Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-12-14
BARWELL'S MAID.

down like the eyes or modest girl when
she sees her lover coming along the road,
and the 6rst CLINT of day creeping
through them and making little gold
paths in them till you don't know
whether the tree itself is green or yel-
low, and the morning breezes blowing
through them till they ripple and shine
all over as if they were laughing.
There never was anything else so like
a pretty woman with smile on her face
as those pepper trees in the morning
with the wind blowing over them-that
kind of smile that creeps over the face
in soft, lazy way and laughs in the
eyes and hides away in the waves of hair.
I used to think that the pepper trees
were what made me like to drive my
milk wagon out to Silverado. But that
was before l had seen the little maid at
Barwell's.
Barwell's was a boarding house. Sill
verado was kind of health resort, and
people used to come from the east and
60 out there winters and board at Bar
wells. Maybe it did their health good,
but | don't think Barwell's ever i'm.
proved the health of the little maid very
much. If it did, she must have been a
sight to behold before she came.
The first time | saw her she came out
with the milk can. Usually it stood on
the stoop waiting to be filled, and |
would pour in the milk and leave it
standing there for the first servant who
was up to come out and get it. But this
time it seemed to have been forgotten,
and the little maid had crept out in the
early dawn to bring it and stood shiver-
ing in the morning chill, for the dawn of
q semlGsoIlc morning near the sea is not
warm, l.oweyer the mind may tend to
romance concerning its balminess. And
she was s,iun very little maid could
scarcely see her on the other side of the
milk can and thought at FIRST that the
can had just taken notion to walk out
alone and get itself filed.
"Hellol' l said
YES" she replied, quite as matter
of course. And then saw what very
thin and white little maid it was.
where did you come from?"
"If you please, I'm Mrs. Barwell's girl.
work for my keep"
Now, did not please in the least. |
should have preferred, if she must be
anybody's girl, that it should be any one
else in the world whom l had ever seen.
And as for the "keep," if there is any
proof in looks, it must have been very
small.
CHANGED to have big orange in my
wagon that some one on my drive, who
had an orange orchard, had given me.
threw it to her when l had filled the can
She caught it eagerly, and when l looked
back as l drove off | saw her going W
the walk with the orange pressed VI
close to her mouth. After that never
forgot to have an orange, or nectarine
or some apricots in my wagon when
stopped at Barwell's Sometimes thu
milk can would be on the stoop, and
would not see the little maid for severa
days, but when l did see her again
would give her all the good things tina
had accumulated in my wagon since tn,
last time saw her. And good thing
had way of accommodating very rapid,
at that time.
Once when Mrs. Barwell happened t.
be up early to get a picnic party success
fully off her hands / saw her seize tn
little maid and drag her into the kitchen
! And l thought she struck her just as th
door was closing. grew hot all owe
and thought savagely that if Mrs. Bar
we'll had been man should have calle,
her out. AS it was, had fancy that
would do me good to get out and assault
Mrs. Barwell's kitchen door and fin
my opinion at her gratuitously and forci
bly,.
But neither course seemed quite feas
ible. Ipicked up my whip furiously an
looked around for something to lay
onto. AS could see nothing availabl
for that purpose but my patient, goo
tempered horse, who never gave me th
slightest excuse for savagery, put
down again with resolution to max
things more even some day, though
never entered my ridiculous head in wha
particular way / could accomplish tn
leveling process. But the little maid &c
whole apronful of the incest peache
and nectarines and pomegranates in tn
market the next morning when stoppe
to deliver the milk.
So time went by until the little mai
had grown into slipof girl and woul
have been pretty one, too, if she had no
been so thin and white as to the cheek
and staring as to the eyes. She ha
beautiful eyes, but they in company wit
her other features had grown so starve
that it made anybody hungry only t
look at them.
About the time that began to motto
these little things about her eyes an
features generally, thought she bega
to be q little shy. The milk can alway
stood in it's place on the stoop, and ha
nothing to do but pour in the milk an
drive off, which you might say was
much more convenient way.
But as day after day and week aftc
week passed and | did not see her 1t di
j not seem 80 very comfortable after al
wondered if she were i'll or had gon
, away. l remembered how she used
: look as she stood in the faint light {
the morning, holding the big can in he
arms. I wondered if her eyes were sti
so big and wan and hungry and ha
frightened looking I wondered if hi
D face was so pallid and pinched, and
| I. -.