Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-09-01
THE FOUR.LEAyED SHAMROCK.
" I'll seek the four leaved shamrock
Through all the fairy dells,
And if find the charmed leaves,
Oh. how III weave my spelIs.N


Oh, how III weave my spells
eff could but find one" said Grace,
pausing suddenly in the midst of her
song and letting her hands fall from the
keys Of the piano into her lap.
What is the special virtue supposed
to reside in the fourth leaflet of sham
rock?"
"Do you not know that a four-leaved
shamrock is a supposed fairy talisman,
giving its possessor an influence for
good over all with whom he comes in
contact? He can heal feuds, reunite
parted friends--in fact, be every ones
good genius. | think ! shall look for
one, Laurence"
'To what use would you apply your
magic powers?"
81 would make your uncle relent, of
course"
81 am afraid that nothing short of a
fairy spell will accomplish that, Grace !;
reason has no effect whatsoever upon
him"
'Have you been administering much
of that article lately?"
81 spent more than an hour this
morning in trying to make him see that
after five years of hard work [ have q
right to fixed salary, be it much or
little. We would be content with q
little, would we not, Grace?) He will
not admit my right to anything, but
SAYS that if | marry to please him, he
will take me into partnership with him
at once. AS | do not, however, intend
to crafty him in this respect, his lib
erai offers are not of much use"
''Did he name any particular person
whom he wished you to marry"
Eyes; Miss Blake, of Kilora. 1t
seems that he and old Blake have been
talking the matter over, after the man
ner of the farmers, and have come to
an understanding concerning the num-
Der of COWS or pigs, or their equiva-
Tents, to be contributed on each side
My uncle arranged n marriage the
other day on strictly commercial prin-
ciples between the foreman's son and
old Tom Byrne's daughter, and he is so
proud of his performance that he is
burning to try his hand on my affairs
next"
"Alice Blake is a pretty girl and a
nice girl, Laurence"
"She is--about the prettiest girl |
know, but for all that / don't mean to
marry her. Nor do | think the arrange
ment would suit her much better than
it does me. If l am not much mis-
taken she, too, has plans of her own.
But while my uncle has the notion in
his head we shan't be able
to make him look at things
from our point of view. Try to
find the four-leaved shamrock, Grace,
and conjure up little common sense
for my uncle, A very little will do. |
must go now; will you come as far as
the gaze with me %
And the two lovers sauntered out in
20 the twilight, and reiterated their last
words at the garden gate, leaving the
pretty little drawing-room to its sole
other occupant, Graces cousin Gerald,
n slender, fairhaired lad of about four
teen, who was lying listlessly on low
couch in the bow window.
Grace and Laurence had been play
fellows for so many years that no one
but the uncle of the latter felt any sur
prise when they appeared in the char
acter of lovers. Mr.. Latouche, how,
ever, vas thunderstTuck at the an
nouncement of his nephew's attach
ment to Grace Neville, and declared
in language of which he afterward fell
somewhat ashamed, that should Lau
renee persist in his determination tC
marry the daughter of beggarly halt
pay captain he might bid farewell
to his present home and future pros
poets at Glenallen Mills.
Laurence was quiet dependent on hi
uncle, with whom he had lived from
childhood; he had always been treated
as son of the house, and on his relnrr
from school had begun to assist his nncl
in the management of his EXTENSIVE
flax mills. Looked on by every one n
the future master, and literally suppl
ed with pocket money, he was never
theless without any fixed salary. an,
sometimes felt tempted to envy tn
mill hands who received their week.
pittauce, not rs gift, but rs a right
He was resolved, however that, come
what might, he would marry Grace
and he had already begun to make il
Quries as to the probability of his bein
able TO Utilize the experience gained 4
Glenallan Mills in obtaining salarie
post in some similar concern. His III
Gle, meantime, ignoring, as far as 20;
sible the young mans own project
lost no opportunity Of showing hi
how smooth his path should be mad