River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-04-08

to Chesterfield. walked Quickly out OF
sight
| A few days after, that identical
| tramp-in truth, he looked a typical
specimen of the tramp, from his shirt
1 button, conspicuous by its absence, to
/ his dusty sh0es-ealled at the cottage.
Now, Mrs. Winters pet aversion was a
tramp; the VERY name suggested visions
of murder, fire. and robbery. When,
perchance. she did give employment TO
such people, it was under the pressure
Of some stern necessity, and always
with fear and trepidation.
"He wanted some kind Of work,
m M that was the tenor of Jane S
message from the kitchen. A hurried
and anxious consultation with that
ancient and worthy domestic disclosed
the fact that the ''kindling was most
out" Relying upon the assurance OF
/ the intrepid Jane. who promised 70
keep an eve ON him, she was told to
show him To the wOod-pile. Later on
Jane set him down To dinner in the
| kitchen. and, acting upon prearrange-
ment, took the liberty of giving Mrs.
| Winters a wink, whereupon that wise
and cautious woman ensconced herself
/ behind convenient ambush and pro-
ceeded to study Mr. Tramp
For the first time in her life her
/ opinion wavered The cap which had
! concealed his face when she had first
/ seen him was now laid aside, disclos-
ed to view {; broad, white forehead
surmounted by q handsome crop of
| brown curls His face was sunburnt,
but there was no installing the beauty
of every line of it-a youthful face.
with not even the shadow of a mus
tache TO hide the clear-cut, refined
mouth. She came and saw. and was
almost conquered. There could be
nothing bad. she argued, in that come
/ IL young face She had seen honest
brown ewes like these before. some
/ where. He certainly could not be one
/ much. Yes, she would get him 10 give
the llower-garden a hand, also.
They are busy every day now among
| the flowers and weeds. Ella and Mrs.
Winters taking hand. The tramp
proves a valuable acquisition. His
/ taste and knowledge anent matters
| horticultural surprise them. He pre-
serves a stolid silence unless when
spoken to, and to Elias surprise
never once recalled the incl
/ dent of the dog fight. Owing
\ to her secluded life Ella Winter $
/ ideas of men and things were mostly
/ gathered through the medium of the
| modern novel; therefore she could not
/ be blamed if her imaginative mind
/ found ample exercise in the study of
/ this brown-eyed youth who so badly
played the role Of tramp. His age
might be p or p and no expression
1 that crept over his face sometimes in a
/ furtive manner reminded her of the
pictured face upon the mantlepiece.
What do YOU think of Our gardener
now, mamma?' inquired Ella over her
/ teacup one morning.
MY dear. think he is Just splend-
/ i'd" answered her mother, looking
4 radiantly through her glasses at Ella.
What do you think found him do
/ ing Yesterday went on Ella with a
peculiar smile.
Mrs Winters looked up now with a
shade of alarm upon her face. Was
she wrong after all to allow herself to
4 be so easily Invested of her fears?
/ But her anxiety was allayed by the
smile upon Ella face. Il surprised him
reading this mamma holding up a
/ pocket edition Of Les Miserables' in
/ triumph, In French. too, continued
| Ella nodding her little head in a wise
manner.
Ella is helping him to tie up some
/ rose-bushes to-day, and tries to draw
4 him into conversation. His usually
reticent manner changes a little. and
( he astOnishes her by his knowledge of
! books and their authors. His language
and manner evince the greatest taste
and culture. but he soon checks him
self, as if by an effort, and relapses in
/ 10 almost sullen silence To her sur
prise he came to the parlor window
one day and presented her with half
/ blown rose, aud she accepted it from
/ this handsome vagabOnd with as much
! grace and thanks as if it had been
! given by n prince; aye, and blushed,
I too, under his gaze, rs she pinned il in
/ her bosom. Willie Gayuor is expected
/ in a week, but there is little said about
his coming. and Ella seems to have
/ lost the fervor with which me had
awaited his promised arrival a month
ago. A great change had come "o'er
the spirit OF her dream" in that one
short month. and She dared not uues-
/ ton her heart. which even now could
tell her a strange story could give it
/ voice 10 the truth.
! Mrs. Winters. whose fears had been
SIC, ping all this time. began TO feel
some slight qualms Of conscience. and
was glad when the work Of improving
/ the garden was nearly at IN end.
Just now she Is holding a serious CON
/ sultation with Jane in the kitchen re-
garding the aduisability of dispensing
with the "hired man Things are
in the best of order Jane ayerred.
winding up with an emphatic assurance
of his being 10 her mind 81 perfect gem
/ tleman, nefer asking a question, and
always speaking to her (Jane) as if she
were "a born lady"
( The warmth of the girls defense
showed plainly enough that he had
captured that side of the citadel
Willie GaynOr's arrival is close at
I hand. Ella was restless and nervous
I to-day, and resorted to the inyariable
panacea for all her trOubles-the dogs.
Calling Niger ard Huby she held up
a warning foreiinger. and administered
/ a lecture upon evils arising from fight
/ inc with strangers.
Niger and Ruby winked in an apol-
ogetical manner, and wagged their
tails in a way suggestive Of compre-
I hensiOn and compliance, and Ella
1 braye!v tried TO divest her mind of
/ tramps, troubles. aud cousins for the
nonce She walked quickly, her
nerves at their highest tension, until
/ she became Obivious of time or dis
lance. Even Niger and Ruby showed
signs of WEAKNESS, and looked up APP
/ pealingly 10 their young mistress, who
as yet showed no sign of returning
/ She was walking down a steep incline,
and an old watercoursc, where rough
stones and fragments of rock made
every step hazardous. She was in
I deep thought. and, taking little heed
of her surroundings, stepped upon a
! bowlder. which looked firmly euon Oh
I imbedded in the ground. II turned
; treacherously. and she was thrown
/ heavily forward. In attempting to rise
She found to her dismay that her ankle
was Sprained.
There was little prospect Of help in
4 that desolate place, and she wondered
desparingly what would become of her.
/ In her extremity she chung to Niger,
who whinned piterusly in sympathy
with her. As if he realized the help