Nevada County picayune., 1886-09-29
A COUNTRY COUSIN.
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

"Ies, I remember her very
 well," said Miss Nemourville. "A
 black-eyed romp, chasing the wild
 horses all over the farm, and pitch
 ing hay upon the now, exactly as
 if she were a boy. Our third cous.
 in, wasn't she-or fourth, or some
 such far away kin? But what ot
 her?n
 "What Gf her!v snarled old
 Colonel NemOurville. "Why, just
 this. Her folk s are dead. And
 one of the ot1iciOus Meadow Hill
 clergymen has written to us, ask
 ing us to adopt her. Just as if we
 hadn't enough to trouble us, with
 three daughters on hand already, and no earthly chance, that l can r see, of their getting marriedn this d last envenomed phrase accompa- - nied by gloomy contraction of
 the speakers shaggy brows),
 "without assuming the charge of all creation into the bargain,
 Adopt her, indeed. Why, what
 claim has she on us, I'd like to
 know? The impudence of some ! people"
 , "We couldn't possibly think of such thing" said Mrs Nemour- vile, an elderly lady with good , deal of powder sifted skilIfully . over her features, and a lace cap : patterned after the latest French models. Our income scarcely meets our expenses as things are at present. l do wonder at the assurance of those people out i there,"
 The Nemourville family had al. ways kindly remembered their re- lationship to Mrs. Nassall, when the verticle sunbeamS of July aud August made city life a burden to them, and their purse-strlngs, strengthened by the ceaselcsS at tempt to keep us a style far above their means, refused to admit of d i trip to Newport, Saratoga or the White Mountains.
 Mrs. Nassal bad welcomed them with the sweet graciousness of that hospitality which comes from , the heart. LasSie, the "hlack- eyed romp," had shown Blanche, |. Vera and Editha Nemouryille the , hooks where the .clearest springs bubbled out, and the dells where , feathcry sprays of maiden hair , could be gathered by the double , handful, and no pains were spared
 10 make things pleasant for the
 city cousins during their somewhat
 prolonged visits,
 But all this conveniently etiaced itself from their memory now. ! Adopt LaSsie Nassal? Make
 themselves responsible for her
 board, and clothes, and lodglng' lGood haaVpuSl What were people
 thinking of!
 So Colonel Ncmourville wrote
 back q polite declination, fairly
 glittering with it's icy convention
 alities,
 Lassie Nassal, sitting in her deep
 black robes. heard the good cler-
 gymau's wife read it over twice he.
 fore she fairly comprehended it's
 meaning.
 "Don't they want me to go to
 them!" she asked, lifting the
 heavy. black .fringed hds that were
 weighted down with tears. ' "Pm afraid they don't, dear . said the clergyman's wite. in Lassie drew a deep sigh. '' "Then l must try to find some
 way of earning my own hvlng,
 said she. You have all been so
 good to me, but it must come to an
 end sooner or later. Dear Mrs Hall, won't you go to see that lady who wanted nursery goNerheSS to travel with her little cmldreh to Scotland? l always hked chll dren, and they fortunately don require many accomplishments. l drepd crossing the ocean llttle but | must try to leave oil being coward"
 So the Nemourvilies heald noth- ing further of LasSie NaSSel; But the girl herself did not l"r get all this,
 "They might have been n lIttlt kind to me-" she kept repeating