Omaha daily bee., 1893-07-20
SHE WAS ONLY A GIRL.
Chicd o Post.

"Only girl" growlcd Noah Park
house, turning contemptuously away
when Miss Deborah Duryea brought the
tiny morsel of humanity, wrapped up in
a faded flannel shawl, to show to him as
he sat before the big wood fire in the
farmhouse kitchen. why couldn't it
ha' been boy?"
Bring her to me, said Mrs. Park
houses weak, tremulous voice from
among the pillows. MY little girl. my
own daughter. Whatdid he say, Debby?
Was he pleased?"
"Well-no-I can't say he was" says
Deborah, rubbing her nose.
And Mrs. Farmhouse, whose gentle
soul had naught of affinity to the five
noisy boys and their gruff, material
minded father, laid her check against
the little baby girls and silently gave
thanks.
"For," thought the mother, "she will
be all my own"
Dorothy Farmhouse grew up, as it
were, in the shadow. 1t was true that
her mother loved her with a silent idol
atrous sort of devotion, but with the
loud voiced father and the five riotous
boys she was evidently ''one too many"
''If it wasn't for mother, Thought Dor
Othy curling up the little chill feet that
the farmer had decided there wasn't no
use in buyin' new shoes for as long as
the old 'uns hung together" shouldn'
want to live"
The next year-Dora's eleventh sum-
mer-an artist came out into the rural
wildernesses sketching studies" for his
winters work and boarded for few
weeks at Farmer Parkhouse's. Dora
watched him as Aladdin of old might
have watched the marvellous productions
of the magician.
81 believe | could do that" said Dora,
with voice that tluttered with her
iuttering breath. "Mr. Ryner, | have
saved pennies; would you be good
enough to buy me a pencil like yours
when you go down to the village to-
morrow"
Mr.. Ryner looked around with good
humored smile.
'Take one of mine, Cinderella" he
said and threw her piece of paper and
pencil and then he went on with his
| drawing.
| Dora worked on in silence by his side,
| so rapt and absorbed in her occupation
| that She never noticed when he glanced
over her shoulder.
Faith! not SO bad" said he. SIS this
the first you have done?"
"Yes, sir the very first"
Mr.. Ryner said no more, but he gave
Dora lesson every day after that until
she had learned to handle her pencil
| with no mean degree of skill.
Dorothy Farmhouse had been an ugly
infant, plain, unattractive child; but it
is not always possible to Judge of the
flower by the folded bud. She grew up
rarely, daintily pretty, with brown hair,
blue-gray eyes and a face like wild
| rose.
But Hezekiah Farmhouse did not no
tice her any more than he noticed the
cat in the chimney corner, and he never
was more astonished in his life than
when George Eden, whose father owned
the best sawmill in the county, asked
him to use his influence with his sis
ter in his behalf.
Hezekiah went home and commune
Gated the great news to Dorothy, as an
eastern emissary might be supposed to
tell the humDlest slave of the harem
that the sultan had cast favorable eye
upon her.
'"Wellm cried Farmer Farmhouse, as
soon as he had sensed up the tidings
"Dorothy's fortin's made now, sure
enough"
Mot in that way" said Dorothy
calmly. II shall not marry Mr. Eden.
'You won't marry him." roared
Farmer Farmhouse.
mo"
''But | say you shall if have to drag
you to the altar myself" he said.
Dora said no more, but the next