Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-09-29

handkerchief.
A few days after Will Greentree babe
them ''good-bye'' the old couple were
installed for the summer season in their
comfortable country house, Greentree
Cottage. And to Greentree Cottage
came, before they had been there a
week, this note from one of their Oldest
and most intimate friends:
"NEw YORK, June 20. 1882.
NJ FAR TAMAsIN AND PHILANDER.-You
told me, you will remember, just as you were
leaving the city, that you would like to re-
young girl-the more %friendless the better for
your purpose-with a view, should she prove
lovable and entertaining, to adopting. her
gone more than two hours when / met a
young girl who l think will suit you to a
charm. She is pretty, Of cheerful disposition,
clever; is an orphan and (her grandmother
and only relative, with whom she lived, hav-
ing died three weeks ago. homeless. I haves|
perfectly wiliing@nay, a%nxious-,to come to
YOU. And 1 am sure her companionship will
add to your happiness, and help Ey5ou, to forget
Anyhow, receive her as a summer guest for
my sake, for 1 loved and lost her mother; that
10, she married the other chap.
BEAUTIFULLY yours, N TowSLY."
Mr.. Greentree's face frightened as
he read this note. ''There, my DEAR"
he said, handing it to his wife, s'Townly
he always was the best and most re-
liable old chum a fellow ever had-has
already found our daughter. For this
girl will certainly please us, being heart
lily approved of by him. Pretty, clever,
and cheerful"
eyes, SO he says" said his wife;
''but he needn't have called poor Will
lam bad names, for all that. And 1
won't give her the boys room. There's
SO many trousers and boots and base
balls and fishing things in it, that
couldn't be of the slightest use to her,
and would only be in her way"
"Do as you like about that, my DEAR"
rejoined Mr.. Greentree, who, to tell
the truth, was secretly pining for the
discarded one. and anxious to have
some young life in the cottage; .'but see
that the room she is to have is got.
ready Immediately, for I shall telegraph
to Townly to send her at once"
And he did. And the result of the
telegram was that the very next morn
ing Miss Zerelda Ardemann made her
best courtesy to the old lady and gen
tleman who wanted a daughter.
And never were any elderly people so
quickly and entirely bewitched by any
fair maiden as were Philander and
Tamasin Greentree by this same violet
eyed, golden-haired, sweet-voiced, pc
tite Zerelda Ardemann.
And rs day followed day, and week
followed week, she became more and
more dear to them. She went through
the house from morn until eve, warbling
like a bird, and when evening came she
sat at the old-fashioned piano and sang
the quaint old English ballads that
Tamasin used to sing in her youth,
while Philander, brave in his swallow
tailed, brass-buttoned blue coat, turned
the pages of the music with gentle hand.
She tripped lightly over field and
meadow every day, and culled the love-
Hest of wild flowers, which with a grace
that was all her own she arranged in
vases and shells, and whatever she could
find to hold them, until each room
looked like a fairy bower.
And many a beautiful poem she re-
peated with rare skill in the cleaning,
bringing the happy tears to the eyes Of
her delighted listeners. "Ah! if Will
had only made her his choice!" the old
lady would say to her husband at least
a dozen times a day.
"By heavens! if he had," that impul-
siye individual would reply, che
wouldn't have waited long for my bless
ing"
The summer passed pleasantly, very
pleasantly, away, and the advent Of
autumn found Mr. and Mrs. Greentree
more in love than ever, if that were
possible, with their charming guest.
"And do you think you could love us
enough to call us father and mother,
and to promise that when you give your
whole heart to some one else you will
not fors, le us?" asked Mrs. Greentree
of Zerelda one sunny September day.
II know l could know I do an
swered the girl emphatically. "But l
have a confession to make to you that l
fear will turn you from me-"
"My dear, it must be something very
terrible to do that. But make it at once,
and have it over. Philander! Philander!
Zerelda has something to tell us which
she fears will make us love her less.
Please come and hear it."
Philander dropped the newspaper he
was reading on the porch, and stepped
into the dining-room drought the opened
window. Zerelda stood in the CEN
ter of the with dropping head, but
as soon as he had entered She tossed
back the little ringlets that tried to
shade the brightness of her eyes, placed
her two little hands in the lace-trimmed
pockets of her dainty apron, danced
lightly acros to where the old couple
were now seated side by side, and said,
in a voice fraught with innocent cheeri-
ness: CATER all, what I have to tell
isn't so gerry bad. I haze amused you
both since 1 came here, haven't l? And
l can 60 away at once if you wish me to
60" And then, dropping gracefully
on n knee, and folding her hands in
pretty entreaty, she said: '.Please, sir,
and please, ma'am, [ am an actress,
and my stage name is Eva Fieldbrook.
But all that your friend MI. Townly
told you about me is true"
can actress!" exclaimed Mr.. Philan-
der Greentree.
"Eva Fieldbrook!" said his wife.
"Then you are the girl that Will"
began the old man.
t.That WILD reneated the old ladv