The Baltimore County union., 1881-02-19
A oIRL,s FANCY.

4 tuc valley IN tne OatskfliS where we md
Ourselves lies in perfect stiffness the
skif that monopolizes the little lake
moving gently along without a ripple to
make pretence Of. barring its progress.
Brownfeld is a delightful place, but il
IL were not for the visitors with whom
the Peters I'll their house in the sum-
mcr, lonely enough to be called wild.
W1th the Peters and their friends, and
with the groups Of workmen that Mr..
Peters aforges 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 skifr.
{sr:mic 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, a city
clergyman who spent some Of his vaca-
tions at Brownfeld, was struck with his
quick native .shrewdness, and taking an
interest in him, loaned him books, talk
cd with him, helped him orally while in
the mountains, and afterward by cor
respondence; and Jennie's own intelli-
gence and earnest application have done
the rest; SO that when we meet him as
MIR. Peters fisherman, he not only in
tends with q true American sanguine-
ness, to rise, but is far better equipped
for the battle he has enlisted in than
many even who start on 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 scull-
ing about, thinking of that better for
tune that he has resolved shall be his in
time, and wondering in what shape the
fates will bring il to him.
Miss Eta Larton does not in the least
look like Fate as she comes down the
hill-path with her cousin, George Lar
ton, and their mutual friend, Harry
Ellis; in fact, We are very much in.
clined to agree with George when he
thinks Of her TO-DAY as much more Of a
Grace; but il she is not a Fate herself
she is certainly notable instrument of
their will. They are all three stopping
with large party at Montrose, the
nearest apology for a town, and this full
four miles away. Miss Larton, how
ever, "goes in" for walking as the
proper thing in the mountains, and,
rather against the will of her escorts, has
covered the whole four miles on foot,
and is still fresh and ready for adven-
lures when she enters the little Brown
field valley. Rather dark, of medium
height and in sturdy good health, shall
be the whole Of her personal descrip-
ton; and for her estate in life" il will
he enough to say that she is the only
daughter Of the richest man in Cleve-
land, 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 obedient compan-
ions is to find the ways and means; not
altogether an easy task, seeing that all
the boats are carefully locked up, ex-
cept the one that Jimmie and his fish
use with not the best effect as to clean
illness. 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 a thing as love at first
sight1 Surely; and before the trip
around the lake is finished, Eta is COM
pletely conquered by the blue eyes of
this Irish fisher-lad. On his part he
feels. the natural attractions toward 4
lovely girl that any man would but
never expecting to see her again any
more than other chance visitors who
have happened TO row over the lake, he
hardly thinks Of her as more to him
than beautiful picture. Iffor a 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 to giving up her whims
so easily. No sooner had she discoveJ-
ed that she liked his looks than she made
up her mind to see more Of him and
when Jimmie, after explaining all the
surroundings of the lake, lands them,
and somehow impresses on them the
conviction that he is not the sort OF
person TO fee, she takes her cousin aside
and persuades him little against his
will to try and make a return for his
politeness by asking him to the hop at
the Montrose hotel the next week.
Andnow opens new era in our hero's
ifft. He is quite good-looking enough
and "nice'' enough not to seem out oi
place in q .frock-coat /; and by careful
use Of his own and brothers best clothes
The Is able to appear at the hotel quite
correctly attired Tor country hop, and
so far from finding Etta's infatuation
vanished as suddenly as il was born, she
seems worse than before. Going to
meet him as he enters the room, with
an eager, bright smile, she quickly ex'
claims:
"Then you haven't failed us ."
'Why no; surely ! wouldn't mis-.
such chance as this" And then sud
denly rejecting that II would be better
to modify this, he adds, ''and Of seeing
you." - Atf
| A quick flush Of pleasure comes to hel
face at this FIRST sign Of admiration from
him, and all her habitual coquetry comes
TO abet the curious folly that has taken
such hold on her.
"No," said Jimmie, al enjoyed m,
row too much the other day not 70 come
to this hop. Do you know have lived
by that lake all my life and never knew
how beautiful twas before last Friday1'
'ssTheh this is really your homel We
were wondering whether you belonged