The Prescott daily news., 1907-07-25
ARCADIA
 By FRANCIS BUCKLEY EMBREE
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

young girl standing Dy the fTencn window opening on the piazza of a pleasant farmhouse. She was a tall, slight girl with wistful look under lying the brightness of her face, as though she feared life might steal from her the happiness she felt to be her rightful heritage. One in- stinctively felt hers to be one of those delicately- balanced natures resulting from the warning of conflicting pow ers-there were the daring eyes and the firm chin of one who achieves, but the brow of ideality and a weak hand spoke of love of ease and hours of dreaming.
 The lovelight deepened in the beau tiful eyes as the form of young man appeared far down the road leading to the farmhouse. The girl moved and was about to step out on the piazza when her steps were arrested by the sound of her own name.
 Its in Bessie Dunlop's blood, reckon. Her mother did the same thing thirty-odd years ago in this very house. Strange, isn't it? Never came back herself, poor dear although she was that fond of the place-not even for visit. l reckon she never saw the day she could afford it.
 The speaker paused as if to give the long, painful years time to pass. and then continued
 80 she just plodded along and raised her big family as best she could-all the time wantin' money and education for 'em, which she couldn't no way get, and finally lettin' this baby-girl go to a rich aunt who hadn't any children of her own, so as she could have the chance to enjoy something of the world. We'll, if poor Lizzie Sloan could have seen her comin' down here and givin' herself away to Peter Jackson's Henry, | reckon she'd not have been so willin' to skimp herself of her baby's kisses"
 Good Mrs. Franklin paused and wiped the perspiration from her face, and Mrs. James Lewellen Brown said
 Sister Franklin, I cant think you are speakin' accordin' to your profes- sion. There ain't a likelier young man in Knarls Bottom than Henry Jackson, and him intendin' to be minister of the gospel" s
 But Mrs. Franklin had recovered her breath.
 Twas just so with John Dunlop. Wouldn't hurt a fly-for one reason. he never could have overtaken one! nd | loot alf hax made her way anywhere hitched sin gle, but the day she stepped into double traces curbed her down to the pace of leader that never got out of jogtrot To be sure, she never had to wait up nights a-tremblin to hear drunken step; but pshaw, if a houses afire, slow man ain't no more account than drunken one to turn in the alarm. It's a pity a girl can't realize when she's pickin out a husband for herself that she's pickin' out father for her children at the same time. There's many man that's first-rate company settin' under the paternal vine and tig-tree. that won't pass muster for the father of such a girl as Bessie Dunlop. Will you tell me if you think she didn't de- serve all the education and piano. playing she's got-and how in the land of love could it have been man. aged if her mad let her depend on John Dunlops fatherin'?'
 The girl by the window moved swiftly away; she had not meant to stay so long. She could not be found when Henry Jackson made his ap- pearance and asked for her.
 Down in the meadows she lay face downward, fighting with the enemy she had always feared would snatch her happiness from her. Was it true, what this woman had said? There had always been a sore spot in her heart that her mother had been will ing, so 1t had seemed to her. to tighten her own load by giving her daughter into the care of another In her brief visits home, her father had always seemed the saint, her mother too-diligent Martha. It was, in fact. the remembrance of this calm and ap- parently happy father that had recon ciled her to Henry Jackson's unam- bilious plans for the future-plans she had more than half-promsed to share
 It was dark when she returned to the house. She would neither sink into the apathy of her father nor choose success alone for the spirit which drowned down failure as a sin She would weave practical garment with the warp of action and the wool