Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1881-08-03
SAUCY EYES.

She came smiling across the fields,
her arms laden with hawthorn bloom.
Herold Carleton, as he saw her, thought
her the very incarnation of spring, she
was so young SO fresh, SO full of
exuberant vitality. Yet she was only a
cottager's daughter apparently, for her
dress though neat was cheap. She
glanced up ct him as she passed, with
her great, eloquent eyes, half shyly,
half mischievously.
Harold was fresh from Cambridge,
and az eighteen thought himself in
another sphere, even in point of age,
from the rustic of thirteen. He was
disposed to be patronizing.
" What's the hurry, little saucy
eyes" he said. "Stop and give fell
low q kiss"
my name isn't Saucy Eyes, and you
know 1t. Gentleman" and she empha-
sized the word, q" when they speak to me
call me Miss Kent"
She had stopped for moment to say
this, and she now walked on with head
erect and the air Of a born princess.
=" Whew," whistled Harold, "but I've
made mess of it. No cottager's
daughter has an accent like that. Who
the deuce can she be? A regular little
spit-fre, though"
He ventured to ask the landlord about
her at the small inn where he lodged
He had come to this picturesque, billy
region, on trout fishing excursion, and
knew no one there.
sob! that's the minister's daughter, y
was the reply. "Had her arms full of
hawthorn, you say? Yes, there's plenty
of it about here; one of the few places
there is. We've miles of hedges. Miss
Kate was taking the bloom home to deck
out the parlor. She's rare one for
flowers. You should see her decorate
the church at Christmas. All the young
ladies give way to her in that, though
she Is but child as vet. -
g If she grows up as pretty as she is
new she'll make many fellows heart
ache" said Harold, philosophically, as
he helped himself to another brook
celleut was The dinner he had forgotten
all about the child
Years passed. Harold had taken his
degree and vas now studying law, the
profession Of his father, Hugh Carleton,
and his grandfather before him. Just
before the summer vacation began he
had letter from home.
s'We shall certainly expect you dear, -
his mother wrote, ''this year, and viii
take no excuses. It has been two years
since your were home, remember. We
have had such an accession, too, to our
society. Our new rector is a most ex-
cellent man, and has such a charming
daughter, very pretty girl, and so
bright, intelligent and high-bred."
How Harold, who had gone the sum-
mer before to France and Germany, had
thought this year of going to Norway
had almost given his promise in fact;
but at this appeal he wrote back that he
would come home and spend the whole
vacation at FIuglewood," for that was
the name Of Hugh Cartoons place.
"Dear mamma, it was so hard on her
last pear" he said to himself.
The very day that Harold came home
the rector went away on a four weeks
visit with his wife, and the last words he
said to his daughter when he got into the
carriage were:
"Good-bye, Kate, and don't forget TO
go up to Squire Carleton's and ask to
have the gardener TO come and see to
the garden. The squire told me TO send
for MIN only yesterday. With his aid
we can manage to keep the garden very
nice"
81 suppose I might as well go at
once, !" said Kate, when the carriage had
disappeared. "Dear old papa, I'm
sorry you and ma have gone; but I'm
going to have lots of fun, with nobody
but old Mamie to look after me-" and
her eyes fairly danced with the mischief
of eighteen.
Harold Carleton himself was in the
garden when Katie came in. He had
arrived unexpectedly the night before,
a week sooner than he had expected.
He was fond of little amateur garden
ing at times, and was just now bending
over a moss rose bush, hoe in hand.
His back was toward Kate, and she,
supposing him to be the gardener, called
out:
"Oh, Adam, that's your name I hear;
please ask Mr.. Carleton if he can spare
you for couple of hours this afternoon.
It's DIR. Kent, at the rectory.
Halold glanced mischie vously at the
pretty face half hidden by the tall lilies
which she had stopped to smell as she
was speaking. Here was chance for
some sport. Kate had never probably
seen the new gardener, who had only
come two days before. Why could not
he personate the old fellow? It was
fortunate for him that he had an old coat
on, he thought.