The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-07-15

He studies it moment. Once on a
time Will that do for beginning?
Miss HoLLENER. Excellently we'll.
1t carries me at once back to the days
of my childhood. They were happy
days, Mr.. Owens, l doubt if / have ever
known happier,
Mr.. Owens IA glow Of pleasure light
ing his face). Once on a time there
lived in the "big house" of beautiful
Connecticut village a lovely little girl
with fair curls and the most wonderful
dark gray eyes, She was an only child,
and adored by her fathar and her moth
er and all the rest of the household, as
she well deserved to be, being the
quaintest, brightest, and most generous
little creature that ever sang and danced
through a merry childhood. In the
smallest house in the village lived a
boy
MISS HoILENER. A "lovely" boy?
Mr.. OWENS (gravely). His mother
thought so.
Miss HoLLENER. His eyes and hair {?
Mr.. OWENS. Blue and black, if my
memory serves me Alright. He was the
son of pretty little woman, who, having
at the age of seventeen married for love
poor German Ceologist, found herself
at twenty widow, with no money and
baby boy. An old aunt to whom she
applied for assistance offered her and
her child home. That home was the
diminutive cottage to which have al
ready referred. Here she managed to
make living by the aid of her needle,
the lady at the "big house" being her
chief patroness led to the two children
growing up, as it were. together, From
the very first the boy constituted him
self the guardian and protector of the
little girl. He guided her first toddling
steps. His was the first name she ever
spoke. And whens she grew old enough
to lead, he followed her faithfully.
Never was knight in olden time more de-
voted to lady fair. You see them here
on this plate gathering blackberries.
Her basket, as you will observe, is brim-
ming over, while his is still empty.
MISS HoLnENER. docking atthe plate
with an appearance of INTEREST," Yes, SO
ii is. Pity everything is so blue, in
Guiding the blackberries, isn't it And
really / cant see the loveliness of
the little girl. Her nose, am sure, is
crooked, and her arms much too long.
And the berries look like pears. But
perhaps berries did look like pears in
those days.
Mr.. Owens. Well, time went on, and
the playmates met almost every day, the
parents of the gray-eyed girl thinking
only of the blue-eyed boy as the son of
faithful dependent who had inherited
his mothers faithfulness, when one day
she was then twelve and he fourteen
they quarelled.
Miss Ho1IENER. Had they never quar-
relied before
Mr.. OWENS. Oh yes, many a time.
But this was the first serious quarrel.
He had presumed to reprove her fol
something she had done.
Miss HonnENER. Had he never 'pre.
sumed to reprove her" before?
Mr.. OWENS. Often. But this time he
added to the reproof the remark that
her conduct had not only been unkind,
but unlady-like 4; she had snatched her
skipping-rope from the hands of young
darky who was suTeptitiously enjoying
a skip with it. The picture on the
second plate represents the quarrel.
She is turning away from him, with
flashing eyes, while she says; "And yet
I am lady. But you seem to forget
what you area sewing-woman's boy,
my mothers. servants son"
Miss HoLLENER. Extremely rude and
unkind, after SO many years Of devotion
on his part but dare say she was very
sorry directly after her ungrateful
speech, and no doubt regrets it till this
day. But really now, Mr.. Owens, do
you think this illustration a good one
To me it does not look like quarrel at
all. She is smiling sweetly-
Mr.. Owens. Scornfully, l assure you.
MISS HonnENER. And he, certainly he
is holding out to her an intensely ceru-
lean apple, with slight crack across
it.
Mn. Owens. You mistake. 1t is
ball which she presented to him just
before theunpleasantness, and which he,
in his boyish indignation, is mutely de-
manding she shall take back.
Miss HonnENER. And they don't ap-
pear to be any older than they we're
when they were gathering pears--I
mean blaokberries.
Mr.. OWENS Appearances are often
deceitful. They are several years older.
The boy left her in silence, but the
taunt sank deep into his heart, and that
very night he bade "good'by" to the