The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-02-05
ON THE vERANDA.

The people who owned it called it a
porch, but Miss Hetherington thought
that rather depreciatory way of speak
ing of her country resort, for the sum-
mers boarders lived there. The house
might have been very pleasant one
when it was opened, but in the sum-
mer-time it was virtually closed, be-
cause of the flies, and heat, and dust,
and sun, Mrs. Fries said. In the morn
ing the bed i'm the boarders' room was
nicely made too nicely for consider
ate person to disturb-the furniture all
busted, and put back against the wall,
and the furniture was solid mahogany;
the blinds were shut, and indeed the
windows too, and coming in out of the
sunlight one had to grope ones way all
over the house. So Miss Hetherington
went out upon the veranda Immediately
after breakfast, and remained there. if
she remained near the house at all, till
bed-t time. a
Just now it was delightful. She had
just left the breakfast table, but by the
little watch that hung from her girdle
it was already nine o'clock, and the lit
tie watch kept excellent time. All
through the meal there had been
pleasant clickety music from the neigh
boring field. John had told Miss
Hetherington the night before that he
would about reach the middle of the
field with his mowing-machine when
she left the breakfast table the next
morning. and sure enough there he was.
What a Hercules was this young farmer
Fries! and handsome, stalwart fellow.
and fine, frank, excellent nature, and
gentleman withal The Frieses had
always sent their sons to sort of col
lege for few years, to polish them up;
then, if they choose to 90 on with a
profession, the money was found for it.
In fact, several of Johns cousins were
students of divinity, of medicine, of
law; but John chose to be farmer. of
his own free will, his mother said She
was a nice, quaint, wholesome little
woman, whom Miss Hetherington liked
very much, and Mrs. Fries seemed to
return this affection, until John
But that was matter of course.
"Cela va sans Dire" Miss Hethering-
ton said, and felt sorry that these little
hobbies of mothers always interfered
with their happiness. She felt sorry,
but not sufficiently so to let it interfere
with her own. She had begun by liking
Mrs. Fries better than her son. She
amused her and interested her; the old
lady had all that native ingenuity, vigor,
simplicity and honesty of expression
which the few years at college had
had been very busy. 1t was haying-
time and she went to bed early. Mrs.
Fries did; not Miss Hetherington, who
disliked going to bed more than any
thing in the world, unless it might be
getting out of bed after she had once
gone to it. As for John, he liked the
moon. But there he was, quite in the
middle of the field, as he had sworn to
be. The veranda faced the road, run
ming the whole length of the house.
Some fine old horse-chestnuts shaded
the lawn, which extended down dozen
rods or so to the road; then across the
fence was the field of hay where John
was moving.
Miss Hetherington put up her glass.
Her sight was tolerably good by moon
or gas light, but deficient in the garish
light of day. Without her glass John
and the mower looked one; she couldn't
tell where John began and the mower
ended. Miss Hetherington put up her
glass, and just then the veranda made
pleasant picture. A few vines had been
trimmed with due regard to light and
shade, but the most of them had been
left to their own sweet will, Just as the
farming had been left to John. and
there is always something delightful in
the attributes of an unfettered will.
Humming- birds and bees. darning-
needles and butterflies, and ali sorts of
winged things, darted in and out of the
blossoms, and gorgeous spider hung
midway in magnificent palace made
in single night The spider wore black
and yellow, the fashionable colors, and
so did Miss Hetherington, who was not
only handsome creature, but she had
great respect for the accessories of
beauty. The spider paused in the
construction of his palace to look
at her. and so did John. All at
once the music of the mower ceased,
and the fine figure at the helm. or
whatever the governing power of a
mower is called. took off its wide
brimmed straw hat and waved it in the
sweet summer air; and Miss Hethering-
ton, not to be outdone, took from her
belt little trifle of lace and linen, and
also waved it. And heaven knows how
long this little pantomime might have
gone on if Miss Hetherington had not
heard behind her peculiar cough; it
was an apologetic cough--a cough that
begged to be excused for intruding-
and it came from Mrs. Fries, who was
also looking at Miss Hetherington. but
not like, John, or the spider. or the
many well-known ways of looking at
pretty woman. There was something
in the gaze of Mrs. Fries that went to
Miss Hetherington's heart without elat-
ing it.
GOOD morning" said Miss Hether-
ington-"Good morning, Mrs. Fries.