Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-09-12
HTS LITTLE RUSTIC.
By ELLA WHEELER

brow with a somewhat soiled but very hand
some handkerchief, when he discovered her.
Sho was kneeling in the grass little way
off, hunting for wild strawberries, which she
dropped into partially filed tin pail. I
Her sun bonnet had fallen back, and now
revealed a very flushed face and t1mbled
mass Of brown hair. .%.. l. ss,<.~
He thought her profile very pretty, and her
wrist, Us 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 were brown. g.
Just at this moment whirr of wings caused
him to turn his eyes in another direction, and
he saw 6. eovey of wild prairie hens just set
ting upon an angle Of the fence in near range.
Heliftea his gun quickly to his shoulder, took
aim and fired 3
The birds all few away unframed But
the girl III the grass gave little shrek, and
sprang up 80 hastily she tipped her pail Of
berries over, and they all disappeared in the
long, tangled grass.
ooh, how proyokng!" 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, gallantly, 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 q livelihood, instead Of
attending to the foreign business of one of the
largest commercial houses III 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; q head Of closely cropped hair,
suspiciously near badness upon the crown; a
peculiarly pallid complexion, a very handsome
noustache, well-waxed and glossy, and, as he
lifted them, just then two very liquid md Ian
guild blue eyes.
eyes, they are brown he said, mentally,
as he met hex glance. Aloud 81 think your
pail is quite as full as it was before
ing you to completely fill it it you will al
low."
And his glance and smile, and the perfect
modulatiou Of his voice, was az delightful to
Lisle Ashley sltl had been to o score-nay, to a
]lundred--women before her
I'll thank you," she stanlnered; "but I
have enough for tea now, and it il late, and
must 60"
''But You have not enough for tea il take
tea with youn said our hero with a respect
fnl denleanor which was one Of Richard
Westbrook's most taking qualities with the
ladies'
If mans manner, glance and tone are only
respectful and deferential nothing pleases a
woman more than a certain amount of holiness
in his words and actions.
s'You 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, until I'm COM
pletely bewldered They have the lunch bas-
ket You are the first human being have seen
in hours and have dined on a.iew berries.
must have supper soon or perish. have no
idea how farI am from Benton station, where
was to join my friends at O'clock And nowi it
is So
s.Oh, said Iisle looking very sympathetic
indeed ''you are to be pi{ied Yon are five
miles from Benton station and you must be
hungry, l know. Well, well, you may 20 home
with met is just half mile from here and
Ruth will have supper ready know and you
will be welcome And the hired man ls going
to Benton Falls this evening You can ride
with him"
''But my train goes at ~
''Well, there is another at g. And Jeol may
go early enough to getup there for the O'clock
train. | will help him with the COWS SO he can
get off.
Richard glanced down at the slender hands
and wrists.
ssYou milk COWS? Impossible,' be said
''O}, do not make a business of it." Lisle
answered calmly; 'tbut J. eau do 1t when &C.
casion requires would not be a thoroughly
is q fence to climb Will you please go first
and then help me- oyer?'
81 thought country girls always leaped the
fence said Richard, So he sYrang lightly over
and gave her his hand.
''rhey can do it but they do not always dis
play their agility on every OCCASION" Iisle re-
torted, as she stepped to the ground at his side
''1here is Uncle Williams house-that red one
over yonder. And the white cloth is hanging
out Of the attic window to tell the mon in the
hay field that supper will be ready as soon as
they eau get down to the house.'
nused Richard. i feel as if was in another
world from the one loft this morning.
''You are from Lake Resort, | suppose?
eyes I have been there week; my home
is in Albany, New York. was induced to come
to Lake Resort on account of the fish and game
IN neighboring localities. But came out here
this morning and have tramped all day and
never shot n bird"
"You have tried though" said Isle, mis-
chievously. "Bnt here we are now; please
take q seat On the yeranda in the shade while
I tell Aunt Ruth we have company to tea and
help her pick over the berries"
''What a charming, fresh, unspoiled child of
nature she isl" thought Richard IA she dsap-
,peared s'Sweet eyes and mouth and a pretty
figure, and SO simple and unaffected All!
that is what attracts q man after he is Worn
out witt, the articles of the world and DISCUS
tedwlth the shan!s OF society. What an ideal
life one could lead here with such o companion
az that, far from all the din and turmoil and
strife of the world"
"Tea is ready, sir" q very sweet voice an
nounced; walk this way if you please [ sup
pose you would like to wash your face and
hands, perhaps, You may step into aunte's
room at the left here"
How pretty and restful 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
apron, as she greeted him with cordial simple
ity, touched with slight awe Of his city orr
gin; how charming the table appeared to his
hungry eyes, with its healthy country fare!
'sYon had better sit right down-you and
Lisle," said Aunt Ruth HJoel will be gettin'
off to town now, about E, he says, if itll &C
commodate you any, and the men'll be here in
u few minutes, so it'll be pleasanter for you to
have your tea before they come"
And Richard sat down to tete-a-tete tea
with Lisle, in her print gown and with her
slightly sunburaed face, guiltless of powder,
and enjoyed it more than any stately dinner
which he ever attended, where ladies lured
him with beautiful faces and sumptuous Co.'S
tunes and glittering jewels.
Then in came Uncle William with his loud
voice and his burly frame, to break the spell,
and half q dozen red faced and perspiring farm
hands with him
"otorm coming up from the nor'west," he
said. "Gness my hayll catch it, but I've only
half-day's moving down. All the rest up in
snug stacks at noon. Neighbor Brown has three
acres lying yet I'm lucky for once Whew!
there comes the thunder, A regular night Of
it, / guess Wen have" -. &C. -
So it proved Joel could not go to sstown,," as
the little station five miles distant was designat-
ed, and the night set in storming furiousiy
Richard, not at all reluctantly, accepted the