The Worthington advance., 1878-07-11
Wild Strawberries.

Wild Strawberries.
'More strawberries2" said Mrs. Wylde
with perplexed contraction OF her brow.
'sYes," said old Phillis the cook. "l've
made two short-cakes an a pie, an dar
amt nigh enough lett to fill de big glass
dish for tea
"Dear me!' said Mrs. Wylde, "what
shall We do? Lisette is dressing and Maude
never could endure the sun. Barbara
to slender young girl who was curled up
in one of the deep window.seats, reading
you'll have to CO." Barbara Wylde
reused herself out of an Arcadian dream
of Dickens little Nell, and fixed pair of
big blue eyes on her mothers troubled
face.
''Go where, mammal"
"Down to tine south pasture lot for wild
strawberries. The ground is crimson
with them there, and"
Barbara Wylde scrambled down out of
her high perch.
Mamma" said she, ''what nuisance
all this isl I don't believe Captain ELL
wood Severn is worth all this trouble. l
don't believe he'll fall in love with
Gather Maude or Lisette. And I think
preserved gooseberries are quite good
enough for him."
Hold your tongue, child!' said Mrs.
Wylde. sharpely "Take the basket and
20 for the strawberries at once
"Rut it's so hot, mammal
"Put on your broad -brlmmed straw
hat"
"And l haven't finished my novel;
pleaded Barbara, with her mind revert
ing longingly to little Nell.
Nonsense said Mrs. Wylde. You
read too many novels, deal, for child
of your age"
And Barbara disappeared, rnwillingly
enough. into the apple orchard, across
which q slnuous path, bordered with but
! tercups and red clover, led direct to
the velvet slopes of the "south pasture y
! where the ripening fruit of the wild
strawberries shone like the tiny rubies
along the course Of little musical brook,
all fringed with reeds and alders and
tall-growing ferns.
's5trawb .rries, indeed!' said Barbara
to herself, I" It's dreadful to be the
youngest of family Of girls, and have
to pick strawberries for ones elder sis
ter's beaux."
And she pushed the yellow curls out OF
her eyes, and went two work in lugubri'
Gus earnest, popping the largest Of the
berries into her little round r:se-bud OF
a mouth, staining her dress as she knelt
| 4 90 TIM ohr $roo ,,r6or <he
clustering green leaves. and crimsoning
her hands with the haste she made.
II wonder which of 'em he'll marry2'
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 barcarolle ol
glad music. "Lisette is the prettiest, oi
course, and he don't know what dread
full temper she's got. But Maude is
literary, and has read all the new books
and can talk SC we'll. Gentlemen like
intellectual ladies. wish" with sigh
-"that was intellectual"
| And our little maid fell to work at thu
Strawberries again for full five minutes
And then see shook her basket, ind peep
ed into its depths with eyes Of azure des
pair.
mot half FULL" said she to herself
''not quarter full. Oh, dear me! how
wish some one would come to help me
And there is some one stretched provok
inqly in the shade under Squire Dallas:
big oak by the stone wall where ths
sweet briers grow. People have no busi
ness to lie in the shade when other peo
pie nave to work hard in the sun! Ant
do believe it's Squire Dailas's new hiret
man, and he ought to be at WORK in tn
hay field instead Of lying there under tn
trees with book. And" Barbara adde'
surveying the distant faineant with resol
ute blue eyes from beneath her uplifte'
,, hand, "he shall work; he shall help me
"Y oung man!' she called out. TIL
robin trilled, the brook made cool, tu
:, multuous splashing over the moss
,. stones that formed its bed, and no an
= swer came back to Barbara save the t1ut
. ter Of the leaves in the hazel copse unde
, the hill.
=, "Young man, I ssy!' she called ou
4 = again, this time with certain accent c
: the 1mperious In her voice. The recun
. bent figure under the oak tree straight
| 4ueu xtSEll up 8t OuGCs oAN AAoNC HfsSs
:. toward the stone wall that separate
Squire Dallas's domains from Deaco
Wylde's south pasture lot.
=, II beg your pardon" said he; ''but-
y did you cali?"
\ "Of course I Called" said Barbar
- thinking within herself how tall an
straight and darkly handsome Sqii,
. Dallas's new hired man was. "Don
i you think young man, you ought to be a
= workr'
J. AT work?' repeated the Spanish. .browe
t, stranger. well, perhaps ought"
+ There's no perhaps about It," sal
]. Barbara, brusquely. ''Of course 20
n ought. And since you don't choose
r. work for your master, you may as vel
j. be working lor me-"
9 my master7''
u esquire Dallas, of course" said Ba
\ bara.1 Dear me, how stupid you are" :"
t.And how NAV venture to ask di