The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1881-02-26

that here 1 have found the kind of life
that would suit me best. / was born to
love COWS and chickens, to make butter,
to build pyramids of cabbages."
You +" laughed her friend. sc 1 think
| see you In the dairy, in neat cambria
dress, with sleeves rolled up to the ell
bows, stamping the pats of butter with
your monogram, for that's as near as
/ you'd ever come to churning; and in the
hennery, scattering corn to the chickens
from a dainty white apron, curiously-
/ shaped rustic hat meanwhile shading
I your rose and cream complexion from
the sun. You born to love cows and
/ chickens you, who have reigned city
belle for four long years /"
And for three been most ready to
abdicate. By the by"-with assumed
carelessness-" have you seen the Young
farmer, the only child of our host and
hostess 2"
Certainly not" and Miss Mayell
chances at her watch, Il only arrived
two hours ago, and have seen no one but
you and your aunt. But l can see him
IN my minds eye,-tall, ungainly, and
speaks through his nose, eats with his
knife, says How ? and stares at you as
though you were a being from another
sphere"
Your minds eye needs an eyeglass,
Miss Mayell It's vision is weak. Tall,
broad-shouldered, and calmly, if NAV
use the word as 1 mean it. 1 saw him
tossing hay to-day, and he looked like an
Apollo who had exchanged his Tyre for
pitchfork and proited by the change.
And his table manners are as exquisite
as your own, Miss Mayell, and he has
deep, full voice, and does not say How?
and has scarcely looked, let alone stared
at me. | have an idea that he regards
girls of our ilk with quiet scorn, and
thinks of us, if he thinks of us at all, as
hot house flowers not to be compared
with the daisies growing wild in the
meadows"
How long have you been here,
Isabel"
"Six weeks"
"Quite long enough,'I think You'd
better go away. You're regarding this
young farmer, who never looks at you
I don't believe that, however-too
sentimentally You might come to be-
heye he has fallen In love with me. He
is SO different from the soft-voiced per-
fumed darlings by whom / have been
surrounded all my life that, to use your
own words, with different application,
l stare at him as though he were a
being from another sphere. The young
farmer reads, LOttie, and reads books
which, though printed in our native Ian
guage would be Greek to you and me;
and he numbers the poets among his
friends. | peeped into MS room one
day, and saw them all, in blue and gold,
on his bookshelf. He is an honest,
manly fellow, with no false pride about
him. [ was idiot enough to fancy that
he might be the least bit confused when
| first saw him at work in his red shirt,
and coarse, very broad brimmed straw
hat, but he saluted me as calmly as
though he had been arrayed in the finest
garments. And his name is Nathaniel
not as pretty as Claude, but it means
the gift of God. The gift of God, in
deed, his old mother says he has been to
her, and so will he be to the woman he
marries. And that woman must be
bee, not butterfly. "Lottie," with
sudden lierceness, "if ever you tell, I'll
kill you
"My dear, when 7 do, you may. lea
bel, L begin to suspect that you are
really III love with acknowledgements
Of your odd passlOns-and that beneath
your butterfly wings turks the spirit of
the bee. And [ may live to see you
helping the pitchfork Apollo toss the
hay, building obelisks and pyramids of
cabbages, copy celebrated sculptures in
beets, and heap turnips in imitation of
classic old ruins
81 lear me not, Miss MAXWELL For
though [ would be proud to share in
each and every one of those occupations,
as soon would l expect that compact
mass OF greens to suddenly tremble to its
base and then topple over, separating
one huge body into hundred or more
heads, as dream that Nathaniel Leigh
would ever care for me. :"
The pyramid trembled to its base, and
in apex tumbled to the ground. The
girls rose quickly from their throne of
sods, and with little shrieks fed to a safe
distance, then turned to look again. 1t
toppled over, its many heads rolling in
every direction, and In the place it had
occupied stood the young farmer.
81 bless your brother for building
pyramid to-day, Miss Eastman" he said,
''though he did unload one of the mar
ket wagons all ready for market for
the purpose. And I bless the happy
chance that kept me from the orchard,
and sent me here to fall asleep behind it,
to waken at the sound of your voice.
Spell-bound [ remained concealed, half
believing that l was still dreaming, to
prove the falsity of the old proverb,
Listeners never hear any good of them
selves. But can I-dare / hope that
grains Of earnestness are mingled with
your Jest, and that the pats of butter in
our dairy may some day be stamped
with Your monogram? Stand my friend,
Miss MAXWELL, and you shall not be for
gotten when we make the beet statues
and the turnip ruins.
"Wen, pom my wordi" exclaimed
Miss MAXWELL, with frank glance of
admiration at the handsome young fell
low, and a smile that threatened to be-
come laugh in another minute.
And "Of ali thingsi' said Miss East
man, lovely blush mantling her face;
and then youth and fun conquered all
three, and they laughed until the farm
yard resounded, and Lion, the watch
dog, came bounding toward them, ask
ing with loud bow-wows what was the
matter.
\ few weeks after Miss Isabel East
man became Mrs. Nathaniel Leigh, her
husband, lying at her feet In theorchard,
and looking up into her face with ador-
ing eyes, said, 81 never would have
gained courage TO have told You of my
love, though / loved you from the very
first, had | not heard from your own
sweet lips that you cared a little for me.