The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-03-27
JEAN.

"Ah, how pretty she is!' he said.
Was there eve such a pretty lass,
Aye think, Jean?"
"Perhaps not" said Jean; and she
took her milking pals, and followed
Hulda going on before with a light
step and a gay song toward the
meadow where the COWS browsed.
But when she was quite out of hearing
Of Ned Welton, sitting perched upon
The stile, she muttered to herself,
"Pretty! pretty! pretty! All, they
ring the changes upon that, these men!
as the old bell-ringer that knew but
his one tune used to, down in the
church tower. Pretty! pretty I! pretty!
It's never 'good;' it's never 'honest;'
IT'S never true It's always pretty"
Then she stopped and looked up, and
said, with a culver of passionate grief
in her voice: "Oh, I'd give the world
I'D give half the shortest life that /
could have-I'd give half an hour, if that
was all | had to live, just to hear Ned
Welton call me pretty! What a fool I
am! what a fool l am! what a fool l
am!' and she went on with her pals
toward the cows--Brown Bess and
Lily White and Pretty Polly.
Certainly she was not pretty; and
what there was in her face the man on
the stile would have been the last to
see. Had she been a queen, many
would have seen something strangely
fair and regular in her face. Had she
been only a rich gentleman's daugh-
ter, some n might have dreamed of
those deep eyes and that pure brow of
hers; but red and white, and fat and
dimples were the recognized beauties
q there, as indeed they are all over the
world, to such folks as her lot was cast
among, and she was spoken of as
plain" Two years before she had
taken into her foolish head to like Ned
Wilton very much; and he, the farm
er's son, had thought well enough of
The dairy-maid to say some very pleas
ant things to her. She had had q
sweet dream, but Hulda Britton's COM
ing broke it. Her beauty was very
bright and rare, and Ned forgot the
nice girl he had been so fond of chat
ting with, for the pretty one who
smiled and glance at him.
She was not SO good as Jean; she
mad not half her e~arnestness and con-
stancy; but the face was all to Ned.
so Hulda Britton wore a little plain
gold ring that he had given her, and
had promised to be his wife in mid
summer; and Jean knew it, and out
Wardly gave no sign that she suffered
only now and then, as at this mo-
ment when Ned babe her notice
hulda's beauty-as at the moment
when she paused, meadow midst, and
Sald to herself that she would give half
Of her life, were it but an hour, to hear
Ned Wilton call her pretty.
They lived upon the coast of Lin
colnshire, and it was years ago. None
OF them knew how to write more than
their names. The farmers deepest
lore was the market price of grain.
outside OF them, the great world of
.1sters- great, at that day, as perhaps
u never has been at any other time
: led on without giving them any
; IN OF its existence. And none of
item had ever read a novel or q poem,
OK seen a play. But they acted out the
urama just as we'll, and Ned loved
nuida and cared nothing for Jean, and
Jean loved Ned and hated Hulda.
and Hulda knew the whole, and tri-
amphed over Jean, and cared a little
LOT because of his broad shoulders
and bronze curls, but not over-much;
aha iiany a novelist would have given
much to have had the little plot of
lneir daily lives. to touch up and make
pretty with his pen.
lhe girls slept together in an upper
room OF the house, and on her wedding
eve Hulda spread out gown and shoes
ana cheap white veil, and dancing
ABOUT them, boosted that when the
morrow's sun set she should be mis-
'fess OF the house, and Jean her SER
want And Jean, thinking Of the old
grandmother who had begged her not
70 lose SO good a place, said nothing.
put stood silent, white-faced and wan,
ana ielt a bitter hate rising in her
neart. Ned was away at the town,
AMI would not be back until next
morning, the morning of his wedding.
ane old folks were asleep below. How
easy Il would be, in the dead of night,
- 40 this beautiful boosting creature
sgme harm-to mar her beauty, or
evesi end her life.
Inc thoughts grew so, and were 50
y uorrible. that she could not be sur OF