciiul dream of the fu-
ture. The dream generally eliminated
in spacious hall crowded from pit to
| xuit f,ll aat,
man and woman of them all breathless-
ly intent upon catching every note that
fell from the lips OF a marvelonsly beau
tiful creature bending and swaying upon
the great stage before them, shaking out
from her pretty throat trill after trill,
each one more wonderful than the last,
until, driven TO enthusiasm by this witch
cry. they rise from their seats and fling
| flowers and jewels at the feet of this
beautiful magician.
Jane was in the full tide of these vis-