The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-09-27
On a Fools Errand.

TT HUNG above the chimneyplece in
the whitewashed parlor of the little
Carolina country inn-the portrait of
young girl, in simple dress and straw
hat, with her hands full of cherry
branches laden with fruit 1t was a
southern face with dark rich bloom of
coloring, and passionate, halfshy half
coquettish expression which fascinated
me at the first glance; and the more L
looked at that beautiful face, and met
the gaze of the dark eyes always bent
down upon me and following my mo-
tions, the more fascinated 1 become,
until one day L awoke suddenly to the
consciousness that was actually in love
with a picture
Who was the original, 1 now began
to wonder2 1t was clearly a portrait,
and the painting still so fresh that it
could have been taken but within few
wears past. For some time 1 hesitated
to make the inquiry for L felt ashamed
of my own folly, and had a guilty fear
of its being discovered and exposing me
to ridicule. But one day, finding my
good natured landlady seated on the pi-
azza just out side the parlor window,
shelling peas, ventured to remark,
with an assumed air of indifference, that
was pretty picture and we'll executed.
g Is it ?" she answered, glancing up
over her spectacles. "Well, dare say
it is, though 1 amt much of jedge of
picturs. Pears to me, she's too peart
and sassy -lookin', and's got temper of
her own, or I'm mistaken. She might
flvors my b.)jh, Ebeds daughter,
Barbery-a fine, bouncin, gal, who had
always more beaux on a Sunday than
most gals have in a year, and come to
pick out the wust o. the lot, after all"
"Do you know whose portrait it is Y'
L inquired.
"Well, can't say 1 do. We found it
here with the rest o. the furnitur', when
we come from Gates county while ago.
You ee''-brightening into interest
T" the new railroad spilled our old place
in Gates for tavern stand; and as me
and my old man was used to that bust
ness, we had to root up and look out for
another. And jest then old Davis, who
kept this place, died, and all he left had
to go for debt; and we concluded to
lease the tavern, furnitur' an all, jest as
it stood. That's how we found the
pictur' here but whose it is, we don't
know"
Perhaps Mr.. Davis had daughter?"
"Bless you, mol He was lonesome
old bachelor, with only half dozen
servants to help him to keep tavern and
look after things. Now think of it,"
she added, quickly, "I did hear one
of them, old Dorkey, say something
about that pictur' when he was down
here one day not long ago. If anybody
knows whose it is, it's likely to be Dor
key but he's moved away six miles up
the river to little clearing of his own,
Where he's sot down to raisin peanuts
and watermeloDs for the market.
Would you believe that his wife-a
smart, steady, drivin' sort o. woman
she was, and worth an ordinary dozen o.
her kind-kept house and managed
half the business for old Davis? 1
would have been glad to keep her, for
we're gettin' good run o. custom here,
which bears a little too hard on my
shoulders, considerin' Pm not as young
as used to be. If Mandy hadn't hop.
ped along jest about that time, don't
skeersely know how should a-got
along. She was old Davis cousin, and
come long distance to pay him visit,
jest in time to find him dead and she
agreed to stay awhile and help me