Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1894-05-04
In Apple Blossom Season.

Just quaint old house, brown and
weather-stained, with tall chimneys,
around which the swallows darted and
flew, and under the wide-spreading
caves built their nests, free from mo
lestation. A creeping rose, with
glimpses of morning-slories inter
twined, climbed over the roof Of the
veranda and up, up, over the windows,
whose lodges rested almost upon the
steep roof. There was a wide lawn ii
front and at the sides OF the house,
where great trees swayed their yield
ing branches, whose glistening leaves
rustled together in the cool morning
breeze of early summer. OF yonder,
where the tall mountains toward sky
ward, a river ran at their feet, sheen
of gold in the sunlight, and a ribbon
of silver in the moonlight; and to the
right, with no dividing fence between,
lay the fragrant old orchard.
Early summer, yet here the apple
blossoms had Just begun to shower
pink and white petals upon the dewy
grasses, seeming like tinted snow
flakes, save for their perfume, which
hoated out gratefully, to be caught by
the breeze and carried away, away,
until they greeted the nostrils and al
most intoxicated the senses Of one who
sat in a little white boat at the rivers
brink, safely concealed from sight by
friendly trees.
It was unusually quiet at the old
house this morning, save for the twit-
tering of the birds, for the voice of its
own song bird was hushed. The sweet
singer, Catherine Graeme, the only
chlld of old Doctor John and his wife,
was going away from father and
mother and all that the old home held
dear. Here she was born, here she
had been reared, and her life had been
one long holiday until recently, when
the beautiful dark haired, dark eyed
girl had taken it upon herself to fall
in love with the son of her fathers
former rival and lifelong enemy.
Rexford Bavliss like Catherine
Graeme. was an only child He was
a tall, stalwart fellow, with tawnv hair
and moustache and possessed pair
of lanobinc blue ewes md fun.lovino
d;sposition Catherine was inclined
to be grave
sIt is not bad enough for him to be
the son of nv enemy. said Doctor
Graeme when he learned of the inti-
macy existing within the voune peo-
ple. '.but the fellow is lazy-actuallv
lazvtv
s.Wbv don't Won sneak--sav some.
thing Marp1e9 You know that Won
do not approve Of the rascal any more
than l dor exclaimed the doctor
"He is hardly rascal, father" his
wife answered gently.
The fact of it was. she really liked
the light-hearted, laughing-eyed Young
fellow. although she honestly disliked
his father. and she could not help SYM
pathizing with her only daughter. She
remembered her youth, and was sur
prised that her husband seemed to
have forgotten his. And ah, he was a
wild young fellow, and theirs was a
runaway match, which fortunately
ended happily, not according to the
rule. And since the two were such
enemies solely on her account, she
could hardly feel very bitter against
the man who once sought her hand, al
though she did not like him. But his
son-well, that was different; and his
mother, now dead, had been a lovely
little woman. 1t was from her that
Rex inherited his laughing eyes and
sammy disposition.
Judge Bayliss was possessed of an
independent fortune, so it had not been