Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-06-07


ITS a very quiet, pretty place, "
said I.
''And the Mouse's description wasn't
as highly eolored as the advertisementP'
| he continued.
cit wasn't highly colored in the
least,"sI replied. 81 found there all
he promised and more
was about to add, but checked my
self
Then what do you say to speaking
word in my favor when you leave? /
might spend one of my holiday weeks
there, anyhow. The other I've got to
spend with the old folks
'Oh,' said /, emphatically, Nut
wood would never do for you. You'd
get the worst kind of blues there in no
time. It's SO exceedingly--well, dull,
you'd call it. You want to be where
there's some fun going on. As for me,
give me pipe and a book, and I'm all
right you know
Wednesday saw me installed in the
coy room, with the wood on one side
and the brook on the other, and week
or less saw me as wholly in love with
Philippa as ever was city youth with
bonny country maid She was such a
dear, frank, bright. unaffected girl,
with no faults that / could see-and |
watched her closely-unless strong
tendency to superstition could be CALI
ed one. That spilled salt must be inn
mediately thrown over the left shoulder
OF the spiller, lest he or she should
quarrel with his or her next neighbor;
that no journey of important UNDER
taking should be begun on a Friday; that
an umbrella or parasol opened under a
roof betokened great disappointment;
that crow crossing your path BODIED
ill news; that the finding of four
leaved clover brought good luck; all
these, with a hundred other things of
like nature, did pretty Philippa be-
lieve with the whole of her honest
heart. fused to laugh at her at first,
but soon learned to humor the harmless
weakness, and threw spilled salt over
my shoulder, went down on my hands
and knees-being rather near sighted
to search for four-leaved clovers, care
fully avoiding passing under lad
der, turned back il | met crow, and
all the rest of it. Well, / fell in love
with her; but, much to my chagrin,
she didn't fall in love with me. She
liked me in sIsterly sort of way
that could plainly see; but she never
thought of me as lover-thatI could
also plainly see, She walked with me
Tim the embryo farmer, generally
us; listened 10 my read
ings from my favorite authors; let me
help her feed the chickens; taught me
how to make butter and pot-cheese;
but not step further had l got when
the last day of August arrived, and
my vacation came to an end.
You will come to see usp" said
Mrs. Dayton, when | was taking my
leave.
Eyes, indeed, if you would like to
have me,'' | replied.
'Come as often as you can; the Of
tener, the better we will be pleased"
But Philippa said never word,
though a friendly interest shone in her
beautiful hazel eyes. However, remem-
boring the old proverb, "Faint heart
never won fair lady," did not allow
her non-invitation to keep me from full
filling my promise to her mother, and
fulfilled it so well that | went to Nut
wood every Saturday afternoon, and re-
NAMED until Monday, for three months
longer. Then, winter set in in earnest,
was obliged to bid the farmhouse
good-by, without having received from
Philippa the slightest encouragement to
tell the story that was always trembling
on my lips.
December and part of January passed
away, and l had heard nothing from
Mouse's only sister, when, one day,
looking up from my desk, | saw him
standing beside me.
1--WE got note for you SIR he said,
'.from Phil" My heart began to beat
wildly. 1T came in one she sent me,
and she told me to put it int your own
hands,
could scarcely thank the little fellow
was so surprised. and taking the note
from him, opened it quickly and read
as follows:
DEAR Mr. LovEJoY:-I send you
lock of my hair" (my heart fairly gal
lopcd), 'sand ! would be ever so much
obliged to you if you would take it to
Signor Rialto, and ask him to burn it
and tell my fortune from the ashes.
also inclose card with date of my birth
etc. He told Melinda Wells's in that
way, and it's come true, and she is to
marry the very one he described, on the
lst of March. You are to be asked to
the wedding. She is the girl that went
with us once and you
said she looked like an Esquimaux.
wouldn't trouble you, but Roderick is
too young to trust with such ali GRAND,
and you are the only gentleman friend
| have in New York. And the reason
l don't send directly to him by mail is
that it will be so much more wonderful
if he reads anything true from the lock
of hair not knowing from whence or
from whom it comes.
''Yours truly, PHILIPPA DAYTON"
''P. S.-Be Sstre to come TO the aCed-
ding
''What nonsense!'' said / to myself
(my heart having gone back to its usual
trot), as soon as had finished reading
it, and for an instant felt like throwing
the whole thing out of the window. But
only for an instant. Then opened the
inclosed envelope, took out the long
shining auburn tress, looked at it with
admiriDg eyes, came near kissing it,
folded it up again, and put it carefully
away in my vest pocket. And while
putting it carefully away in my vest
pocket an idea came to me like flash.
which. justifying myself with the
thought that "all's fair in love and
war;" | began to carry out as soon as
Lon came sauntering in from his lunch.
Lon" said l., lido you think yourself
capable of writing out full and true
description of the undersigned?"
What the deuce do you mean?" was
his rather irrelevant reply.
"Just what | say" said |. '"'Alonzo
Fordyce, can you, and will you, write
out, nothing extenuate, nor set down
ought in malice, full and true des-
cription of your unworthy friend, Tom
LovejoyP'
Certainly, if you are in earnest, and
| begin to see you are. And it isn't to
be at all flattering?f
mot at all. Lean little to mercy
side, of course, but do the work so that
your conscience can never reproach you
for it.
well, here goes" and seizing pen
and paper, Lon began.
That won't do, said |, looking over
his shoulder.
What won't do?" asked he.
why, Tom Lovejoy.' No name
must be mentioned. Begin thus: He
is about fiye-and-tWentV' ~