South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1879-07-11

DtOWS.
Yes. said old Phillis. the cook. Eve
made two short-cakes an q pie, an dar
amt nigh enough LEFT to fill do hi:
glass dish for tea
Dear msr said Mrs. wylde, what
shall We do? Lisette is dressing, and
Maud could not endure the sun. Bar.
bara' TO slender Young girl who was
euried 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 the south pasture 10. for
wild Strawberries. The ground. is GRIM
son with them there, and
/ Barbara wylde scrambled out OF her
high perch.
Mamma said she. what . nuisance
all this is! don't believe Captain ELL
wood Severn is worth all this trouble.
| don't believe he'll fall in love with ell
Their Maud or Lise.te. And l think
preserved gooseberries are quite good
enough for him.
Hold your tongue. childp said Mira.
Wylde, sharply. Take the basket and
go for the strawberries at once.
But it's so hot. mammal
Put on your broad hrimmed straw
hat
And 1 haven't finished my novel;
with her mind reYerting longingly to
Little Nell.
Nonsense said Mrs. Wylde. You
read too many novels, deal, for a child
OF your age
And Barbara disappeared. unwilling
ly enough, into the apple orchard, across
which sinuous path, bordered with
buttercups and red clover, led direct to
the velvet slopes OF the south pasture.
where the ripening fruit OF the wild
strawberry shonc like tiny rubies along
the course of musical little brook all
fringed with reeds and elders and tall
growing ferns.
Strawberries, indeed !. said Barbara
to herself. Its dreadful to be the
younges: Of family OF girls. and have
to pick Strawberries for ones elder sis
ters' beaux.
And she pushed the yellow cur Is ont
OF her eyes and went to work i'm lugubri.
Gus earnest. popping the largest and the
sweetest OF the berries into her little
round rosebud Of = mouth. staining her
dress as che knelt down 10 seek the shy
treasures under the clustering green
leaves, and crimSonng her hands with
the haste she made.
Il wonder which ofem he'll marry
said barbara to herself. rs she paused
minute to listen to robin which perch
ell on the boughs OF feaLhery elm be-
You'd the brook, triled out his bar carole
OF lad music. 'Lisette is the prettiest,
of course, and he can't know what a
dreadful temper she's got. But Maud is
literary, and has read all the new books.
and can talk so well. Gentlemen like
intellectual ladies, WISH with sigh,
that was intellectual
And our little maid fell TO work at til @
strawberries again for full five minutes.
And then she shook her basket, and
pcered down into its depths with eyes of
azure despair.
Not 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 ono stretched pro.
vokingly in tho shade under Squire Dial.
las big oak by the stone wall where the
sweet briers grow. People have no bus
/
pie have to he working hard in the sun.
And do believe it's squire Dallas new
hired man, and he ought TO be at work
! in the hay field instead Of lying under
tue trees with book. And Barbara
added, surveying the distant .Jutieant
with resolute blue eyes, from beneath
her upliited hand, he shall work he
shall help me!
Young man she called out.
The robbin trillsd on. the brook m ade
a cool. tumultuous splashing over the
messy stono that formed its bed, and no
answer came back TO Barbara. save the
| Hutter OF the leaves in the hazel copsc
under the hill.
Young man, I say she called out
again. this time with q certain accent Of
the imperious in her voice.
The recumbent figure under tho oak
tree strsightenod itself at once and
made haste toward the stone wall that
separated Squire Dallas domain from
! Deacon Wylde's south pasture lot.
4 beg your pardon said he but
did you csll?'
or course | called said Barbara,
thinking within herself how tall and
straight and darkly handsome Squire
! Dallas new hired man was. Don't you
think young man, you ought TO DO at
work.
AT work. repeated the Spanish.
browed stranger. Well. perhaps
ought
There's no perhaps about it,. said
J Barbara, brusquely. OF course you
/ ought. And since you don't choose TO
work for your master, you may as we'll
/ be working for mr.
'My-master2'
Squire Dallas, OF course said Bar
bars. Dear me, how stupid you are =
And how. may | venture to ask, did
you know who wasp he questioned, in
an amused sort Of way.