Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-12-18
IN GOLDEN-ROD TINE,

had settled over the farm of the late
Deacon Smiths widow.
LENA, Lena she called in gestic-
ulating tones time ter take the men,
folds lunch.
Lena, pale looking girl of IS, with
a sweet, flower like face and ropes of
wavy Titan tinted hair, came slowly
from the back kitchen where she had
been ironing.
With q sigh she took the heavy
basket, filed to overaowing with cold
baked beans. rye bread, apple pie and
doughnuts, and toiled down the dusty
road to the tield where Widow Smiths
hired men we're cutting the after
math.
Under a haycock lounged man 80
different in face and garb from the
hay cutters, that he seemed from
another world. His easel and paint
box were at his side folded, while
the hot sun was kept from his fair
face by an immense silk umbrella.
tJovel the girl for my picture. Can't
belong to any of the clodhoppers
about here, though with those feet
aud thas forehead Paul bennett
muttered as he saw the cavalier way
in which she treated the laborers' ad-
vances.
When she had returned home be
asked some cautious questions about
the nut brown maid who had crossed
his path. He learned that she was a
wait who had been left in the Norris
vile express sixteen years ago, and
Mrs. Smith being on the train at the
time had adopted her, KNOWN as
she'd get a hired girl for nothin' by
so doin',' Jed Jones said, dryly.
bennett concluded few days later
that the country hotel fare was doing
him no good, and that real farm life
would suit him down TO the ground
Mrs. Smith, nothing 10th to make al
accomodate, as she informed him q
dozen times day.
By judicious cajoling of the old
land, and q neat little sum OF gold
the widow hired . small girl to do
Lena's work, and Lena was to helI
the boarder with his picture.
i spose she mixes up his paint for
him and washes his brushes, she told
her cronies, for Paul bennett had
ordered that he should never be dis
turbed at his work.
If widow Smith could have seer
the interior of the little north room
where bennett worked she would have
been Mortified.
For long hours Lena, in her dusky
beauty, would stand against draperiet
of old mellow silks, dressed in gowr
Of pale golden crepe, her cleaning
arms and fare breast bare, and il
those shapely arms masses of glorious
golden rod. '4i5
'Gold1e, he would say when sht
grew tired, tread to me, and throwing
herself at his feet the girl would reat
parts of poems and plays in master
ly way, for the true teacher, Nature
had taught this child one way to ex
press her passionate soul IN her isolat.
ed life.
The picture was finished, and Pau
Dennett was to return to the city; h,
held the girl in his arms for the las
time. see ~ ~ rs
In month you shall come to mt
my beautiful Golden rod, he said.
Shall we be married here or in tn
city2' she asked innocently. F
Great heavens!' he exclaimed, mar
riedl Why my dear child, have on'
wife
Nature had taught this girl, an,
/ with one bound she tore herself from
his arms and he did not see her again
Before he left the farmhouse sh'
had gone-no one know wherein,
for ten long years he did not see he
face.
The years prospered him, leavin,
but few traces on his fair blond,
face. And yet q shadow followe'
him ever, the shadow of q girl wit
passionate dark eyes, the shadow o
the girl whom he had SO terribly in
suited.
4 He had never sold the Golden rod
picture, though critics declared it t
be ais master piece. Still il hung OF
his studio wall.
ID Paul has never been the same sine
that month be spent in Vermont hi
wife said. He swears it's but o.
ideal face, yet the Golden rod girl ha
come between us.
Paul's wife sickened and died. i
the second year Of his widowerhoo'
he ewent one night to see 3 famou
actress in . wonderful play which b
had never seen. 1t was said to b
Nile Gordie Dilon's last appearanc
but as she was young, beautiful act
ress this was sneered at as a clever at
vertisement.
The curtain rose, the play went 0
Us plays do. Paul in the box watche
s listlessly until the star appeared vi