The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-02-24

be lreeuOW ON Qcr wing.
We hail the promise of to-day;
For, If the rudy glow
OF morning breaks upon US such,
What may the evening show!
Hon. II. 5. WdShburn, IN ChildhO0d'S Appeal
A PYRAMID OF CABBAGES.
"Why, where are you going. Isabel
Eastman? Not into the farm-yard,
surely?"
"Ies. Miss Lottie Mayell, am go
ing into the farm-yard, surely" re-
piled Isabel. with a mischievOus light
in her big gray eyes. and q charming
smile on her prettily curved lips, as she
opened the gate leading to that place.
Nowhere else can we be confidential
without running the risk of being
overheard. The farmers family are in
the orchard; Charley and half-dozen
of his play-mates are playing in the
flower garden; there's a young couple
in the parlor at the piano, he making
love, and she not making music. and q
still younger couple whispering and
giggling in the bay-window; auntie is
in my room enjoying "Splendid Mis-
ery;" and grandma IS in auntie's room
darning stockings. And 50, if you
really want to hear right away why
I am here instead of at one of nv
usual summer haunts, you must cen
follow me to the farm-yard. Besides
which '-speaking with increased ami
mation-''l have lately, strange as it
may seem to you, developed quite q
passion for farm-yards.
lit doesn't seem at all strange to
me, my dear, for during our ten years
friendship you've always been develop
ing some odd passion or other. But
I've never lost faith in you. Lead on;
I'll follow"
And stepping daintily and gracefully,
unimpeded by trains or demi-trains,
the young girls threaded their way
through the crowd of hens and chick
ems holding loud and lively converse
ton preparatory to going to roost; past
the cows waiting to be MIXED, and
turning their heads to look after the
intruders with great solemn browns
eyes; and old Lowhead. the white
horse, shaking his thirst at the water
troug h--to the extreme end of the
yard, where pile of cabbages, neatly
arranged in the form of a pyramid,
confronted them.
Behold" said Isabel. stopping be-
fore it, "h how Nature lends herself to
Art! THAT sounds well, though I
don't know as it means anything This
mighty structure, formed of the green
and succulent cabbage. is no doubt the
work of some humble field-laborer,
who, having read of the Pyramids of
Egypt-incited thereto, no doubt, by
the newspaper paragraphs about our
own dear Obelisk-has sought to vary
the monotony of cabbage lie by build
ing as close an imitation as his material
would allow. Let US hope that this
flight of Imagination may lead to q
higher one, and that the cabbage man,
like the butter woman, may meet with
public recognition, and at last be
crowned with a wreath of laurel. Often
from the humolest sources spring the
greatest works of genius. Burns
Lottie'-breaking off suddenly, and as
Stunning reproachful tone" do
you break in upon my eloauence with
rude and unseemly laughter? l was
about to repeat to you Longfellow's
last poem; now l won't. See what
your frivolity has lost you! And take q
seat on the extreme base of the pyramid
Il prefer the mound of sods in this
secluded corner, sacred to somebody's
rake and hoe), while l go back to the
commonplace"
THANK you, Bell dear, I'll share the
sods with you. if you please. Ihave an
idea that cabbage would prove a very
uncomfortable seat under any circum-
stances. Aud do go back to the COM
monplace, that darling, for I'm dy-
ing to know what has happened since
We parted an age ago."
IAN age ago! One year and half
exactly. l was then engaged to Claude
Venner. Pretty name, isn't it? And
he was pretty little fellow, with nice
curly hair, and lovely blue eyes, with
lashes long enough for a bang, small
dimpled hands, and not an idea in his
little round head. My mother-with all
due Difference l say it-and his mother
to whom / accord much less defer
ence made the match when l was
eighteen, and l unmade it at twenty. I
never loved Claude. How could Il?
And he never loved me. How could he?
We were the victims of circumstances
and matchmaking mammas, and two
mortals more unlike it would he hard to
find. He was the most conventional of
men. and would have nearly died if at
one of those dreary dinner parties in
which his soul delighted somebody had
whispered to him that his back hair
wasn't parted straight. while l have
often been strongly tempted to shock
the full-dressed guests, at the very
start, by asking for more SOUP.
"Well, last June. at Newport, my
diminutive friend. Eda Smythe, with .
head the exact counterpart of Claude's,
upon the scene. and she and
my betrothed fell in love with each
other at first sight. Mamma fretted
and fumed and scolded, and asked me,
with tragis emphasis, how l could look
calmly on and see so many thousands Of
dollars being lost to the family, for she
was sure that artful mink would per-'
suade poor dear Claude to elope or
something; but continued to look
calmly on. until one evening Claude.
with deep sigh. kissed Edass hand A
he babe her 'Good-night,' when q
turned suddenly upon them and babe
them follow me to my room. There
forgave-quite in the manner of stage
parenr-the infatuated midgets their
base duplicity, gave them my blessing,
kissed them both; and a. soon as they,
beaming with joy. had departed, I
also. beaming with joy, and not quite in
the manner Of . stage parent, except
perhaps in 90 Pinafore'' one, executed
. pirouetts-a mad. revolving pirou-
cite. in honor of my newly-acquired
freedom. Mamma was awfnlly angry.
but they're awfully happy, and they We
named the baby after me-. Nv chains
(they were never very heavy. l must