The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-01-21
y GIRLS FANCY.
Br EDWARD J. bRrvSER.

1t Is n quiet summer afternoon. aDt
1 the valley in thesCatskills where we finf
ourselves ffes in perfect stiilrasz. T>.ss
! sl1iff that monopolizes the little lak,
moving gently along without ripple tc
make pretense of barring its progress
| Browniields is a delightful place, but i
/ 1t were not for the visitors with whom
| the Peters fill their house in the sum.
mer lonely enough to he called Wild
With the Peters and their friends, and
with the groups of workmen that Mr..
/ Peters forges have gathered in the val
| ley, we have little TO do; but viii turn
again To look at the fisher-boy, the sole
| occupant of the skiff.
Jimmie Gordon is ambitious, ana for
| the son of an Irish workman-the fore
man at one of the shops-is well edu-
1 Gated and refined. Mr.. More, a city
| clergymen who spent some of his vaca-
tions at BrOwnfields, was struck with his
| quick native shrewdness, and, taking an
interest in him, loaned him books,
talked with him, helped him orally while
IN the mountains. and afterward by cor
respondence; and Jimmie's own inteli-
gence and earnest application have done
the rest; so that when we meet him rs
Mr.. Peters fisherman, he not only in
tends, with n true American sanguine-
ness, to rise, but is far better equipped
for the battle he has enlisted in than
many even who start on a good deal
higher plane. Meanwhile he attends
strictly to business, and to-day, when we
find him on the lake, has finished his
fishing for the day, and is idly sculling
about, thinking of that better fortune
that he has resolved shall be his in time,
and wondering in what shape the fates
will bring it to him.
Miss Eta Larton does not in the least
look like Fate as she comes down the
hill-path with her cousin, George Lar
ton, and their mutual friend, Harry FL
lis; IN fact, we are very much inclined to
agree with George when he thinks of
her to-day as much more of Grace; but
If she Is not a Fate herself she is GER
talnly notable instrument of their will
They are all three stopping with large
party at Montrose, the nearest apology
for town, and this full four miles away
Miss Larton, however, "goes in" foi
walking as the proper thing in the noun
talns, and rather against the will of her
escorts, has covered the whole four miles
on foot, and is still fresh and ready for
adventures when she enters els. little
Brownsfields valley. Rather dark. of
medium height, and in sturdy good
health, shall be the whole of her per-
sOnal description; and for her "state in
life" it will be enough to say that she is
the only daughter of the richest man in
Cleveland, and so Of course spoiled, but
withal, very fascinating, rs Cousin
George can testify. She is given to
whims, and just now the fancy that
CIR -, I, Il
little lake that is so invitingly laid ont
below, so that the one duty of her obe.li-
ent companions Is to find the wavs and
means; not altogether an easy task, see
ing that all the boats are carefully locked
up, except the one that Jimmie and his
fish use with not the best effects rs to
cleanliness. Still, rs it is the only one,
it must he had. and Jimmie, in response
to Larton's request, Immediately rows mp
and takes the party, Miss Eta in the
stern and in full view of the handsome
boatman.
Is there such a thing as love at first
sight? Surely; and before the trip
around the lake is finished, Eta is com
pletely conquered by the blue eyes of
this Irish fisher-lad. On his part he fel.
the natural attraction toward n lovely
pecting to see her again any more than
other chance visitors who have happened
to row over the lake, he hardly thinks of
her as more to him than beautiful pic
ture. If for second ANYTHING further
had entered his mind, he would instantly
have dismissed it as an absurd crying
for the moon. But Eta is not used N
giving up her whims 80 easily. No
sooner had she discovered that she liked
his looks than she made up her mind to
see more of him; and when Jimmie,
after explaining all the surroundings Of
the lake, lands them. and somehow inn
presses on them the conviction that he
is not the sort Of person to fee, she takes
her cousin aside, and persuades him
n little against his will to try and make
return for his politeness by asking him
to the hop at the Montrose hotel the
next week
And now opens the new era IN our
hero's life He is quite goOd-looking
enough and mice" enough not to seem
out of place in n frock-coat: and by
careful use of his own and brothers best
clothes, he is able to appear at the hotel
quite correctly attired for country hop,
and so far from finding Ettas infatua-
alton vanished rs suddenly as it was
boEn, she seems worse than before.
Going to meet him as he enters the
room, with an eager, bright smile, she
quickly exclaims:
"Then you haven't failed us ?"
"Why, no; surely | wouldn't miss
such n chance as this" And then, sud
denly rejecting that it would be best to
modify this, lie adds, "and of seeing
YOU
A quick flush of pleasure comes TO her
face at this first sign of admiration from
him, and all her habitual coouettery
comes to abet the curious folly that has
taken such hold on her.
mo" said Jimmie, 'I enioyed my
row too much the other day not to como
to this hop. Do you know that have
lived by that lake all my life, and never
knew how beautiful it was before last
Friday?"
''Then this is really your homes We
were wondering whether YOU belonged
here. or were only visitor.
AT this palpable attempt to pumn him
he was silent for moment: but tb;nE-
ing it best to seem candid, he answered..
''Yes, 1 was born and raised here "
Then, smilingly, I'm only n corDtr,
boy, you know. You may be snre
though, not too much of an one to tbanR
you for your kindness to me. ~
Little as he vet understands the fnu o~
tent of his influence over her. and tb;,G
ing that she only takes some sucb ;ntar-
est in him as Mr.. More has, he vet foois
that he must not shock this rich va',rn
lady with the full truth abont b;nsnai,
that he is only a poor workman's son.
and, to avoid more inquiries, at onca asl-s o
for the dance Just commencing. Wben