River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-06-02
THE MISTAKE GARNET MADE.

sleepily nesting meath a canopy OF
branching hemlocks. Here dwelt Mrs.
barley, or the Widow barley, as she
was commonly called by the inhabi-
tants of Linden. Here, since the de-
parture of her niece, Garnet, her
brother Roberts child, for the city to
learn the dressmaker's trade, which
event occurred couple of years ago,
she had lived alone, subsisting on the
few acres of ground attached to the
cottage, which she managed to sell or
barter away for groceries at thriving
town three miles distant.
Day was fast verging into dusk, In
deed, for some time, twilight had lain
gray upon the scene, and only silver
line kissed the purple tops of the dis
tant mountain. Tive Widow barley
sat by the window busily engaged in
darning wetched-looking stocking over
a mammoth mock orange, bemoaning
with her every stitch her recent attack
of rheumatism which confined her to
the house, when she was thor
oughly conscious of the fact that her
services were needed out doors. Now
was the time to dig her potatoes, now
the time to gather certain apples, and
do everything in fact and here she
was, not only unable to get about, but
so heavily trammeled by debts that she
found it impossible to secure the as
sistancc so much needed.
"Well, | declare y
This exclamation was caused by the
rumbling old stage coach, that daily
passed her house, stopping at the front
gate, from which alighted her niece,
who ran lightly up the walk and into
the house followed by strongly-built
man, bearing on his boulder a good
sized trunk. hich he deposited in the
| hall ere making his exit
Chow dye do, Aunt SUSAN" with a
hug and kiss. "Not slave to rheu-
matism, hope?"
EYES," replied Widow barley, who
by the way, was tiny woman of fifty,
with a face not unlike the wrinkled APP
Piles that grew on the tree in the garden,
"the monster has me again in his
clutch. But, whatever brings you
home? You haven't surely been sent
! adrift?'
eyes, aunt" tremor of pain thread
ing her voice in spite of her efforts to
appear unconcerned. ''times are dull
and Madam Brown has so little work
that she deemed it expedient to dispense
with the services of those girls who
proved the most incompetent ], being
the least skillful of all her apprentices
was discharged without regret. Most
summarily she dismissed me, withhold
ing the few quaint words of commenda.
ton she grudgingly bestowed upon the
others. have no taste for dreSsmaklng
and am termed a regular botch. Not a
very good recommendation to help Sc
cure another situation, Ell? But, never
mind, aunt! | see | am needed al
home. How are things prospering?"
"Not at all" in her most dolorous
tone; "the place is fairly weighed down
with mortgages, and, for aught | know
to the contrary, Mr.. Lincoln may fore
close any day Yes, any day may fine
us without shelter. Our larder is about
empty, and there is no money to replen
ish it; all of the flour has been scraped
from the barrel, and to-day was obliged
to borrow pailful from Jane Gray
then, too, there is not tea-leaf in the
caddy, and / do not know how to exist
|
have dug few bushels of potatoes and
got Mr.. Denver's horse to go and Obtain
some of the things | cannot get along
without, but am good for nothing
good for nothing" with a profound
sigh.
"Never mind, aunt, don't worry. II
see what can be done in the morn
ing"
Next forenoon, about 10 o'clock
with hoe swung over her shoulder, anc
half-bushel basket in her hand, il
which reposed half dozen potato bags
and a dainty repast done up in news
paper, she trudged to the potato lot, t.
see what could be done; for the widow
niece, Garnet Embers, was a girl equa
to any emergency. She was slender
graceful girl, neither blonde nor bru
nette, but a combination of both, as
pretty a creature as one would care tC
see, with her wonderfully fair complex,
ion, tinged with the merest flush of pink
her dark eyes, almond-shaped, and full
of vim, Swallowed by black, curling
lashes, and superb abundance of red
brown hair, cooled low on her vel
shaped head. She had donned dun
hued calico dress, which she had fast
ened up ON all sides to keep clear OF the
dirt, thereby displaying foot arched
and slender as an arabs; and over hel
head, hiding her wondrous hair, was
one of her aunt's sunbonnets, making
her look, as she declared, a regular guy
She reached the lot and set to work in
earnest, but somehow she made little
| &c 80 hoY 1n1
masculine creature were but around
What short work he would make OF
that job.
At this iuncture the report of gun
sounded near, and Garnet looked uI
Just in time to see chipmunk, running
along the fence dividing her lot from
Mr.. Denver's, topple over, and an in
slant after a man ia gray, muscularly
framed ard handsome as Apollo, with
vide sombrero shading his face, appear
ed in sight. How propitlols the fates
were! What she had devoutly wished
for was yonder-a man. MIR. Denver's
hired man, without doubt. She sus-
pended operations, and with her hoe
raised aloft, cried out.
"Here, young man, come here!
want you to help in digging few bush
els of potatoes. | will see that you
do not incur Mr.. Denver's displeas ure
by doing as | desire. And, indeed, for
that matter, you might as well be work
ing for me as to be idling away your
time in killing harmless creatures
Come, what do you say p
"All right, miss; I'll be with you as
soon as | can exchange my gun for a
hoe, for | suppose you intend to keep
Oh digging?"
Certainly. Now don't be long about
it. That's a good man !"
She was earnestly digging away when
he vaulted over the fence and stood by
her side, hoe in hand, his hat lower
down on his face than ever. But
Widow Darley's niece paid no attention
to his personal appearance. lie was
nothing but hired man, so whether
ugly or comedy what mattered it to
her? Old Sol, an infamed ball of heat,
glowered upon them savagely, and the
perspiration stood in beaded drops
upon their faces as they toiled. on, Mr..
Denver's hired man making no better
progress with his row of potatoes than
Garnet with hers. The girl glanced at
him contemptuously.
tfYou don't succeed any better than
Ia girl You are the greenest hand
at digging potatoes | ever saw. Mr..
| Denver'U not keen You long. [ know"