River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-09-11
HIS LITTLE RUSTIC.
ny Ella WHEELER.


She was kneeling in the grass little way
or, hunting for wild strawberries, which sire
/ dropped into partially filed tin pail
Her sun-b0nnet had fallen back, and now
revealed very flushed face and a tumbled
mass Of brown hair.
He thought her profile very pretty, aud her
/ wrist as it was disclosed below her print
sleeve, shapely and white. He wished she
would look up, as he was growing curious
concerning the color of her eyes. He felt
sure they we're brown.
Just at this moment whirr OF wings caused
him to turn his eyes in another direction, and
he saw covey of Wild prairie hens just set
/ Ting upon an angle of the fence in near range.
1 Helifted bis gun quickly to his shoulder, took
/ aim and fired
The birds all few away ttuharmed But
the girl in the grass gave little Shrek and
/ sprang up so hastily she tipped her pail of
( berries over, and they all disappeared In the
I long, tangled grass
/ ''oh, how provolingn' she cried, in tone
Of real vexation, as she looked down at her
empty pail
"Allow me to help you pick them up" said
/ our hero, CALAMITY, as he sprang over the
fence with an easy bound, and bent to his task
as lightly as if he had always picked berries
from tangled grass for a livelihood, instead of
attending to the foreign business of one of the
largest commercial houses in the world He
picked away in silence for fully five minutes
without looking up.
1t was now the young lady's opportunity for
inspection She saw medium sized, strong
" built figure, clothed in hunting suit, evil
IDENTIFY new head of closely cropped hair,
suspiciously near badness upon the crown; a
peculiarly pallid complexion, very handsome
moustache, well waxed and glossy, and as he
lifted them, Just then two very liquid and Ian
guild blue eyes.
''Yes, they are brown" he said, mentally,
as he met her glance Aloud: 81 think your
pail il quite as full as it was before
mademoiselle / shall take pleasure in assist
ing you to completely fill it if you will al
lows
And his glance and smile, and the perfect
meditation of his voice, was delightful to
Iisle Ashley as it had been to a score-nay, toa
hundred-women before her.
81 thank you" she stammered; "but
have enough for tea now, and it is Late and
must so"
'But you have not enough for tea il l take
tea with you,n said our hero, with respect
full demeanor, which was one of Richard
Westbrooks most taking qualities with the
| ladies.
ia mans manner glance and tone are only
respectful and defereutial, nothing pleases
woman more than certain amount OF holiness
in his words and actions.
ssYou see. he continued, IN answer to her
look Of surprise. Il am lost left party of
friends this forenoon, and wandered through
the woods in search of game, uiIth am com
pletely bewildered They have the lunch bas-
ket You are the first human being have seen
in hours and have dined on few berries l
must havo supper soon or perish. L nave no
idea how far am from Benton station, where
was to join my friends at Z o'clock. And noWlt
| il > -
ooh. said Isle, looking very sympathetic
indeed ''you are to be pitied You are five
miles from Benton station, and You must be
hungry. know Well, well, you may go home
with met is just half mile from here. And
Ruth will have supper ready, know and you
will DC welcome And the hired man is going
to Benton Falls this evening. You can ride
with him"
''But my train goes at T."
ssWeu, there is another at o And Jeol may
60 early enough to get up there for the7 o'clock
train | will help him with the COWS so he can
! get of. "
Richard glanced down at the slender hands
and wrists
''You milk cows? Impossible!" he said.
''Oh, | do not make a business of il" Lsle
answered calmly; but | can do IL when &C
casion requires | would not be thoroughly
genuine country girl if could NOT. Now here
is a fence to climb Win .kpu please go first
| and then help me over?'
81 thought country girls always leaped the
fence said Richard, as he sprang nightly over
and gave her his hand.
'gfhev can do it but they do not always dis
play their agility ON every OCCASION" Lisle re-
torted as she stepped to the ground at his side.
! s'Thefe is Uncle Williams house-that red one
over Wonder And the white cloth is hanging
out of the attic window to tell the men in the
hav-iield that supper will be ready as soon as
they can get down to the house"
GLOW delightfully."- primitive life is out here"
/ mused Richard. Il feel as if was in another
! world from the one ] left this morning.
/ ssYou are from Lake Resort, l suppose?
| eyes. / have been there a week; my home
| is in Albany, New York. l was induced to come
| to AXE Resort on account of the fish and game
/ In neighborng localities. But came out here
this morning and have tramped all day and
never shot bird
'You have tried though" said Llsle, mis-
| chievously But here we arc now; please
take a seat ON the veranda in the shade while
/ tell Aunt Ruth we have company to tea and
help her pick over the berries.
ssWhat a charming, fresh, unspOiled child OF
nature she isl thought Richard as she disap-
/ peared ''Sweet eyes and mouth and pretty
/ figure and so simple and unaffected All!
/ that is what attracts a man after he is Worn
/ out with the articles of the world and DISCUS
| ted with the shams of society what an Ideal
! life one could lead here with such companion
as that, far from all the din and turmoil and
/ strife of the world"
/ '"Tca is ready, sir" very sweet voice an
nounced; walk this way if you please. L sup
/ pose YOU would like to wash your face and
| hands perhaps. You may step into auntie's
room at the left here.
How pretty and restfuI and homelike the
rooms were; how dreamily the sound of the
mowers came in through the open window;
how motherly Aunt Ruth appeared in her big
1 apron. as she greeted him with cordial simple
/ ity, touched with a slight awe of his city orr
/ gin; how charming the table appeared TO ms
/ hungry eyes, with its healthy country farel
| You had better sit right down-you and
/ Lisle." said Aunt Ruth ''Joel will be gettin'
| of to town now. about 6, he says, if it'll &C
/ commodate you any, and the menll be here IN
/ a few minutes SO it'll be pleasanter Tor you TO
| have Your tea before they come"
| And Richard sat down to a tete-a-tete tea
| with Lisle, in her print gown and with her
/ slightly sunburned face, gmltless OF powder,
| and enjoyed it more than any stately dinner
| which he ever attended, where ladies lured
/ him with beautiful faces and sumptuous cos
| tunes and glittering jewels.
Then in came Uncle William with his loud
/ voice and his burly frame, to break the spell,
and half dozen red-faced and persplrlng farm
| hands with him.
| ''Storm coming mp from the nor'west," he
| said Guess my hayll catch it, but I've only
I a haIf-day's moving down. All the rest up in
/ snug stacks at noon. Neghbor Brown has three
/ acres living yet I'm lucky for once. Whew!
| there comes the thunder! A regular night of
/ it, guess we'll have.
/ So il proved Joel could not go to ''town," as
/ the little station five miles distant was deslgnat
/ cd and tue night set in storming furiously.
Richard not at all reluctantly, accepted the
/ cordial invitation to remain until morning.
/ train went to Lake Resort at g. but as at that
/ comfortable couch and concluded TO wait until
/ evening.
/ He was in no haste TO leave Iisle Ashley's
f sweet presence.
He idledawav he day in delicious fashion.
/ IIsle sat over a great basket mendng while he
read loud. or talked 10 her IN his rich, thrilling
] voice Of foreign lands and people.
/ ''iIow we'll she listens. SO few people pos
! sess that accomplishment, too" he Thought
aud he found she had read great deal, and
been several years at school in a distant city.
I When he went away that evening he asked
/ her If he might send her some nice books to
read.
/ i have stacks of them he said, (which it
/ seems selfish i'll me to keep in trunks now
/ have read them. You might as well enjoy
/ them and would feel then that / was doing
something toward a return for all your kind
( ness.
So he sent the books, aud note with them,
/ letters followed for several weeks. And then
/ he ran down to Benton station to pass Sunday
/ al ''Uucle Williams" farm.
After that he came down every week or two
until October. They read and talked, and
/ walked and drove together. and il was all