The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1907-10-24
The eamekeeper,s pauahter.

The oamekeeper's Daughter.
In all the great, green, quiet park
there was no little girl or boy TO play
with; but for all that, little Georgina,
the head gamekeepers daughter, new
er knew what It was to feel lonesome.
She had such a playground and such
playfellows as most Of us have at
times dreamed OF but none of us have
in reality.
In the first place, she lived with her
good father and mother in just such a
thatch-roofed, diamond-paned, rose
EMPOWERED cottage nesting beside a
little mirror-like lake among century
old trees, as one sees in picture books,
and reads of in poems and songs Of
Old England.
Almost as far as she could see the
level. green park stretched away, brok-
en- here and there by clumps OF giant
oaks, and beyond up against the sky
was the blue line Of hills that formed
the edge Of the world; and this lovely
world was all her own, for, of course,
Georgina, the only child. ruled in the
pretty cottage as completely as her
father lorded it over his many furred
and feathered subjects.
In whatever direction she chose to
wander she saw her playmates watt
ing, as she always supposed, for her
to come and play with them.
On the little lake by the cottage
fioated and quacked and honked ducks
of every color, white geese and gray,
and black geese, and graceful, long
necked swans. At quite the other side
OF the lake she might see at the same
time herd OF fallow deer, their brown
bodies dappled with spots of snowy
white, their heavy horns contrasting
strangely with the slender tree-like
horns Of the red deer.
Innumerable little gray rabbits
hoped noiselessly about in all direc-
tons, and English pheasants-the hens
in modest bun, the cocks in gorgeous
brown, blue and gold-darted swiftly
among the underbrush; but the queer
est Of all her friends we're the gray
kangaroos-'Ho ppityhopsp Georgina
called them. The grounds around the
cottage we're fenced of from the sur
rounding park, but Georgina had so
frequently accompanied her father out
side in his search for pheasants'
nests, or to see how the deer Jared,
that she felt perfectly at home even
when alone
Perhaps her greatest Joy was in
eoaxing acquaintance with the timid
baby deer. II she came suddenly upon
one hiding in the grass or behind 8
stone, it frequently remained quite mo-
tionless, curled up into the smallest
possible space and pressed fiat to the
ground, only its watchful eye proving
that it was wideawake and very anx.
ious. In the leafy forest this would be
its safest course, for there its protec
tive coloring would render Il almost
invisible, but in the open park, on thu
green grass, its inherited instinct fol-
concealment failed It. and It was ali
too visible to friend OF foe. Georgina
would creep Up ever so quietly and sit
down beside IT, Sometimes she even
succeeded In strolking its soft coat.
Then the mother deer would circle
anxiously around. coming as near as
che dared, her great ears thrown for
ward, every nerve tense. and ready to
spring away at the least hostile move;
but it always ended by the fawn sud-
denly scrambling to its long thin legs,
and, with little cries Of alarm, dashIng
over the greensward to Join its mother
and find concealment in the deep sha-
dows of the cool forest.--J. NJ. Gleason
in st. Nicholas.