South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1883-10-05
TAKEN IN PAYMENT"

hoh VIII Sourihanul ike ANTICIPATION
of the coming feast, but with an ex.
preston of sadness, as though the Die
were talisman to summon up recol.
lections of a bitter.sweet past. Miss
Alyea's nieces, Faith and Bessie Der.
kelley, to whom she had opened the
doors OF her warm, spinster heart and
her cosy stone cottage, when their
last remaining parent died and left
them penniless, often wondered at
their practical aunt's one sentimental.
!tv. When the cherry blossoms drap-
cd the trees with their airy cloaks OF
crystalized moonlight, she was addic.
ted TO taking long rambles in the or.
chard, and would return with dewy
glimmer in the kindly gray eyes. and
rose tinge on the still fair, unwrink-
led cheeks.
If 1t had been anything but cherry
blossoms!
Why, Faith, heraelf, dotted on sun
flowers aud BESSIE thought pansies
'too sweet for. anything; out Aunt
Sue must be MUD monomaniac, so
the girls thought, to admire those in
significant things, with not the least
halo of mstheticism to redeem them
from utter triviality
'MooEing over that pie, aunt?
laughed saucy voice, aud sunny
head was thrust through the red-star.
red curtain of swayins cypress vines.
Yes, smiled Miss Alyea, rousing
from her rcverie. 'And that reminds
me-our cherry trees are not bearing
very wei; this year. aud l want lot
more OF red morellas to can. hear
that the man who has bought Mr..
Harris farm has any quantity. bat he
Is so busy with the wheat harvest that
he has no time to gather them and
BRING them to town, and he will sell
them tor three cents Il quart to any
one who will pick them for them
selves. Now, suppose you and Faith
take jim and the democrat and 20 up
there, tomorrow? You can stop for
Nell, YOU KIN IVY, and have real pic.
ME dinner in the orchard added
this benevolent serpent, who was vers.
Ell III the wiles OF swectening duty
and turning hard work into froIics
for her niadcap nieces.
There is something III the crisp
word picnic til at is irresistible to
girls.
Bessie espoused her aunt's proposition
with rapture; Faith and Nell fell in
with the scheme, sand long before the
Sun had stolen away the dcw'dropa,
that sparkled like a shower Of fairy
confetti on the glossy leaves of the
Osagcorange hedge surrounding the
farm, the drive TO that place was an
accomplished fact
jim was tethered in meadow, crop
ping the luscious grass with n dreamy
satisfaction, and the three girls were
at work in the hcavily-fruiteJ orch.
ard.
Much to Nell Gennct's delight, who
though. 4 frollc sadly savorless, lack
ing the essential salt of masculine
presence, Mr.. Dare, the present own.
or of the farm, volunteered his assist
ance i'll the cherry picking, saying that
he had had slight sunstroke the day
before, and was not yet sufficiently
recovered TO work in the unshaded
wheat fields.
MIR. Dare was man of forty, or
more, we'll knit, athletic, and with an
erect bcaring and elastic tread that
were unique among the farming fra,
ternity' lie also appeared TO be we'll.
read and intelligent, and, when he
quoted Ruskin, apropos of clouds that
chased each other like frisky silver
sheep over the blue field above, Bes
sic looked at him in pleased amaze
mont, and Nell, VITO was n flirt in the
grain, and who would have coque;ted
with an infant in arms or q centena,
Ran, began to air especial little graces
that she considered too choice for pure
ly feminine society.
Faith, however, who took every
thing "a a matter of course-and
would have hardly opened her brown
velvet eyes q fraction of an inch wild
CT if the hooking. bird on the tree o.
verbcad bad begun TO whistle an air
from 'Pinafore,' or tho cowboy in the
field over the way had thrown off his
jean jacket and disclosed the gold
armour OF the proverbial fairy prince
accepted the agrarian rare avis with
aquiet satisfaction, untingcd by amaze
mcnt
Noon saw half Of the bags standing
erect and rounded out with Aunt
Sues coveted red morellas.
After the dinner, which Mr.. Dare
supplemented by bountiful dish Of
red raspberries and a pitcher of cream,
he proposed an adjournment to the
house, to give the girls chance to ex
anime his geological specimens and
California ferns.
just as they began, girl fashion, to
catch their breath with delighted obs
ard 'ahs' over the plumy wonders Of
the ferns, a greyhound tip toed deli
cately into the room.
He looked at the strangers inquir-
ingly, rubbed his 1.-the form against