The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-01-10

noise, yet perfectly docile to her
voice and touch.
Other figures filled the background.
The farmer. stout and hearty dressed
in blue overalls. and wiping the pers-
plration from his brow, as he lifted
his straw hat aslde-a neatly dressed
matron on the porch. shading her eyes
with her hand. as she watched tho
train; a great. black Newfoundland
dog, parading about in a dignihed
manner, with a lady's riding whip In
his mouth, and a dapper young gentle
man In a light, summer suit, approach
ing the lady and her steed. He saw
them all as one sees faces and figures
in vivid dream. and wondered almost
audibly what that fellow" was doing
there; and then. as they plunged once
more into the unbroken solitude of the
pines, that girls face seemed to stand
out visibly in the air before him and
accompanied him. like a smiling spirit
OF good omen, to his journeys end.
Late that night. when, after eating
supper and reading the evening paper
he went up to his room the face was
there before him. smiling like a pic
ture from the bare white wall. He
had gone up there to make some alter
ations in his dress before going out to
get rid of the rest Of his evening In
the city streets; but the face detained
him, held him there in the cheerless
fourth-story chamber. even against his
will.
How graceful she was!" he
groaned out. What a pretty-what a
sweet face she had! How blue her
eyes were! How brown her hair was
and how it waved about her head and
face like a little, soft, dark cloud Of
curls! She must have been i'll lately,
or she would not wear her hair like
that; every other girl is piling CHG
mons up higher than the moon. And
yet she looked the very picture of
health. Her cheeks were as round and
as rosy as the apples in her fathers
orchard. Perhaps she is too sensible
to wear chignons and false hair. Per-
haps she don't care so much for dress
as other women do. What did she
wear? / can't remember / only know
it was some soft dun-colored material
falling about her in soft folds, with.
out rufiing or paniers of any kind.
And a blue ribbon at her throat-blue
as the 'bluets'-blue as her own sweet
eyes Oh dear! If | could but meet
girl like that-a girl with no non
sense about her. as Mr.. Toots would
say" he added with laugh-"a girl
who would marry poor man because
she loved him, and who would go to
work and help him build up his for.
tune and his house together Why it
would be the making of mel"
He took out his pocketbook and
looked again at the ten-dollar bill.
Shall l try it? Jerrold says he be-
gan with no more; and look how we'll
he has done. Let me see. Here is
enough to pay for my supper, lodging
and breakfast, and my ticket back to
the place where 1 saw her. That will
leave me the roll of currency for small
expenses, and the ten dollars for my
sole capital till find a place and
work. Her father is a farmer, know.
And that chap in the gray summer
suit hates hard work. l saw it in his
face and walk. I'll do it. He can
but refuse me at the worst, and l shall
be able to look at that sweet face
again. I'll co."
You know he is not very strong, ia
Their, and his hands have grown white
and soft at college, and, as he says, he
is not fit for the work" she was say
ing when her fathers growls ceased
suddenly; and, looking up. she saw
a tall, handsome, Saxon-faced ant
bright-eyed young fellow, dressed il
homespun, taking off his straw hat Il
her and her father in the way tha
did not smack Of country birth anC
training by any means. The light blue
and the dark blue eyes looked straigh
into each others depths for one be
wildering moment. Then the cir
turned away and walked out of tn,
field, with sudden, vivid blush stain
ing the whiteness of her throat ant
forehead; and the young fellow, gaz
! ing after heS inVOluntarily began hi
story to the amazed farmer and aske,
| for work.
At u o'clock that day Jane Halliday
after giving the last touches to tn
Widespread dinner-table, took the til
horn and went out on the side piazz
to "call the folks" to their noonda
meal She saw the heads turn, an
the bending forms straighten then