The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-04-03

thlckly ABOUT the gay weed that bears
their name than the gentlemen of the
party about Nan Boyd; for, to tell the
truth, this lovely creature was q native
coquette. 1t was as much q matter OF
course for her to flirt with every man
who came near her as it is for q rose
to be fragrant; and she had that charm,
subtler than beauty, which is potent
without but irresistible with it.
1t was q pr0verb in Cedar that NO
youth ever grew to manhood there who
hadnot adored Nan Boyd. Her Cousin
Anne was very different. She had
come to Cedar on visit when Nan at
last made up her mind to select Will
Boyd as permanent victim from the
crowd about her, and she found her
own fate in Wills twin brother James.
The cousins, however, were not mar.
ried at the same time. Anne could
not leave her father, for her mother
had died just after her return from
Cedar; but before many months her
father went too, and there was very
quiet wedding at her lonely home, and
brief journey back to Cedar, where
Nan, already six months wife, was
ready to welcome them. Anne Boyd
found too late that she had made mis-
take. She could not be happy with
her husband. He was ungracious-
harsh, indeed-though he had seemed
to her only reserved and fastidious; sell
fish, penurious, at times ill-tempered.
When he died, q year after their mar
riage, and from the curious physical
sympathy common with twins, Will
died, too, neither of the widows was
heart-broken-Nan, from pure levity
of nature, Anne, from no sense of loss,
but rather of relief. Since they both
lived at Cedar, there had been much
confusion of names between them,
Anne Boyds both: but Wills widow
was always called Nan by her old
friends; and bearing her grandmoth-
er's full name of Anne Hart, while her
cousin was Anne alone, there was a
way of escape for those who were we'll
informed; the others took their chance.
As the lovely summer days went on.
and Philip Norton was involved more
and more in the simple gayeties of
Cedar, whose inhabitants consoled
themselves for their long cold winters
with plenty of outdoor life and enjoy
ment in the brief summer months, he
became more and more bewitched with
Nan Boyd. Her beauty stood the test
of sun and air, heat, fatigue and
daily observation; it was as genuine
and real as the roseate splendor of the
mountain laurel, whose pink bells IL
Illustrated and Illuminated every hill
about the village, and shone with a
light like dawn through the edges of
the dark woods.
Then she was graceful, genial, kind;
always ready to get up or to Join a
singing was wanted; to play cards with
the card-players; to make wreaths for
other girls-wreaths she could not
wear, for the sake of that typical tri-
angle; she never seemed tired, dull or
addressed; in short, Mr.. Norton be-
lieved her real angel, and threw all
the strength of his honest. deep nature
into his passion for this lovely little
creature. An unprejudiced observer
OF course q wOman-m;ght have de.
cried the sharp, thin voice, the shallow
laugh, the maize selfshness, of this
angel, and suspected that this gay
blossom would show no adequate fruit
when its petals fell; blu. Philip Norton
had no such slanderous thought in his
heart. Such external charm was to
him only the expression of inward
beauty. Experience mil ht have taught
him better, but he was not Just now
amenable to experience-he was in
love. He liked Mrs. Anne Boyd much;
as he became better acquainted with
her, her really sweet and fine charac-
ter had its effect on him, and he en-
joyed an hours conversation with her
Nan was not at hand-thor-
oughly. She was one of those people
who have that rare charm, q delicate
and melodious voice, with wonderful
command of language, and being with
al perceptive, hi gh-minded and Of deep
feeling, she was a most fascinating
companion even to a man in love.
Harry Clarke, too, was devoted to Nan
Boyd. He had been childish lover of
hers during his youthful visits to his
grandfather farm at Cedar, and now
the first love seemed to have re-awak-
ened. He was st her side everywhere,
and if his professional life had been
anything but that of a beginner, his
practice would have suffered; as it was,
his rivals suffered instead, for either
out of his familiarity of old friendship,
or the mere caprice OF her disposition,
Nan chose to parade Harry as her
cavalier more and more frequently.
Philip Norton was plunged in despair
by this state of things; he could not in
honor or decency come forward as a
rival to his best friend in that friends
house; his affection for Harry, his
sense of the proprieties, all forbade his
expressing in any way his passion for
his enchantress. He kept away from
her charmed circle as far as possible;
he talked much to Mrs. Ann Boyd, be-
cause she was Mans cousin. 1t is well
to be near the rose if you are not rose
yourself, for there is at least the neigh
borhood of its bloom and perfume to
attract adorers. Still, he plunged daily
further and further into this gulf Of
bitter-sweet passion, till one moonlight
night his mind was set at rest concern
ing Harry. They sat on the steps of
the south door, tired with long days
u1ltC W O1SIUlSu dQu UdCk, anu CQc
two little girls were hanging about
them, anxious to hear some report of
the days enjoyment, for to them a pic
mic of grown people was an unattained
paradise. There had been much whis-
pering between Ruth and Rachel for a
few moments; but at last Ruth took
courage, and looking up shyly at her
brothers face, spoke out; "Hal, dear,
are You going to be marrieda'
81 hope so, ma'am, at some period
of my existence" he answered gravely.
"Oh, l don't mean that! Are you
going to, pretty soon?''
''Not this week, Miss Inquisitor.''
Hal, you're an awful tease therer'
burst in Rachel, out of patience.
my dear girls, in the words of the
lamented Artemus, why is this thusp
What has got into your small heads in
that vacant place Nature intended for
brains?'
"Why, Jack said Tom Green told
him you were certain sure going to be
nnQrriod rinhf 0uyou IN Me- NJ