Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-07-21
CHAPTER VI.

Maucap sat ON the top OF new
I mown haycock-Sat on the exact spO
that her mother bad filed sixteen YEAR,
,ago-and surveyed her kingdom through
eyes that had been curiously strength
5 ened during the past three weeks. Fol
| hours she had watched the summer
5 seas of grass sink gently to the mowers
f scythes caught a thousand faint verna
l scents as they were scattered, bu1
, wearied at last Of the flavor of melton
, and clover, that out-scented all the
t rest
Then shook her head, and thought
how lonely that gorgeous queen must
have been, for who ever heard of hel
J husband; or if maiden, what did she
60 gaddillg abroad with gifts to the old
kind, who surely had wives enow:
Yes, that had been the keystone OF
MadCaps comparison of the erTant
. queen to herself, that she must have
been intensely lonely at odd moments
in the midst of all her splendor, and
: perhaps palled of her diamonds and
rubies, as this girl was beginning to do
Of those simple pleasures that had once
SO entirely satisfied her.
She had enjoyed an uninterrupted
month Of her own company, and was
us sick of it as if it had been the worst
in the world; was tired even of her
books, and each day and hour felt more
keenly that laundering after congenial
society that is the strongest impulse
implanted in the human breast.
o. for Il good rousing boistering-
Al
events being by no means uncommon,
even since her heightened frockS), Or 4
game at snowballs, in which she was a
match for the pair-anything but this
dull, dread calm, broken only by the
Oxford letters, that held love enough,
TO be sure, but little enough food for
thought.
Mathematics and crcket-cricket and
mathematics. Madcap was interested
in neither; but if both boys could have
rushed in to-day, and she could have
put an arm round each neck, she could
have listened to them for ever on their
several pursuits, being so desperately
hungry for the sound of human voices.
She left her haycock, and went toward
the villagers, who paused in their toss
ings us she drew near, answered her
eagerly when she asked for Il pick and
took Il turn at labor among them. But
more than one head was shaken as pres
emily she moved away.
she's over young to be left the
Squire" said one Of the women, look
ing after her; and :,l he frolics gone
out of her feet since Master Went.
She'll aye find it main lonesome up at
t. Red Hail.
There's trouble upon her. said an
other woman, signing. He's busted
;, out again, and means mischief. And
it's i'll work rousing sleepingS dogs.
He'd have done better to bide at home"
Seems like yesterday the other young
missus We're sitting there'-and the
speaker pointed to the distant haycock
and Master fired over her head at
! Hester, who 'dvent,red to peep over t
hedge; and says he 20 his wife, with his
arms round her, After all, It's only a
i rook.' Just so, as if he'd just missed
: murder. What Il man-What Il man.
Ay, ii he never came back it might be
3, best, i'll the end, for. she
20. shell be happy enough when the
young Lord takes her home said a
/, third and younger voice. She's naught
to be pitied with SO many as there be
to love her-it's just her mother over
again, not Il soul TO be looked at SO long
us the young missuS is Nigh, and the
young matron tossed her handsome
| head almost us high us she tossed her
hay.
! Meanwhile Madcap pursued her way
to the meadow she SO seldom crossed
lsince there was no Job beyond) during
the past month, and since last she came
the hay in it had been carried, leaving
but cloSe-cropped Stubble that Smelled
to her healthily sweet after the over
towering fragrance of the Ten Acre.
Halfway across it, she looked toward
the cowslip gate. Surely some one was
standing there; some one upon whom
she had unused and thought much dur
ing the past weeks and whom she
would rejoice to see again!
She ran forward quickly, but the sun
must have deceived her, for when she
got to the gate not Il soul was within
sight, and us she stepped into the shad-
ow of the wood. its GOODNESS seemed to
touch her heart, and she shiyered.
! Will he never come back" she said
aloud; mot even to look once at Jobs
graye?'
AS she stood, the nearest tree seemed
to move, and Il man advanced TO hel
side. ''Madcap-itue friend said 4
/ well-remembered voice, and in mo,
ment her hand flew to his, and she
cried out.
so you have come back-and l am
so glad, so very glad to see you. !
have recollected i hundred questions
that | forgot to ask you about Frank!
He let her hand so, Il shade OF trou
bic or disappointment fitting across
, the new brightness of his face, then
said, Il little YEARLY;
| ,>1es-we will talk about him present
: ly-but first will you now show HE
| some portion of these woods that you
: know by heart:'
; "1es-I will show YOU she said
| ioyously, and still 4 little bewildered
: by her own satisfaction at seeing him
So that she forgot his last words TO bel
: when they had parted at the coWshI
+ gate, and how it was no friend OF hel
fathers that she welcomed so eagerly
: L could not show you one tithe OF
f: them in a week. she said, as walking
: on air she moved beside him; but
= will take Won first TO Il haunt OF my