The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-08-09
CARA.

A driving, binding snow, the sky
dark and sullen, a wild wind sweeping
over the plains, the mountains quite
hidden from view by the storm.
lara threw more pine logs on the
fire, drew together the red chintz cur
tains at the small window of her sbest
room," and tried to make things a
trif1e cosier in the ranch cabin.
Father will soon be home,' she
said-she had fallen into the habit of
talking to herself out in this lonely
country, this ..new, far-west." stHe
will put the sheep in the corral early
Tonight is so stormy"
A small clock on a shelf, which
served as a mantel, and which was
draped with some simple but pretty
chintz, like the curtains, struck four.
lara sighed a little as she heard it.
How many times had she listened to
that same silvery chime-it was a pretty
little French clock-in happier days in
the dear Easti Its musical sound re-
called so much!-brought back the
pretty, old-fashioned New England
home so plainly. lara could almost
smell the great creamery roses that
climbed over the front porch. She
could see the tasteful little home-parlor,
so different from the m~eagrely-fur-
nished she now sat in, with its
poor little attempts at c~heerfulness.
She could fancy herself, as of old, sit
ting before her sweet-toned piano,
singing all the sold tunes she could
call to mind stto please father;'' or she
could picture the long, happy summer
days spent under the large NAPLES in
the garden, lying idly in a hammock,
drinking in the sweet air, and dream
ing as girls will dream.
How her dreams had turned out!
When her father came to her one fall
day and said very gravely: cara, I
have lost money. This place must be
sold. / shall go West" her heart had
leaped with foolish Joy. She had
dreamed so often of the West; she knew
it was a paradise, SO free and wild.
'.Roughing it," would be SO very
pleasant! Had she not read in books
about it2 So she had only smiled at
her fathers grave face and exclaimed:
Il am so glad we are going West. We
shall make our fortune there, I know,
She was younger then-barely seven
teen. She was TWENTY-FIVE now~had
been .'roughing it" five years. She
was wiser.
The lovely New England home had
been sold, all debts paid-for lara
Josslyn's father was strictly honorable
and father and daughter had sought
the West-the great, undeveloped Ter
ritory of Montana. Mr.. Josslyn's re.
naming capital, which was not large,
had been invested in sheep.
1--WE shall have to be content to wait,
lara, child, while our little flock
grows" Mr.. Josslyn had said, and al
the same time had cast a rueful glance
around the small Lighthouse they were
to call 'thome'' for the years to come.
But cara was young and hopeful.
"We shall be rich before we know
it, she had cried, gayly, and went or
lacking muslin on the cabin walls, in
lieu of plastering.
The years came and went-the little
flock of sheep grew larger and money
came in a little more plentifully; but
Mr.. Josslyn had not made ''a fortune
yet, and life on a ranch was not easy
lara pinned, secretly, for the East. She
hated these desolate plains, the barrer
foothills" the deeply-furrowed
snowy mountains, so different from the
wooded New England hillsi The SUI
blinded her-it shone in such a glarine
way-and she missed the trees! Thu
few cottonwood" trees she detested
she longed for naples, elms, oaks. %
want real trees or none!' she would say
A few vines, in summer, we're trainet
about the cabin-door and windows, ant
some wild, pale, pink sweetbrier rose
grew neal the house. But lara had no
the heart to cultivate flowers; besides
her time was well taken up in othe
ways. Her days, though monotonous
were busy ones. She did not dream
often now, unless of the past, and lf
was wholly practical to her.
Again the little gilt clock chimed-
this time, five.
81 wonder father does not comeI' ez
claimed lara, rising from a low foot
bench by the fire, where she had bee
sitting thinking for the last hour. Sh
went to the window, and parting tn
curtains vainly tried to peer throug
the darkness. The wind moaned an
walled, the snow blew against the win
dow-pane. lara shivered and Dire,
back. AS she did so she caught tn
sound of voices. Lamp in hand sh
hurried to the door.
$50 right in," she heard her fathe
cay; "don't wait for me. Just tell he