The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-07-17
AN AUBURN TRESS.
BY MARGARET ETINGE.

BY MARGARET ETINGE.
/ fell half in love with her at first
sight, she was 80 entirely and refresh.
ingly different from all the other girls
had ever met, and / had met quite
q number, having, although sisterless,
seven cousins of the fairer sex, each OF
whom was constantly discovering
some charming friend or friends to
whom Cousin Tom really must be in
troduced But by only two or three
of these charmers had cousin Tom
been enslaved, and then his chains
were of the lightest, and had broken
easy after . short captivity. And so
my five and twentieth birthday foun d
me still heart-whole, and being still
heart-whole, with no despotic she to
decide for me, wondering where /
should spend my summer vacation.
It was to be longer one than usual,
for Uncle John, in whose publishing
house l was employed, had kindly
placed the whole month of August at
my disposal, in return, as be was
pleased to say, for my close attention
to business since the beginning of the
year. l didn't want to 60 to one Of
the fashionable resorts, for l was not
(although my cousins had done all
they could towards making me one) a
man. And then, again
was perhaps a more impor-
tant reason Il could't afford it.
Il wish knew of some pleasant
farm house, said to my office chum,
Lon Fordyce, where there would be
no other boarders taken; where the
nearest neighbor lived at least a
mile away where there were plenty of
old trees about; where fellow might
swing in hammock from morn till
dewy eve if he chose, and read and
smoke and dream the time away to
his hearts content and where new,
unskimmed milk, fresh eggs, crisp
vegetables, ripe fruits and tender
chickens were realities and not myths.
But where, oh! where can such Ar
cadian bliss be found? I've read of
it in stories and newspaper advertise
ments, but / never knew ANYBODY
who had met it or anything like it
in their search for summer board and
l mean. Quite the contrary
has been my own experience in fact,
disgustingly the contrary.
ALI the time l had been speaking
Mouse had been listening attentively,
(Mouse was twelve-year-old boy be-
to our department. his real
name being Roderick; but that had
been almt st entirely forgotten since
Lon and / rechristened him and the
new title had been conferred upon
him on account of his noiseless way of
around. his small. dark bright
eyes, and his general, as we thought,
mousy appearance), and as I finished
[ turned suddenly upon him and
asked:
"What are you standing there for
Mouse? Have you nothing to do?"
Plenty, sir, he answered; but /
was a-thinkin' our folks might take
you. They've got a nice farm, and big
trees, and new chickens, and eggs, and
fruit, and vegetables, and cows milk
and everything you said you wanted
'cept an accordion, and l guess they
could get that
An accordion Z repeated l in great |
astnishment, what in the world do
you meant
Accordion blissp whispered Lon,
and we both burst out in laughter
but Mouse kept his ground AID re-
garded me gravely until l began talk
ing again.
Your folks ? and it struck me that
had never thought of the quiet little
chap in connection with folks before. |
Why, don't your folks live in the
,ityY
No, sir. They live at Nutwood. Il
stay here with Aunt Hannah 'cause
Pm to be q business man. Tim-he's
ne-he's to be 6 farmer. And there |
sn't any house 'cept the Larrup's
'hanty for morn mile around. And |
Eve told EN- how good you are to me. |
md I'm most sure they'd let you come
md stay as long as YOU wanted to,
md there's ducks
Do you know, Lon, this sounds very
said l.
May be as deceptive as all the ad-
for al that said Lon. |
Not intenti' nally 90. of course, but
4, u e being boy and the farmhouse
he home of his childhood
Nothing easier than for me to find
nut all about it, interrupted 1. I'll
axe q run down there tomorrow
which happened to be Saturday, 'af.