Daily Republican., 1890-05-12
Poi.Ly's MISTAKE.
sr N, z. nolAuAN.

A young girl with small suub nose,
across which.funs an ornamental spray
Of tiny golden freckles, a pair Of Great
,, sleepy, violet eyes, and pretty shaped
head from which masses OF Titan tresses
have been lately cut Of, leaving behind
but curly poyish crop, is sitting In ono
end OF the hammock under gnarled
old apple tree At Oak Farm, and Singing
soft, lazy lullabys to the child she is trv-
lug TO rock asieep In the other end.
''At lastp she says. rising with .
sigh and arranging the quilts about her
charge that his ippoccnt infant sleep may
be comfortable.
She bends to kiss the soft. flushed
check, but lifts her head In alarm In
stead, for CHEEKY whistle comes pierce
ing Its way through the early foliage
i around.
Stealing lightly rom tho side of the
eeaweed crib, she runs to the stile at the
| end Of the orohard--it is but few Yards
and shakes her finger warningly a. the
young man who y approaching from
But Ills head is bsnt-he is evidently
thinking for once 10 his llie-so be does
not not see her until she Tits her
voice iu An angry depressed warning.
aFoy Heavon's aake stop, Or you will
wake Ben. and I only Just got him
At sound Of her voice the whistler
locke uo, then pauses to stare ct her, q
twinkle of amusement in his brown
eyes.
Her words had been hurled forth while
his head was bent.
| Tha xuhlstla Ta1
Great heavensi the Whistler was not Ted
Duraud, although he resembled him In
physique.
II only the ground, tho sreep, tender
ground, would open and swallow her.
An instant she stared at him aghast,
forgetting 70 close her pretty moath-an
instant under the amusement of Ills DARK, ,
powerful eyes, then the wild blood rush !.
ed ftfully through tho small, sun-taaned
face, and
T4 beg your pardon" stamnered
the girl, awkwardly. al thought you
were Ted Durand."
| He was standing Immediately before
her now, just across the old rustic stile-
the handsonest, most distinguished look.
ing man she had ever seen.
The amused smile still In his eyes,
though the cbiseled. mustached lips were
grave, he lifted his cap, an ugly old
shooting affair, and bowed low.
81 am the eternal debtor of the fellow
who looks like me-" he said, easily, and
q picture which shall not soon forget. u
Then, his eyes wandering from her em-
barraesed face to the hammock near, q
strange look fitted into them. He turned
TO the girl quickly.
"surely II is not your baby my dulce,
whistling was liable to awaken" ht
asked.
Had she been less embarrassed, les,
awe-stricken and mortified In the pres
epce of this handsome stranger she hat
so rudely accosted on the public high
way, Polly could have laughed at the
thought Of her being married, Of Ben
who was three years, being her baby
when she was but seventeen. But sh
didn' 'tlaueh.
Instead:
"Oh, no. he's my brother, my step.
! brother, rather" sue said, rather shakily
praying to the gods that he would 60 OF
his way now and leave her alone.
"Ob, your brother!' he said In. tom
OF positive relief; but Polly couldn't de
tect IL. "Pve an Idea Your brother mus
be fine little chap. May look at himi
hc asked, aud hc lightly leapsd the intel
vening etile.
He took peep at the baby, because b
saw with those keen, critical eyes OF BIZ
how dear WAS the charge to the youthful
nurse; still he. fingered several minu
that seemed hours TO the gill, 90 embar
rassed, awkward and shy she felt In hi
presence.
~ wonder who he isi' she musc
when left alone.
Then another oheery whistle broke IT,
leaiy silence OF the Maytime afternoon
and an instant later Ted Durand, th
unconscious offender, had thrown him.
self on the green-sward of the hammoci
where he could best see Polly's sun
: tanned face.
"By the way, the lion of rumor 10 tn,
lion of reality. Polly; how delighted you
stop-sisters will bei'' he said. after som,
, light conversation on his side. II sav
him, met him. He was out shootin,
, with some fellows from town this morn
, ing, and happened across them"
! The blood rushed to Polly's cheeks.
"You mean the man who bought tn,
TowersP she asked, knowing she mus
make some remark, else he would notic'
her averted face. 'Is he good-lookipg-
good looking as you are, 1ed"
Ted laughed aud stretched out hil
1
"Oh, not nearly. Pm the beauty o
Goldborough, you know. But he ha!
charms which have not. Polly"-it
mock solemnlty, rising Oh hi elbow tt
look into the sun-tanned little face abov'
him-"he has ducats,'
as he SO very rich, then. Tedf
"Riohl A regular King Cresus."
Polly RENE embers the easy, unaffected
young fellow whom she lately accosted
and thinks 1t lie not he, alter all.
The thought brings evident relief.
''IIe must be dyspeptic, else he mus
have d,sordcred hver," she said rather
sarcastically, ito have lots OF money. ye
leave the world and shut himself up ii
Goldborough, poor little village will
only the bitter memory that there was |
, pint OF gold found in the mine 1t wa
named for."
. mo, he Isn't. had thought of that
too, ard inquired. fn1 he bought TIN
! Towers Tor the shooting season; you see
, -sagely-"ihe lake near here and tn,
|, thick woods make 1t desirable. In Eng
! land suppose they would Call 1t shoot
!. ing box. He'll only spend the shoo,ipl
e season here, aud meantime he'll prooa
bly, fill up tile place with hAil-ieliow VS.
well-met and gay ladies from the city.
! That night, while her sisters. OR rather
the daughters Of her fathers second vile
, were gone to ball at which they ex-
pected 10 meet the rich young master o
the Towers-Daueil Deve wood-Poll.
r Oliver dreamt In her tiny attic chambe
of tall, dark young fellow with smil
L. a.. Ia a 1t II, a IA.