The Grant County herald. (Big Stone City, Grant County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1883, 1880-12-04

to find you engaged to Miss Brooktield,1 >
said Ned Chester to his lifelong chum,
Hal Elmendort, ''for when | went abroad
you were most emphatically denouncing
the heartlessness, and seltishness and eX-
travagance and a few other amiable
characteristics of thesgirls, and seemed
sincere IN your determination to remain
a bachelor. And your letters have given
no hint OF change in your sentiments.
Quite the contrary Your last, bye the
bye, was most perplexing. In it you
suddenly jumped from the Clauson mine
to sweet wild rose, of whom you had
previously told me nothing. If | re
member Alright, the sentence introducing
hel read thus: And the dividends this
year are much larger than this swees, wild
rose that have found in his lonely place.
and am almost persuaded to scourt and
marry, after the manner OF Tennyson's
landscape painter.
Elmendorf threw away his cigarette,
looked thoughttully into space moment,
and asked, "Should you like to hear all
about it, old tellow?'
"Ot course, should replied Chester.
| Olives there a man with soul SO dead.
who never to himself hath said, i take
no interest in sweet, wild roses?
| "As you remarked few moments
ago began Elmendorf, '.just as you
crossed 'the briny' l became disgusted
with fashionable young ladies in general,
and, as YOU did not remark, for tear Of
hurting my feelings, with Eudro Brook
tielG in particular. 1t was rather hard
on romantic young fellow, who was
awful spoony on girl, to be told by that
| girl that his fortune considerably en-.
! chanted his attractions in her eyes, and
that for her part she thought love in a
cottage, on less than 5000 year. must
be the dreariest Of exlstences.su We quar-
relied as you know, and parted. /, filled
with scorn Of managing mammas and
| fortune hunting daughters, ,donned blue
| flannel suit and coarse broad -brimmed
| hat, and carrying with me small yalse,
started tor anywhere anywhere out OF
| the world.
| ''At noon Of my second days travel the
train stopped at Il quiet, tree emboWcred
| station, and following the impulse OF the
moment l jumped oft, struck into lone
| ", shady road, resolving to keep on, on
toot, till fate should say, thus far aad no
farther
Il would not be married for my for
tune. 1 would be loved for myself, or
not at all And growing stronger IN reso-
luton at every step, | suddenly found
myself in front oi a small gray cottage.
On the porch Of this cottage sat a
middle-aged woman, sewing. To her
advanced and humbly preferred request
for drink of water, and she, rising with
hospitaole quickness, babe me take the
seat she LETT while she went to the we'll
She returned with glass OF water and
glass of milk Taking them both-no
at once, of course, but during the conver
sation about the weather that ensued-
rose to depart, when the prettlest girl
ever beheld came tripping up the gardel
) path with pail of water III each hand
"A sweet, Wild rose, | said to myself
and sat down again. convinced by SIN
gle glance at that lovely face that thl
cottage was fate's mo farther
Accordingly l 1oid mine hostess tina
| was poor story writer-you will ad
nit that this was no lie, for all the edi
| tors to whom have submitted my man
J uscrlpts have said the very same thing
with a book to finish, and begged he
, to let me stay there few weeks, promls
f ING to make her as little trouble as pos
! slble. We'll, don't see nothin agln
1 if father and daughter don't, she SAID,
, away she went, and from the murmur g
5 voices in the hall, knew the matter wa
! | being discussed by the family. In a te'
/ minutes a shrewd- looking old man az
e peared, looked at me sharply, and aske
o brusoucly Kin you ford to pay S4
E week?" | told HIM that thought 50. an
& he seized nv valise and carried it Int
a the cottage, following. Ned, old chal
G it was lovely spot and no mistake. ~
' ery morning the birds awakened me wit
4 their songs, and fragrance enough trol
5 the rose-vines tloated into that little att
G room in one day to have perfumed Eud'
a ra's handkerchiefs for whole year
.As for Alice-the sweet, wild rose
j. no poet ever dreamed of maid more bea'
titul. Large, Innocent, dark -blae eye
with lashes SO long that they cast sha'
ow on her rounded cheeks; mouth. nos
g chin. ears. hands, feet, SIMPLY pertectlo
h ard voice, not as musical as Euaora
,f # Is true. but with a childish ring al
,r sweetness; and when she spoke, whlt
4. was seldom, it was with a pretty, mode
a hesitancy, that made you long to cat
i her in your arms and kiss the wor
10 from her full red lips. had only Sc
her three times when | was madly
& love with her, and thought the PLAIN g
~ leo gowns she wore, the prettlest gov
n IN the world. | woe you a very To-
,ir letter, in which, among other things,
es renewed nv Eudora experience, aho
= .oll Won of the treasure | had found
,es the cottage by the woods. And i !
~ davs after posting this letter, asked