The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-10-20
ATIMlD GIRLS COURAGE

care yeu going in the direction Of th
station, Nellie ?" asked Mrs. Wilton OF he
sister, as that young lady appeared, iul
equipped for a walk.
II scarcely know" Nellie answered, il
a h~esitating tone; "the fields look 80 loyel,
in the view from my window, and l wa
seized with q desire to wander at vii
among their beauties, and SO have put OIL
my broad hat and heavy shoes without re
gard to appearances"
Mrs. Wilton glanced at the pure whit
dress, Get off with cardinal ribbons. til,
broad hat, with It's knot OF wild flower
shading a sweet, Hebe like face, and lastl!
at the small feet, whose shapely symmetf,
no shoes could disguise, aud a thrill OF ad
miration warmed her sisterly heart.
"She is very pretty, aud, what is better
she has o true, noble nature" she thought
as she gazed alter her graceful form, and
all unconscious Of her sisters praisa. Mel
lie ran down the garden walk, and one
free from the grounds and observation
broke into the carol OF happy child as shI
wandered from hedge to hedge, seeking
and finding new blossoms at every turn.
Occupied in this way, and taking little
heed OF the direction in which she went,
Nellie was suddenly brought to a ssandstill
by sound that, TO her timid ears, wa;
blood curdling.
Agreat COW, which she had approached
unobserved, had, when only o few PAGES
from her, lifted up its had and uttered q
prolonged-and, to poor Nellie, q terrifying
below. a faint answer came back from
the distant pasture fslds; whereupon the
bovine, with o satisfied look, began crop.
ping industriously q few spears Of grass
growing In the nsigaborhood Of q stone
and.lime wall in the vicinity.
Nellie Ashton's n weakness was a ter.
ror OF COWS. She looked on them as her
natural enemies, and though heartily
ashamed OF the cowardice this aversion en-
tailed, was quite unable to overcome II.
The sight OF n OF these mild animals
peacefully grazing at the safest distance in
spired her with unreasonable fear, and
their presence in the green clover fields in
terfered with her intense love OF nature.
Never before had she encountered the
~objecuonal animal in such close
quarters, and fright for q moment arrested
her footsteps. She drew q long breath and
tried TO sill the wild beating OF her heart.
"If I run it will chase me-" was her first
thought, and then came the happy Conclu.
sion, ~ will mount the wall; It's top Is
broad enough TO walk on, and, thank
heaven, cows cannot climb"
A moment more and her resolution ives
in practice. she had gained the elevation
and was in safsty, but net content till dis.
lance stretched between herself and the
obnoxious animal she hurried along the
precarious walk without noticing Its grad
nal ascent, and oily paused when she could
look back eecurely on her past danger and
mediate ut leisure OF the perverse and
evil nature of cows in general.
ut stands there pretending to crop
grass" abe thought "a she saw It moving
about in the sparse heritage, "but I.know
it is planning how to attack me. Ga,
dear! 1 suppose they are very necessary
10 peoples comfort, for milk and all that,
but for my part l think such dangerous
creatures should be confined somewhere
She had reached that part OF ::her soil,
oquy when, CHANGING to glance down the
road, she caught sis6t OF her brother-in'
law taking what ne called a short cut
across the fields from the car station to biz
summer home. Under these circumstan'
Gee the presence OF this gentleman, who
was much given to teasing, would have
been sufficient, The appearance OF q stran'
ger added to Nellie's confusion, and sht
Immediately prepared 10 spring lightly tc
the ground before they could join her,
| when, 10 her alarm, she discovered tina
she was at least twelve feet above 1t.
The wall she had been following In hel
eagerness to escape from the cow formed
the base Of q slopinS terrace and rose grad
ually as it progressed until It's height was
something formidable.
"What shall l do 2" said Nellie. "If ]
Jump down l may break my neck. II
run back there stands that malignant COW
her horrid horls Just set for me-"
Harry was fast approaching. There wa'
nothing left but resignation, and, forgetting
how her heavy boots may dangle, poo
Nell dropped in sheer exhaustion 10 rest.
As Mr.. Wilton and his companion drew
near, talking gaily, he for the first time be
came aware Of the presence Of his pretty
sister-in-law.
"Why, Nellie heexclaimed, in genuine
surprise, Show did you get up there 2" ant
he looked around for q ladder or somt
means Of ascent"
II was taking a walk" the young lady
faltered; but Harry's quick eye caught
sight OF the COW at the further end OF the
wall, and knowing Nellie's weakness, b,
burst into IN uncomfortable ct Of laughter
Nellis's chagrin and the stranger's grow
ing embarrassment checked his untimely
mirlb, and he FASTENED to introduce hi
companion to his stster-in.law.
"This Is my old ~and,valued college friend
Dr. Raymond, Nellie" Then turning Il
the other, he added: "Let me pfesen
you to my sister, Miss Ashton, Arthur, ant
at the same time assure you she would b,
the dearest girl in the world II she WASH
90 chicken hearted"
Dr. Rsymond-a handsome gentleman
OF 81, grayer and mora polished In name
than MS friend-bowed with marked re
speCt to our poor heroine, who was ner
vously trying to hide her boots. Mutua
dihidence might have been increased int
embarrassment, but HArry's high spiri
came to the rescue.
"Pray, lssist Miss Ashton to alight Will
I varquish her enemy" he cried, ian,
then ven go home acrossthe fields togethe
to where my wife Is anxiously awaiting on
arrival"
Under p%retence Of protecting them fror
further danger he seized broken brancI
fallen by the wayside and went in advanc
flourishIrgi It and leaving the newly.mad
acquaintance to follow. Never before ha
Nellie found conversation such O dificul
art. She sought In vain for something az
propriate to say, butthe truth was her sens
i've mind shrank from recalling the absur
position she had occupied. She glanced o.
cretly at her handsome cavalier, whor
Harry had always described Ss the embed:
msnt Of all that was noble, true and manly
and felt be must regard with contempt
silly, nervous creature such as she, withou
c1ursge or self.eommand enough to comets
her idle fears.
Beyond ~monosyllRbles she could not cor