Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-09-21
BRINGING HOME THE COWS.

going to board with us this summer,
said Farmer MapletOn, as he lifted
two trimming pals Of milk and set
them 0n the kitchen table. 81 saw
kim mt Shelby this afternoon, and he
engaged board at s. Il week. He
seemed awful anxious about the family
somehow
''Why so. father2' asked the girl
addressed us Bessie, deftly slipping
the shining pans from her arm into a
row alongside of the milk pans.
'Oh. he wanted To know how many
there were i'm the family and, when L
told him only myself and wife and
one little girl, he put on mighty
satisfied look and asked if the little
girl was old enough to go to school.
And what did you tell him!' again
qucricd the damsel, with an amused
look. rs she lifted one of the pals and
poured the rich, foamv fluid slowly
into the huge straincr.
ooh, yes, ! said, she is old enough
to go to school, bit don't think we
shall send her this summer, as her
mother prefers to teach her at home"
A clear, ringing, sivcry laugh fol
lowed this speech, and Bessie took up
the empty pals and stralner, and
went out To- the kitchen pump.
Bessie MapIcton, Mr.. Maplcton's
little girl, us he always called her,
was in reality magnificent specimen
of womankind. She was fully five
feet eight inches in height, with mas
sivc shoulders, shapcly arms and
hands, and Il splendid head Of wavy,
red brown hair, matched by pair of
glorious eyes. With these a clear,
creamy complexion, deepening on the
checks to pale rose, full, red lips,
and rounded, dlmplcd chin, combined
10 form u very pleasing exterior.
In point of intelligence Miss Ma
plcton was far above the ordinary IS
year old country girl. She had grad
uatrd with signal houors at Il ladies
boarding school, and had now come
home, as she said to add to her
aihcr accomplishments good stock
Of common sense. As her mother
Glanced to be without Il domestic,
she, Of her own accord, proposed
To- take that share of the labor usu
ally performed by the hired girl,
and thus learn the mysteries of house
keeping.
She had proved herself an apt pupil,
and, after six months apprenticeship,
Mrs MapIctom, who rather prid9d
herself ON her excellent houSekeep-
nay abilities, decided that Bessie could
do almost us we'll as she could her
SELF
Now, Mr.. MapIclor had not meant
to deceive Edgar I'lcrpOnt when he
spoke of his little girl. lie had fallen
INTO the habit of calling her SO ia her
early girhood before she had devel
oprd INTO her present grand proper
tons, and he still kept it up There
IS no denying the fact that he was
somewhat proud of her magnificent
form and comcly features, and, when
he saw how quickly the young
schoolmastcr snapped up the unin-
territorial bait, he was fam to let
the matter pass without further com
mcnt, and let the truth flash upon
him from BcSsic's bright, bcwiidcring
eyes.
II viii bring up the cows tonight,
father, said Bessie, MS she rose from
the supper table the night Mr.. Pier
pont wascNpcrted To put in his appear
ancr.
81 don't think you'd better Bess, y
said Mr. MaPlctou, tcasiugly That
young schoolmaStcr might come while
you're gone You'd bcrathcr ashamed
To he caught driving up the COWS,
wouldn't YOU
Not blt of it, father. and seiz-
my her sun bonnet she ran gayly
ont through the open gate and
down the lame, Scmdiug back clear,
rlppliug stream of song which fairly
mat,c the old orchard ring with its
melody.
She had reached the lower end of
the pasture, and after, as it seemed to
her, a vastly unnecessary amount of
coaNlug, hallooing and throwing of
clubs, she 1T last succeeded i'm getting
the COWS in line, and fairly ON their
hOmcwa way. when she suddenly
hccamc aware of Il masculine presence,
and deep, r,ch voice asked: shall
help Nou. MISS
Looking up she saw broad should
cred specimen of the genus homo rap
IDLY approaching, with an amused OK
preston in his blue eyes ai,d certain
twitrhingS of the muscles of the
mouth showing strong inclination
Ia laugh
As they followed the COWS along
over the green, CrocuS dotted Sward,
the young stranger comverSed in an
easy oil hand way, which under ordin-
AIRY circumstances would have put
Miss Bessie entirely at her case. But
she was too kceuly alive to the fact
that her dress was toru by an uulucky
contact with thorn bush, her collar
awrN, and that her back hair had
escaped the legitimate CONTINENT of
comb and hairplnS, and hung III great
coffee ColOrCd masses about her neck
and throat
Where does Mr.. Mopleton live2"
he asked. abruptly, when the cows
were safely IN the lane and the bars
replaced I'm the new teacher. Mr..
Picrpout, At your service, with a low
bow, and I'm going to board with
them this summer
fright ny there. answered Bessie,
indicating the house with nod, aud
smiling in spite of her chagrin These
are Mr. Mapleton's cows"
Hercgardcd her curiouslya memeut.
ANiAI Nti Sitt.
Miss Napoleon, with a profound
courtesy.
All! indeed Mr., Mapletous niece,
perhaps"
NO; Mr. Mapleton'S daughter.
Il think understood Mr.. Maple
ton To say he had but one daughter,
and that was a little girl.
wv ., he always calls me his little
girl, said she, looking up with a
comically- eounterfeited ShyneSS; and
then, rs all the grotesqueness of the
situation burst upon her mind, she
gave ven. TO a long, low, hearty
laugh. 1t was contagious. Mr..
Pierpont laughed, too, albeit Fthere
was disappointed look in his hand
some, blue eyes, which was not lost
upon observing Bessie, and at which
that young lady naturally enough
felt n little piqued.
At the gate they met Mr. Napoleon.
He stopped to exchange greetings
with the teacher, while Bessie ran
q;ickly into the house and upstairs to
her room, and did not make her APP
pearance again that evening.
At the breakfast table she was cool
and stately, and acknowledged Mr..
Pierpont's presence by very slight
mobilization Of bar handsome hoo