The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-01-20
A GIRLS FANCY.
sI EDWARD J. bRrvSnR.

BY EDWARD J.. ARIvNER.
It is quiet summer afternoon, and
the valley in the Catskills where we find
ourselves lies in perfect stiffness; the
skiff that monopolizes the little lake
moving gently along without ripple to
make pretense of barring its progress.
Brownfields is a delightful place, but if
it were not for the visitors with whom
the Peters fill their house in the sum-
mer. lonely enough to be called wild.
With the Peters and their friends, and
with the groups of workmen that Mr..
Peters forges have gathered in the val
ley, we have little to do; but will turn
again to look at the fisher-boy, the sole
occupant of the skiff.
Jimmie Gordon is ambitious, and for
! the son of an Irish workman-the fore
man at one of the shops-is well edu-
| Gated and refined. Mr. More, q city
clergymen who spent some of his vaca-
tions at Brownields, was struck with his
quick native shrewdness, and, taking an
| interest In him, loaned him books,
talked with him, helped him orally while
in the mountains, and afterward by cor
respondence; and Jimmie's own intelli-
gence and earnest application have done
Mr.. Peters fisherman, he not only in
tends, with true American sanguine-
ness, to rise, but is far better equipped
for the battle he has enlisted in than
many even who start on a good deal
| higher plane. Meanwhile he attends
! strictly to business, and to-day, when we
find him on the lake, has finished his
fishing for the day, and is idly sculling
about, thinking of that better fortune
that he has resolved shall be his in time,
and wondering in what shape the fates
will bring it to him.
Miss Eta Larton does not in the least
look like a Fate as she comes down the
hill path with her cousin, George Lar
ton, and their mutual friend, Harry Ell
lis; in fact, we are very much inclined to
agree with George when he thinks of
her to-day as much more of Grace; but
if she is not Fate herself she is GER
tainly a notable instrument of their will.
They are all three stopping with large
party. at Montrose, the nearest apology
for town, and this full four miles away.
Miss Larton, however, ''goes in" fol
walking as the proper thing in the noun
tains, and rather against the will of her
escorts, has covered the whole four miles
on foot, and is still fresh and ready for
adventures when she enters the little
Brownsfields valley. Rather dark, of
medium height, and in sturdy good
health, shall be the whole of her per-
sonal description; and for her estate in
| life" it will be enough to say that she is
the only daughter of the richest man in
Cleveland, and SO of course spoiled, but
withal, very fascinating, as Cousin
George can testify. She is given to
whims, and just now the fancy that
strikes her is to have row on the clear
little lake that is so invitingly laid out
below, so that the one duty of her obedi-
ent companions is to find the ways and
means; not altogether an easy task, see.
ing that all the boats are carefully locked
up, except the one that Jimmie and his
fish use with not the best effects as to
cleanliness. Still, as it is the only one,
it must be had, and Jimmie, in response
to Larton's request, Immediately rows up
and takes the party, Miss Eta in the
stern and In full view of the handsome
boatman.
| Is there such thing as love at first
sight? Surely; and before the trip
around the lake is finished, Eta is COM
pletely conquered by the blue eyes oi
this Irish fisher-lad. On his part he fell
the natural attraction toward lovely
girl that any man would; but never ex
pecting to see her again any more thar
other chance visitors who have happened
to row over the lake, he hardly thinks O.
her as more to him than beautiful pic
ture. If for second anything further
had entered his mind, he would instantly
have dismissed it as an absurd crying
for the moon. But Eta is not used =
giving up her whims SO easily. M
sooner had she discovered that she hket
his looks than she made up her mind t.
see more of him; and when Jimmie
after explaining all the surroundings o
the lake, lands them, and somehow i'm
presses on them the conviction that b
! is not the sort of person to fee, she take
her cousin aside, and persuades hin
little against his will to try and make
return for his politeness by asking hir
to the hop at the Montrose hotel tn
) next week.
And now opens the new era in .ou
hero's life. He is quite good-lookin
, enough and ''nice" enough not to seer
out of place in frock-coat; and b
careful use of his own and brothers bes
clothes, he is able to appear at the hote
quite correctly attired for country hop
and 80 far from finding Ettas lnfatua
alton vanished as suddenly as 1t wa
born, she seems worse than before
Going to meet him as hsy enters tn
room, with an eager, bright smile, sh
quickly exclaims:
s'Then you haven,tfailed us"
"Why, no; surely I wouldn't mis-
such chance-as this" And then, sud
denly refeedng that it would be best t
modify this, he adds, 'and of seein
you"
+ A quick flush of pleasure comes to he
face at this first sign of admiration fror
him, and all her habitual coquetter
comes to abet the curious folly that ha
; taken such hold on her.
"No," said Jimmie, 'I enjoyed m
t row too much the other day not to com
r to this hop. Do you know that 1 hav
: lived by that lake all my life, and peve
knew how beautiful it was before la.
Friday?"
3 "Then this is really your home? "
8 were wondering whether you belonge
r here, or were only visitor"
r At this palpable attempt to pump hi
9 he was silent for moment; but thinl
8 ing it best to seem candid, he answere,
d ''Yes, I was born and raised here
g Then, smilingly, 'I'm only'a count
boy, you know. You may be sur
though, not too much of an one to thar
you for your kindness to me"
l. Little as he yet understands the full e.
v tent of his influence over her, and thin
y ing that she only takes some such inte
l. est in him as Mr. More has, he yet fee
ID that he must not shock this rich your
s. lady with the full truth about himse
fs that he is only poor workman's So
B. and, to avoid more inquiries, at once asl