The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1878-06-13
rnAryOICE.

ovellest early summer days tho world
sver beheld-a .cloudless sky, golden
bright sunshins, SOFT fragrant air, Joy
ously sweet songs Of bisds, faint musical
of brooks and plashings of
delicstely green grass, linger.
ing violetsy and budding roses.
Ortiz lawn in front of the elegant
Of Leon Fishback, ESQ, party
Of young people are playing "Follow-
observation-disclosures somewhat re-
Zoo their mothers and grand
tell them) an old game called
"puss in the corner" played . quartsr
Of aeentury or more age. ooly in SOL.
the players, instead Of beck.
oning to each other, beckon 70 q group
Of metallic balls, around which they
stand in q circle, and he or she who
proves to have most magnetic force the
balls follow with a rush, while the re-
mainder Of the playsrs raSh - wildly in
their efforts to seciss the psaee lett va
cant by the flying one.
At this moment tho balls are rolling
psil-meli, helter. skelter, knocking againsl
each other with . pleasant ringing
sound after pretty, fair-haired maiden,
whose little feet, clad in clippers oil
cleaning with silver and gold, hash in
the sunshine beneath her blue satin
Turkish trouserlets as she springs light
ly over the greensward amid the ex-
quisitely modulated laughter-no one
shouts loudly in this refined twentieth
century-of her merry companions.
< In the back garden, on green clover.
sweet grass plat. stands . broad, deep
basket of newly washed, snowy white
linen, and hanging out machine, plant
ed firmly in the middle of the plat, is in
dustriously raising and lowering its
wooden arms, grssping the various
pieces in it's wonderfully constructed
hands, and hanging them upon the stout
no-clothes-pins line, which is slowly re-
volving around it, and to which they2sd.
here without further trouble.
In the dairy the rosy-cheeked dairy
maid is reading q love poem while the
automatic mixer 10 milking the beauti-
full white COW that stands just outside the
door; in the kitchen the cook is indo-
lentv rocking to and fro in aiow rock
ing chair, watching the "magic rolling.
PIN" roll out the paste for her pies, ready
TO stop its pendulum-like movement the
moment tho crust is smooth and thin
enough and small servant boy, with
his hands in his pockets, lounges
against the wall in one corner near .
tall stool, whistling softly to himself ~
be waits until the pair of shoes the cleo.
trio blacking -brush is polishing thereon
attain the proper degree OF brilIiancy
and mirror-likeness. Es
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 q homo to bis wid.
owed sister and her four half orphaned
children, and in return is taken care OF
by her, with the assistance of the old
housekeeper-to:tell the truth, with q
great deal of assistance from tho old
housekeeper-as we'll as any brother was
taken care Of by any sister.
Still people, as people will-especially
people with grown.up single daughters
was not for want of opportunity he had
done so-oh, no indeed for dozen
lovely girls, half dozen more or less
charming widows, and several ladiesSo
neither class, had, since his coming into
the property of his uncle and godfather
Leon Fishback, Sen. (whose ashes in q
solid gold casket stood in sort of shrine
made of hundred rare woods, in the
south drawing-room), intimated to him,
in every way that the shrinking sensi.
tiveness of womanhood would allow,
their perfect willingness-nsy, anxiety
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 strictest
distinguishing mono By the
slightest preference, until few weeks
before this beautiful June day when his
young guests merriIy called, "Follow
follow-follow-me," to their highly pol.
ished admirers on the closly shaven
lawn.
Then came to visit his sister an old
school friend, Laura Bsardsley by name,
who had been residing IN . 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 "Mistress OF
Arts"
Miss Beardsley is lovely woman of
systematically summers, looking at
least five summers less, with an excep-
sweet voice, an exceptionally
bright smile, an exceptionally graceful
figure, and exceptionally winning ways.
And to this bewitching woman has Leon
Fishback, the hitherto apparently un.
bachelor, devoted himself
'ince the moment he took her slender
little hand in his and bade her welcome
70 his home. And il is by her side he
offers, untempted BY the merriment
without, in the deep, pleasant, vine.
bay-window of the library
- the fair-haired girl comes flying across
be garden, pursusd by the tinkling
,alls.
Laura starts from her seat with
lush, and. leaning from the window,
ntreats, "Coax them away, Bella, dear.
they arc dancing on the flower bed"
Ind ~ the girl obed,enuy harms and
peeds In tho opposite direction. shs
raws back her pretty head, and looking