, 1889-08-08
ONE HUNTING SEASON
WRITTEN FOR THE REytEw.1

riding small but handsomely-built
white horse, which, excited by the bark
ing, ringing of COW bells and her contra
dictory pulls on his mouth, was dancing
and rearing. in u way that, but TO most
experienced rider, would have been
dangerous, but the girl kept her seat in
a manner that showed she not only had
no fear, but that she did not even notice
his antics; as the cows once more fell
into line, old Spot at the head, her bell
ringing, sedate and shaggy Nep
painting and with lolling, tongns,
close CLOSE ip their re rear, n,o,ab the s,o sirl
evidently thinking deeply. The scene
was pretty one. The afternoon sun,
which had just sunk from. sight, was
drawing his gorgeous curtains of Grim
son and gold, while from the waters of
the lake, of which you could catch
glimpses through the trees, the glow was
reflected. At the left, a field of golden
wheat, partly harvested, whispered and
bowed their crinkley heads as the even
ing breeze swept over. The scene was
fair, but not more fair than its central
figure, the girl sitting so easily her horse
which now with dropping head was
walking slowly on. said, at first, she
was hardly more than IA child, but n
closer look told me she had seen as
many as seventeen summers, but that
could not change the childish in
nocence of the face. The features
were small and delicate but not too
regular, and burned by the sun to a
Gypsy brown. Her hair, of the darkest
brown, was tied with II scarlet ribben in
the back and fell in half waves on her
shoulders. a dress OF rough blue tian-
leave free little booted foot in the stir
rup, while the loose sailor waist showed
that IL did not contract the movements
OF the 1.-the, graceful figure. A broad
hat of rough white straw, such as farm
laborers generally wear, completed her
costume, one ut once comfortable and
appropriate. As they nearod curve IN
the road, in front of which you could
see low, log barn stretching, with nu
merous accompanying graneries and
out.buildings, all with high'pitched
roofs of prairie grass, now turned, TO q
dun woather-beaten gray, she began
singing in n loud but most musi-
cal voice, "My love is young; my
love is fair; my love has golden hair"
Not until she had passed the. curve,
where the trees and underbrush abruptly
ended, did she see two strangers stand
ing by the well, a quaint old affair with
bucket and sweep. One of the two held
tin cup suspended in his hand, while
they both looked in surprise the way in
which she was coming, She stopped in
confusion, then seeing a smile pass over
the face of the younger man, though he
lifted his hat gravely the next moment
a flash of indignation passed over her,
and cutting her horse with the whip she
passed in gallop up the grassy slope
leading to the house, comfortable
white one standing in the shadow of
some giant oaks which bordered the
lake. At the gate, leaping OIL before her
horse had hardly come TO standstill,
H.. L. 49, .tHl l. la. IL
brown jeans, as she demanded
"Who are those men? Come for all
my ducks and chickens | supposep'
II dom know, Miss Hettie, 'spect
them be hunters es thew gos thum guns
along"
"Well, they won't find any hunting
here, Just the same, for | shan't tell
them where to go. Guess | shan't have
impudent strangers coming shooting all
the prarie chickens OIL our place. And,
Burt, If you tell I'll never let you go
hunting with me again. do you hear
now"
As Burt's "hunting' generally con.
sisted OF wading into the sloughs to
bring out ducks and carrying the shot
pouch, you would not have thought his
grief would be overwhelming, but he
responded: ooh, sho' now, Miss Het-
tie, you know | won't tell" as Miss
Hettie marched, with Indignation still
unquenched, up to the vine-clad porch
greater contrast could hardly be i'm
agined than these two girls, although
SO much alike. They looked to be al
most the same age, in fact there was
only years difference, and Essie was
the elder, though, at the first glance,
you would not have thought 80. The
complexion that in her sister was nut
In hav al.
ent white with color of faintest wild
rose tinting the soft, curved check, not
too small mouth, the scarlet lips full
and soft like baby's, her hair brown,
such as painters love to copy, warm,
with shades of red and gold here and
there, and all blended into fairly lumi-
nous brown, which waved and clustered
about the blue-veined temples in little
tendrils, the breeze loved TO lift that the
light might catch its tints, then fell in
two heavy braids below her waist, and
beneath the long lashcs, the eyes,
which, in her sistsr, were deep, unfath.
omable brown, were brown, with flashes
of gold in their depths, like
ray of sunlight through shadowy
water. She looked up quickly as her
sister appeared, light sparkling over
the speaking face, which grew troubled
as Hettie, still indignant, demanded:
'Do you know whose those men are?"
"Why no, dear, except they come here
for drink of water and went down "a
the well for some fresh, and'--she look.
ed up q little deprecatingly "and
mamma said they might stay here for q
few days while they are hunting in the
neighborhood.n
''She did did she? Well don't care,
think that just too bad of mamma. She
knows the fires came so late this yeaI
that there won't be hardly any hunting
left for me, and Hettie sank into "a low
chair, tears of yeXation in her eyes.
~ knew you wouldn't like il, but ma.
ma never thought until she had said yes
You know she never thinks of refusing
such request; but never mind
III get mamma to let us go up to Peli-
can lake. We can take Burt along with
the boat in u big wagon and there.
always lots of ducks and things there. "
"Yes, but most likely they'll 20 there
too and clean them all out" broke in
Hettie, tearfully, for she was one of the
most enthusiastic little Nimrods of the
femme gender who ever existed, much &c
her mothers terror and dismay who
would never allow her to go oil the place
shooting though she did not restrain hei
entirely from 1t. But it was with return
ing smiles 'Hettic watched the two hunts
men as they sauntered up the slope.
"You're just a love, Essie, just ar
angel" and with hug that left her sis
ter tumbled, but radiant, she disappeared
in the house, Essic greeted tile two
strangers with shy grace as they
apIroaeheoa ons moving s,,S forward ard otE%, loS
sank easily down on tn,
side of the porch, SO the profile of hi,
face was toward her, while his eyes
through the open door searched the