Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-01-30
NOT SO EASILY WON

/
well, why not, my dear Jack, when
I've only to ask, and the little lady's
minel I'm immensely taken with her,
but I've hung off about"
The dip of advancing oars drowned
the rest of the Sentence, but Miss Daisy
Campbell in her hammock behind the
alders had heard enough to destroy her
peace. Fearful of betraying her pres
ence by the movement of finger, the
girl lay rigid as marble, watching with
strained eyes two fragrant blue wreaths
of smoke gliding past her retreat, till
through an opening in the bushes fur
ther up the brook she caught fleeting
glimpse of a birch canoe beneath the
smoke, and of the smokers, too gay sun
burned youths with guns and fishing
rods. Tom Raymond sat in the stern,
tall, handsome Tom, who had but now
boasted of his easy conquest of herself.
In that moment of wounded pride and
fierce indignation Miss Daisy thought
that she could have cheerfully seen him
drown.
Oh, she's daisy hummed Jack
McKeen and as the mocking tenor smote
her ear the quivering listener thought
she could have seen Jack drown, too -
the saucy, idle tell-tale! Why need he
proclaim to the birds of the air and the
fishes Of the water that the lady in ques-
tion, Toms little lady to be had for the
asking, was no other than herself, Mrs.
Blunt's city niece, little Daisy Cam pbell?
How indicate, outrageous
And yet the song hurt her far less than
Toms words. If Tom, Tom Raymond,
could speak so lightly of her, why might
not Jack sing what he pleased, and all
Oakland listen2 So that was the way
Tom was in the habit of talking about
her She had heard before that young
men by themselves were excessively free
in discussing their lady friends, and now
she had proof of the fact. Unmannerly,
detestable creatures, especially Tom!
-" I've only to ask, and the little lady's
mine,' those were his very words" "
moaned hapless little Daisy, hiding her
hot face among the hammock cushions
in an agony of humiliation. She had
always felt that if Tom had fault it was
self-conceit, but she wouldn't have be-
lieved he could be so conceited as this.
What had she said or done to warrant
his boastful assertion? She would chal.
lenge Aunt Abby, she would challenge
TOMS sister, to say that she had ever
been silly with Tom. If there had been
any Stiffness, it had been on her side, un-
less truthful Daisy WINGED at the recol-
Iection-unless-well, perhaps she did
let Tom hold her hand an instant longer
than necessary the day he helped heI
over the fence, and she wished she had
not clung to him in the thunder-storm
But at eighteen what girl likes to be a
prudel Though, for that matter, had
she not more than once during their
summers acquaintance snubbed Tom for
trying to make love to her? Still, he'd
only to ask, and the little lady was his.
That was his version of the story, and he
had gloatcd over it to Jack Daisy lifted
her tousled brown head defantly, and
sat bolt,upright.
81 won't be crushed-T will not" she
cried aloud, dashing her tears right and
left. 'I'll go to Pinafore toni Gut Just
as If I'd overheard nothing, and if he
chooses to ask for the little lady, why,
he may She's sure of her own mind al
last. She il have her answer ready"
Springing from the hammock, Miss
Daisy walked with martial tread through
the garden into the kitchen to help Aunt
Abby she'll the peas for dinner.
you must have been lying in the sun,
child, " said that lady, glancing up from
the pan in her lap. ats bad for YOU
eyes and bad for your complexion.
don't believe that's good place for the
hammock.
"Its a horrid place" responded Daisy
falling savagely to work. ''I'm going
to ask Abram to hang it where it was
before"
Abram was the intermittent help Of
the Blunt establishment who carried OF
the farm and came night and morning tc
milk the COW. From the day she became
a visitor in the household he had beer
Miss Daisy's willing slave, and now thai
Mr. Blunt was temporarily absent, the
honest servitor took it upon himself tc
look in at odd hours "to see if Mis-!
Blunt and that posy faced little niece o.
hern needed doing for"
"AIaybe fresh buttermilk will help tha
sunburn," pursued Mrs. Blunt, still mis-
interpreting the cause of Miss Daisy
heightened color "I'd try it. You'll
hate to go to the falls as red as holly
cock"
81 hate to leave you alone so late in
the evening, auntie," said Daisy, throw
ing handful of empty pods at the chick
ems by the door-stone. "I'm afraid
you'll be nervous about the tramp that
called this morning."
Nonsense, my dear; I'm not one O.
the nervous sort. / always stay by my
self nights when your uncle goes to hi.
lodge meetings, If l get tired and sleepy
/ lock the doors and go to bed. Whel
I lie on my good ear l can't hear a sound
you know, and your uncle can come il
without waking me-"
''But how does he get in2''
ooh, he takes key; we have two fo
the front door, There's the extra on,
over the clock. You'd better have it to
night; then, if don't feel like sitting
up for you, / won't. You won't be likell
to get home before twelve"
BY twilight Miss Daisy's crimson hat
softened into sea shell pink. Aunt Abb,
flattered herself that she had never seel
the child handsomer than when, in film,
draperies, she floated down the piazzi
steps to Tom Raymond's waiting phae
ton.
"The infatuated boy looks as if h
was bcholding an angel from heaven,
muttered the pleased lady, who dearl