The Southern herald., 1901-06-07
THE MOUNTAIN MAID.
BY ISABEL sMITHsON.
Reprinted, by Permission from Town and
Country

Reprinted, by Permission from Town and
Country9
'Don't you think SOP repeated
Jack, sitting up and leaning on his
elbow. Igrunted assent and pretend
ed to fall asleep,
was 10 years older than Jack and
had promised to be his guide, philoso-
pher and friend. His mother was par
ticularly anxious that during our
tramp in the mountains, he should
see nothing at all in the shape OF a
woman, and think of nothing more
exciting than fishing and photogra-
ply, He had been deeply interested
in a city belle the winter before, and
she had given him the mitten in such
a cruel, calculating way, that he was
not the same man for months after.
1t was early morning and we had
thrown ourselves down on a grassy
ledge, after a steep climb up the
mountain side, and were preparing
to rest, when my young brother-in-
law had caught sight of female fig
ure, standing perfectly motionless un-
der a hemlock tree. We were too far
to distinguish many details, but could
see that the woman was young and
slender, was clad in pale lilac and was
looking down the steep roadway.
The wooded hill made good back
ground, the girls attitude expressed
anxious expectation, and her pose was
certainly graceful and unstudied.
Jack asserted that she made picture
worth painting, and then finding that
] did not assent with enthusiasm, he
left me to my nap and went little
nearer to the picture.
/ must have fallen into a genuine
dose, for the next thing | knew, Jack
was sitting beside me again, breath
less and excited, as if just returning
from a tour of discovery. ! glanced
across the gorge; the female figure
was no longer to be seen.
"Have you been over there% !
asked, and he nodded. His blue eyes
were dancing with delight.
''Such a face!' he cried; "such
hair, such coloringl was quite near
her before she dreamed of my exist
ence, and when she saw me she gave
a little gasp and fled like a deer.
There's not house within ten miles,
except a miserable little cabin, only
one story, down there by the brook,
SO that must be her home. Just to
think Of that lovely creature living
in these wilds! Why, VIII, if she
were properly dressed, she would look
as well as the greatest lady in the
land"
When he stopped for breath, | has
tened to refer cynically to the favor
ite heroines of magazine fiction
those phenomenal creatures who, born
and reared in an atmosphere of squal-
or and illiteracy, to say the least,
develop all manner Of delicate femi-
nine graces when the handsome young
tourist comes along, and who usually
die Of love for him, or from a sense
Of duty, on the last page of the story
If he thought to have the girl in
the lilac gown as the central figure in
his views, he was sadly disappointed,
for she seemed to guess his intention
and to be possessed of wild terror al
sight of the camera. When he had
made several futile attempts to sur
prise her at distance, we decided tC
strike camp, as it were, and stroll ovel
to the little cabin in search Of din.
ner. Jack went first and l followed
As | walked, | made up my mind
that if closer acquaintance with the
maid Of the mountain did not serve
to dispel his delusion, | would tele.
graph to his mother. We came, We
saw, but we did not conquer. Tht
young woman was looking down tht
road again, with herhand shading hel
eyes, and her ragged sleeve falling
back from her shapely arm. The arm
however, was decidedly sunburned
her hair was coiled up in sloyenly
way, and held by two pointed twigs
and her eyes were fine, ! could not
deny that. We had hardly time tt
take in these details when she saw
us.coming, and, hurrying into the lit
tie cabin, shut the door, With YER
decided slam.