Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-01-09
ROSE DORMER.

It was gay October morning. There
were still long swathes of mists in the
valleys but the sunshine was warm and
bright on the manor house terrace,
where Mr.. Erasmus Scott was pacing
up and down with an open book in his
hand. The frost had not yet bitten the
dahlias or the heliotrope, and the warm
touches of sunlight were drawing out
the penetrating scent of the mignonette
which filled every nook and crevice in
the beds and borders. From the lawn
you could look away into very soft
blue distance, where beech woods and
gentle line of hills seemed to melt in
to the sky.
MI. Erasmus Scott was little man,
with thin, gray hair, a pink and white
complexion and a meek and kindly face,
which always wors puzzled expression.
He was about forty seven, but seemed
older He had lived until of late in a
little world of his own, with books for
his only companions and friends-for he
had found people difficult to understand
and hard to please lie had been an un-
successful man he had loved beautiful
woman in The old days, and she would
not even look at him. He had written
learned book, and no one had read it.
His nature was too gentle to be soured,
but he had said sadly, II shall never
do anything WE'LL" and had left the
world and gone back to bis quaint old
mauor-housc, and to his dull, solitary
life. Fl is servants loved him, and treat
ed him like q child. He was humbly
contenj with everything, and admired
with all his heart his nephew, Dick
Scott, fine, broad shouldered young
fellow of twenty-five, who wa now
away shooting in Scotland. Dick was
g. hard rider, skillful fisherman and
good shot. There was handsome
good i'lnor in his face which won your
heart vt once. No one could hear his
checvy voice shouting and singing, and
calling to his dogs without catching
something of his light heartedness.
Tie had hitherto been tho one human
Interest in Mr.. SCOTS life, but lately
there had come new element into the
the narrow world of the manor-house.
This was in the shape Of a little cous-
in OF Mr.. Scott, Rose Dormer, who had
come With her widowed mother to live
in . cottage near the manor house.
Rose was eighteen, and as sweet and
bright as pretty hayward girl can be-
Beautiful she was not in the strict
sense Of the word, but she had all the
CHARM Of youth, and health and gay
spirits. She soon became a queen at
the manor-house. Dick and she were
always quarreling, but with Erasmus
she was on excellent terms She came
to gee him nearly every day on some
errnnd Of her mothers or on some de-
vice of her own. She picked his flow
ers, ate his fruit and vainly turned over
his books in the hopes Of finding pic
lures. For she was Of the same opin-
ion as Alice in Wonderland--that q
book without illustrations and CONVEX
aations is very poor invention. And
SO the summer and early autumn had
slipped away, and one day Mr.. Scott
had realized to himself with start,
what change Roses coming had
made in hrs life. Then he tried to
shake off the iden. and he opened his
books and began to read. but in between
the lines, over and over again he read
nothing but Roses name, until he
closed his books in despair, and stood
with his eyes vaguely looking across
the quiet fields into space, dreaming of q
sweet, fresh face with innocent childish
eyes; of willowy figure and dancing
feet; Of q voice that was as gay and
careless as that of bird; of q simple,
affectionate nature and winning ways;
of Rose Dormer, in short. He pictured
her standing in the oriel window framed
by the gray stone snd the heart shaped
ivy leaves, dressed in some soft brown
stuff with knot Of pale pink ribbons
ON her dress, aud her hands full of
carnations and mignonette: or sitting
at the head of the old fashioned oak ia
bio pouring out tea, with the gravity
Keeper.
Such thoughts as these were occupy
ing Erasmus Scott, rs he paced up and
down the terrace. And as SO often hap
pens, the very person he was thinking
OF came tripping by herself to1nterrupt
his meditations. a large green cook
ing apple was thrust under his eyes.
MAY I have this to eatt--oh, may II"
"It is really too unwholsome. began
Mr. Scott, ti1nidly, and a little sadly
he could not bear. to refuse her any
thing. ~. j .
Nothing ever makes me ILL" was the
reassuring reply. : - II
Unjust you eat it," asked the poor
man, hesitatingly. wont anything
ripper do as well?"
He was so comic in his earnestness,
that the spoiled child burst out laugh
ing Then with q pretty smile.
IF you don't want me to do it I
won't"
He stood looking at her with his
most puzzled expression, until she
blushed, and said peremptorily:
"Show me some books!" ..-.t 4.r
So they went into the sunny library,
and Rose climbed up the library steps
and sat with o big book on her knees
listening to his ordinations Of it..