The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1885-03-06
MISS MAVERICKS PAKLOR.

GRASS. and at the foot OF one of the
most rickly-laden trees a young girl,
half asleep, with an ill-rsed book flung
narelessly down, and indolent white
arms thrown above her pretty dark
head.
.'Jessier"
She made a sleepy little movement,
Indicative of annoyance at being inter-
rupted in the middle of her siesta.
'.Jessie, 1 say!'
Miss Jessie rose slowly and picked
I'D her book. She was tall, slight
oirl. ofaabout eighteen years of age,
with q rather pale face and gray eyes,
fringed with long black lashes. These
eyes were her greatest charm. A. lit
tie white gate divided the orchard
from the garden, and Jessie passed
through it with exasperating slowness.
"Was there ever such a girlr
thought her sister, her elder by twenty
= years at least-the daughter of her
fathers first wife.
CarA1ine had loved her young step
mother, and when she died had tried
to take a mothers place to the tiny,
dark eyed baby she left behind; but
Jessie had proved very troublesome
charge.
"Well," said Jessie, interrogatively,
looking at Caroline standing in the
doorway, with her sleeves tucked up
and her stout arms covered with flour.
s'What is it, Gardiner"
"Come and move your rubbish out
of the front room"
'.Nhat for?" asked Jessie, in undis-
guised establishment.
because fathers going to let it to
a young fellow from London"
Jessie looked indignant. Her par
lor, with the piano in it, to be let to
some horrid man, and all her pretty
belongings to be banished to her little
bedroom. Oh! it was too bad.
sCakrie," she said, show could you
advise father to do such thing? l
never thought we should have to take
in dodgers; 1 would rather run away"
"Where tor" asked the rather mat
ter-of-fact Caroline.
Jessie bit her lips and went indoors
to remove her books and needlework
fromShe little parlor that had been re-
garded as her especial sanctum ever
since she had entered her teens. 1t
never occurred to Miss Jessie that mon
ley was rather scarce with her father
just now, and that the ledger would
. bring grist to the mill. She regarded
The whole thing. as a conspiracy to
MAXI her uncomfortable.
They might have consulted her, she
thought. forgetting that she never
troubled herself in any way with the
affairs of the household. How she
wished she could have had her piano
carried UPSTAIRS; but that was impos-
sible,e 1t was the chief ornament of
thatS6om, and her father, she knew,
would not allow her to take it away.
81 shall hate him, know l SHALL"
she told herself, thinking of the
lodger.
And for the first two or three DAYS
she kept carefully out of his way, and
Mr.. 4eith remained unconscious of the
fact that he was under the same roof
with pretty girl. But he made the
discovery one afternoon. When wand
ering through the orchard, with his
denly upon q slight, girlish figure in
brown holland, wide hat shading
herGyes from the sun. Wonderful eyes
they were-so large and dark, and ut
terly bewitching. She was gone like
a flash; but her image fingered in Mr.
Leith's memory. He was not very
talkative man; but he began to cult
vate Caroline aybrick S acquaintance,
and soon found that the girl in the
brown holland dress was her sister,
HN grew so friendly that Caroline
ventured to ask him to take tea with
them in the kitchen one afternoon
The farmer was quite willing, but Jessie
objected very strongly, and threatened
not to come in to eat at all.
Beside" she said, what does
a gentleman want in n farmhouse
kiNkenP"
However, Mr.. Leith seemed very
much at home there, and delighted
Caroline and her father by his bright
feshes of wit. He did his best to
please that afternoon; but it was only
for the benefit of the farmer and his
elder daughter, or did his eyes wander
in the direction of Jessie's slim ligurep
He could not understand why it was
tIkit the girl always avoided him. If
she had wished to arouse his interest
she could not have devised better
way. Her reserve piqed his curiosity,
and he found her pretty face coming |
between him and the fusty old pages
OF his books.
Once he went for long walk, and,
reyrning home in the twilight, heard
her at the piano, and paused to listen;
but she caught sight of his figure out
side of the window, and the music
ceased in an instant. When he en-
tered the room he found it empty; but
a little bow of ribbon lay on the car
pet. Mr.. I.eith whistled, walked to
the door, closed it carefully, and then
picked up the bow with shame-faccd
look, and actually kissed it. Then,
with fingers that trembled in most
way, he placed it in his
pocket book.
Your sister is shy" he observed to
Caroline, later on.
ut isn't that" responded Caroline,
with laugh; "but she hasn't got over
being turned out of her room. 1t was
hers, You know, before you came, and
she hated the idea of father taking