The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1896-08-19
Where the Blackberries
Grow.
BY EMMA HOWARD WRIGHT.

ture; the man who painted it stands
looking ut the girl. What n sweet face
il has, so girlish, so untouched by the
sorrows and passions of lifel The look
of pleased admiration in the soft eyes
gives him an odd sensation of pleas
ure. He is glad that his work pleases
her.
The girl is presently joined by n
tall, graceful woman. Shirley gives
a slight start.
Eleanor" he murmurs.
"Oh, mamma" the girl is saying,
'isnt this n sweet picture? 1 like it
better than anything have seen
here"
Some of the faint, delicate color
fades out of Eleanor Seaton's beauti-
full tired face as she looks at the can
vas that has aroused her daughters
enthusiasm.
"Yes," she murmurs mechanically,
sit is beautiful picture" "
And then with hands which are
little tremulous, she opens her cata-
logue and seeks the number of the pic
ture.
"'Where the Blnckberries Grow
John Shirley was sure of it," she
murmurs, and looks again at the pic
ture.
A field, in which there are quanti-
ties of wild flowers, tall, beautifully
colored grasses, and bushes laden with
berries. In the midst of the black
berry bushes stand boy and girl.
The former is busily picking berries,
and his face is averted; the latter is n
charming little figure in calico slip
and small pink sun bonnet pushed
back from fair baby face, the pout-
ing lips deeply stained with blackberry
juice. A mass of gold colored curls
falls over the childish brow.
A fellow artist has joined Shirley.
"Mrs. Seaton and her daughter
appear to be admiring your picture,
Shirley" he says. "Come, let me
introduce you. Mrs. Seaton is
charming woman"
"And the young girl is her daugh-
ter?" says Shirley, as they move
away.
"Yes, but she will never be the
lovely woman that her mother is" is
the reply, and Shirley smiles.
Some hours later Mrs. Seaton sits
before her dressing room fire. There
is an unusual quickening of her Ian
guild pulses In the leaping heart of
the fire she sees mirrored all the years
since she and Shirley gathered black
berries in the acre field, one summer
day long ago. How faithfully he had
reproduced the scene in his painting!
The picture in the fire shifts lit
tie; still the field with its wild flowers
and its laden bushes, but a young man
and maiden replace the boy and
baby girl. Back from the long past
there comes to Eleanor Seaton the &C.
stacy of that unforgotten day. She
seems to feel again upon her lips the
kisses of her young lover, aud starts
up with flushing cheek and throbbing
heart.
But the picture has faded from the
fire and another replaces it. A we'd
ding party; the bride-young and fair
of face, and white as her bridal robes /;
and the bridegroom mot the boyish
young lover, but middle aged, cyni-
cal looking man. Her youth and her
innocence had caught his fancy, and
she had bartered herself for his gold /;
sacrificed truth and honor, and, as she
but too soon realized, happiness also.
But she soon learned the lesson many a
woman has learned before her-to hide
her aching heart beneath smiling face.
Girlhood, happiness-her own hand
had slain them. With the coming OF
: her child something like peace had
crept into her heart. Then Seaton
died, and she was once more free. OF
her young lover she heard nothing.
She knew that he had left the old
farm, that he had gone abroad to
study art. Now, after all these years.
they met again. The farmers son
had become we'll known artist. A
gray haired, worn faced man replaced
the lover Of her youth.