The Sauk Centre herald., 1907-12-12
ARCADIA
By FRANCIS BUCKLEY EMBaEE
Copyright, by Joseph b. Bowles.)

ATCdUld DlOOIQSQ OulSluc. Dec duu
bird and perfume of flowers brought
their message of lovetime to the
young girl standing by the French
window opening on the piazza of a
pleasant farmhouse. She was tall,
slight girl with a 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 a 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, I
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 a 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.
$50 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 rich aunt who
hadn't any children of her own, so as
she could have the chance to enjoy
of the world Well, if poor
Lizzie Sloan could have seen her
comm 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, can't think you
are speakin' accordin' to your profes-
sion. There amt likelier young
man in KnarPs Bottom than Henry
Jackson, and him intendin to be a
minister of the gospel"
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!
And Lizzie-land alive! She'd have
made her way anywhere hitched sim
gle, but the day she stepped into
double traces curbed her down to the
of a jog-trot. To be sure, she never
had to wait up nights a-tremblin' to
hear drunken step; but pshaw! if a
houses afire, a slow man amt no
more account than a drunken one to
turn in the alarm. It's a pity girl
can't realize when she's pickin' out
husband for herself that she's pickin'
out father for her children at the
same time. There's many a man
that's first-rate company settin' under
the paternal vine and fig-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 Dunlop's 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
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 it 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
a tOo-diligent Martha. 1t 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-promised 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 frowned down failure as a sin.
She would weave a practical garment
with the warp of action and the woof
of dreams.
When Henry Jackson came again,
he found no longer yielding girl,
ready to 60 blinded with him into any
path he chose. He found himself
spurred to efforts which he felt him.
self only dimly conscious of making.
and his love of ease which he had
peace, called by a much
more prosaic name than the old Bes.
sic would have given it.
"You do not see," he said at last.
"the beauty of peaceful life given to
the Lords work."
"The Lords work lies everywhere,
and there is no peace save that which
follows strife. All else is stagnation.
Fit yourself. Henry, for any place,