The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-04-28

to any emergency. She was a slender,
graceful girl, neither blonde nor bru-
nette, but a combination of both, as
pretty q creature as one would care to
see, with her wonderfully fair complex
ion, tinged with the merest flush of pink,
her dark eyes, almond-shaped, and full
of vim, shadowed by black, curling
lashes, and superb abundance of red
brown hair, coiled low on her we'll
shaped head. She had donned dun
hued calico dress, which she had fastened
up on all sides to keep clear of the dirt,
thereby displaying foot arched and
lender as IN Arabs and over her head,
hiding her wondrous hair, was one of
her aint's sunbonnets, making her look,
as she declared, a regular guy. She
reached the lot and set to work in earn
est, but somehow she made little pro-
gress. Oh! if some strong. handed mas
culine creature were but around! What
short work he would make of that Job.
AT this juncture the report of gun
sounded near, and Garnet looked up
just in time to see chipmunk, running
along the fence dividing her lot from
Mr.. Denver's, topple over and an instant
"ioSi ~ lhuh III Bldf) liduell
and handsome as Apollo, with wide
sombrero shading his face, appeared in
sight. How propitious the fates were
What she had devoutly wished for
was yonder-a man. Mr.. Denver's
hired man, without doubt. She sus-
pended operations, and with her hoe
raised aloft, cried out:
"Here, young man, come here! I
want you to help in digging a few
bushels of potatoes. will see that you
do not incur Mr.. Denver's displeasure
by doing as 1 desire. And, indeed,
for that matter, you might as we'll be
working for me as to be idling
away your time in killing harmless
creatures. Come, what do you say?"
"All right, miss I'll be with you as
soon I can exchange my gun for hoe,
for suppose you intend to keep on
digging?"
Certainly, Now don't be long about
it. That's a good manr'
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 Darleys niece paid no attention
to his personal appearance. He was
ugly or comely what mattered it to her
Old Sol, an infamed ball of heat, glow
cred upon them savagely, and the per-
spiration stood in beaded drops upon
heir 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
lin contemptuously.
You don't succeed any better than |
Il girl. You are the greenest hand at
di sglng potatoes l ever saw. Mr.. Den
yer II not keep you long, know"
Perhaps not" he said, in non
chalant way. 81 am a green hand al
it, L acknowledge, but 1 guess I car
earn after while. See, miss, if 1 have
done my work we'll"
"Oh, my !" she cried out, vexatiously
chow stupid-how very stupid yor
are ! You have not got the potatoes
half out of the hill, and those you have
hauled out are well-nigh chopped tc
pieces by the hoe. You WELD thai
instrument as if it were your intention
to mutllate, to destroy. You need dis
no more y
"Well," leaning contentedly agains
the hoe-handle, and wiping the perspir
alton off his forehead with the dainties
of white handkerchiefs, from whicl
emanated the perfume of violets, &" wha
next shall l do? Issue your commands
Miss-Miss"-
" Embers, young man, and an espe
cial friend of your master, Mr.. Denver
Well, as you do not manage the hot
adroitly enough to be anything bu
detrimental to auntie's potatoes, yol
may as well take the alf-bushel basket
gather them up and put them in tn,
bags They are peach-blows, and ar,
sure to bring an excellent price in tn,
market; Mr."
She stopped and eyed him narrowl,
for the first time, styling him remark
ably handsome and distingue- lookin,
person for hired man.
"You may call me Bob," he said, will
a comical grimace. "Mr. Denver call
me that"
"Well, Bob, to work Don't lag, anc
when noon comes you may share m,
lunch with me under the apple tree"
Quite an inducement. A feeling o
ludicrousness came over him, and h
fairly shook with laughter. Was h
laug ching at her? Garnet drew hersel
up proudly, a spark of fire in her BIZ
dark eyes.
"What makes you laugh so immodel
ately, Bob? 1t is not polite of you, and
shall certainly report your ill-behavio
to Mr.. Denver"
"Pray don't, Miss Embers," with al
affected humility. 81 couldn't help il
Indeed 1 couldn't. If you had seen tina
ill-favored hop-toad leap over tina
potato, you laugh, too. 1t was so funny
The toad was so small. whereas tn
potato has grown to a enormous size
regular whopper! Look Miss Embers
there goes the fellow now under tina
struggling vinew
Humphp was all the answer sh
vouchsafed him as she went on with he
digging, but she doubted the existenc
of the toad and believed he was makin
sport of her.
The minutes crept up, IL o'cloc
came, and Bob was waxing savagel
hungry. AS he emptied the fourt
basket of potatoes, he said:
at is noon now, Miss Embers, II
sure. See Old Sol is directly owe
us. Come, let's have our lunch unde
the apple tree. I'm hungry as canni
bal"
"I too" acknowledged Garnet. "Ge
| that parcel yonder, Bob, and don