Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-02-01

Der trunk, and, putting it down where
she directed, retired without a word
Really. he scarcely looks like the
proverbial hired man." said Leslie to
herself, as she proceeded straightway
to unpack before tea. Presently Mrs.
METERS voice called from below, and
she went down to the evening meal in
her simple travelling dress.
This is John, my son." the old
farmer quietly said, in introduction,
and Leslie bowed across the table to
her companion, the driver.
"The son is better than the hired
man any way" she mentally CON
cluded, and then followed that by de-
Gliding him truly good-looking. How
delightful it all is, she whispered to
herself, when. an hour later, she swung
carelessly back and forth in ham
mock, out under the trees. as the sun
"oo SoluS uOWH.
1t grew gradually late and Miss Cor
don, making her goodnight, prepared
to retire. As she drew near the front
door, which stood open, the beautiful
scene without attracted her to linger a
moment upon the vine-embowered
porch. Down by the river all was in
dense shadow, save where now and
then burst of moonlight fell along
the waters and changed them to gleam-
ing silver, but down further into the
more distant valley the village lights
in the windows flashed out like in
Vulnerable firef1ies in the darkness, and
over beyond it all, like vast curtain,
shutting out the more distant world,
stood the great rocky mountain, its
scanned sides hidden, and the round,
full moon just peeping over its shoulder
and throwing the tall pines below into
fantastic shadow And Leslie Gordon
stood there with her fair face full in
the light, leaning against the great
wooden pillar of the porch and look
ing out across that stretch of country,
until she had forgotten time and all in
her rapt admiration of the scene.
"How beautiful it is p she cried. un-
consciously, aloud. "Such a scene
must have inspired him who said:
"'How beautiful is night
A dewy freshness fills the silent air.
No mist obscures, nor cloud, nor speck, nor
stain
Breaks the serene of heaven"
A strong voice beside her went on
where she closed:
-" In full-orb'd glory yonder moon divine
Rolls through the dark-blue depths;
Beneath her steady ray
The desert circle spreads,
Like the round ocean, girdled with the
sky.'n
He adds, "You remember, Miss
Gordon ?"
Leslie turned and met the calm,
gray eyes of John Metler. In her in
slant of astonishment she could not
help saying:
"What, you quoting Southey, M.
Metler?"
Certainly, Miss Gordon, all the
is not confined to the city
some has wandered into the hills. Per-
haps you remember Milton says
"'Wisdom's self
Oft seeks so sweet, retired solitude;
She plunes her feathers and lets grow her
wings,
That in the various hustle of resort
We're all to ruffied, and sometimes i'm
paired" !"
II thank you for the lesson" Les
lie said, slowly, with a red flame burn
ing in either cheek. "I shall not for
get. Goodnight" and she held out
white hand to him and fled up the
wide stairway, never glancing back
where he remained standing so si-
lently, looking out upon the river and
the rising moon.
< x
"All the menfolks are busy in the
harvest-feld to-day Mrs. Metler said,
as Leslie came down in her neat,
white dress very late to breakfast the
next morning. So she wandered alone
about the old farm until noon, when
they all came in flushed and tired.
"John," the father said, as they
arose from the table, "you had better
take Miss Gordon out on the hill after
berries with the picnic party this
and so it was arranged.
It was a strange company, Leslie
could not keep from thinking, as they
met at the appointed crossroads.
vi oil OlO-1toiliOiittl OIt5StS, Sut
wrote home that night, Il saw them
there, but the people were real good,
and l enjoyed myself immensely" And
she did, with the color fresh in her
cheeks and great rent in her new
dress, wandering over the "patch :"
through the long, warm afternoon,
until, at last, tired and heated, she
sank down upon huge boulder, and
John Metler flung himself on the short
grass at her feet.
He is different from them," she
felt, as she sat there watching him,
and now and then interellanging bits
of common talk.
And the red sun began to sink down
ward in the western sky and the ahad-