The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-04-03
THE BEST OF 1T.

lhE DESI VI lie
cedar. June Is.
dear Phil: When are you coming? Cedar
is in full feather. Picnics set in tomorrow;
strawberries JUST right: two delightful widows;
lots of girls and the whole house crying for you.
Come along by return mail. meant to say the
picnic was day after tomorrow. i shall be at
the late train tomorrow.
Yours, as usual, HARRY"
Philip Norton laughed as he read this
letter. 1t was so like Harry Clarke
Hal Headlong," his father used to
call him-the brightest, handsomest,
gayest fellow of his class at Yale, now
a country doctor at Cedar, a town in
the western part of New England.
Having lost all his property by rash
speculation, except his wife's farm at
Cedar, which her father left her, the
elder Mr.. Clarke went there to live;
and one of the local physicians being
near death with old age, Harry thought
it good place to begin what he called
his medicinal career" being a young
man who had no reverence for the En-
glish language, but made light of it,
and used it in his own way as an
other outlet for the overlooking fun of
his nature.
Philip Norton had been his chum at
college, and his friend ever since. He
was CT graver nature, and had gone
into the ministry. With the gifts of
keen intellect, ready language, and
good looks, he found life easy enough,
and his first parish was in New York,
where, in first-class boarding house,
receiving large salary, he did not
seem SO much modern apostle as a
very lucky man. But good fortune
could not spoil his earnest and truth
full character. He preached as sharp
ly to his flock of sinners as if he had
$500 year instead of $1,000, and cid
as much hard work among the city
outcasts as if he headed a mission to
the Digger Indians, and lived in
shanty instead of Madam Ralston's
elaborate establishment.
He had just recovered from a severe
attack of typhoid fever, consequent on
some of these excursions into the dark
places of the earth, when Harry's let
ter came, and was glad enough to &C
cept his invitation. There were only
three children in the Clarke family be-
side Harry-twin girls of twelve and
a younger boy-and they all loved
Philip as well as if they were his
brother and sisters instead of his
friends. There is something in a sud-
den journey of pleasure that is inspir-
iting, and when Mr.. Norton left the
train at Cedar he felt stronger and
better, in spite of the long days ride,
than for many weeks, and the next
morning declared himself quite ready
for the picnic, though Mrs. Clarke, a
motherly soul, always devoted to her
"other boy" scolded him well for the
idea. But being persistent man, he
went his way, and by 10 o'clock had
joined gay party in the car they had
chartered for the day, and attached at
Cedar Station to the train going to
Patton, little village above whose
quiet street lowered Gray Mountain,
their place of destination. The day
was "day in june" fair as ever poet
celebrated. There were fifty pleasant
people-pleasant for a picnic, that is
and Philip was put in charge of Mrs.
Boyd.
Zone of the widows" Harry whis-
pered in his ear; very bright, agree
able woman, with pleasant face,
dressed neatly enough in brown hol-
land and a black hat-a costume
adapted to the occasion, but not be-
coming. She was evidently not vain.
A few seats before them sat a beautiful
young woman, daintily dressed, though
evidently she considered herself in
mourning; but the shower of soft, fair
curls that dropped from the back of
her head, the sparkling ornaments of
cut jet, the rings on her little white
hands of pearl and diamond and ONYX.
all seemed out of keeping with the
Grape on her dress and hat; and when
that coquettishly looped head-gear was
laid aside, a triangle of Grape, with the
conventional widows ruche about it,
pinned on with diamond and ONYX pins,
looked a real absurdity, and every
woman in the car laughed at Nan
Boyd's attempt to assert her widow
hood; for this was the other of the two
widows. Yet if she was little absurd.
who cared? When ones skin is tinted
with the warm glow OF pink apple
blossoms, with lips scarlet as fresh
Strawberries, great clear blue ewes.
delicate features, teeth of pearl. and
abundant gilded-dax hair falling every-
where in long loose curls, what does it
matter what one wears? Nan Boyd
would have been lovely in brown hol-
land and q cheap black hat, though
her cousin and sister-in-law was not.
Nobody had ever supposed that the
Reverend Philip Norton was suscepti-
BILE. He had never given tenderer
glance to any lovely girl in his congre-
CATION than to the old woman who
swept the crossing before the church;
but he fell in love like a school.bov
during the next six hours with Nan
Boyd. Courtesy obliged him to attend
to the Lady placed in his care, and the
obligation was not disagreeable. She
was natural, intelligent, kindly. with
an artists eye for the wonderful scene
ry about them, and moreover q cener-
Gus woman; for when Philip asked her
as carelessly as he could put question
that thrilled his lips, who the beauty
before them was, she answered, quickly:
my cousin and Observation-Disclosures
other Mrs. Boyd. Isn't she lovelyP !
like to look at her as 1 do at q flower:
she is SO exquisite"
Mr.. Norton assented gravely, and
turned the conversation. His head
whirled, his eyes wandered; he could