The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, July 04, 1896, Image 10
THE COUKIML SYWRT VlNSTS LITTLE BO-PEEP -Richard Dedham had been out all day sketching at least all day his portable easel, with Its nice clan can vas, had stood waiting:, with accus tomed patience, for the decorating: touch of the master's brush. At this moment he was sketching: in a most comfortable manner, his flannel-clad figure prone upon the ground, his hands clasped under the back of Ills dark head, a half-smoked pipe dropping out of the corner of his mouth. Twice in as many minutes he had been obliged to remove one hand, thereby much discomforting himself, to brush aside a persistent fly which insisted upon descending upon his nose. A third attack caused him lo open bis eyes and utter a impatient word, decently low in tone just as a clear, high soprano voice behind him sang Sha-all I wake him? No, not I; For if I did he would surely cry. And with a derislre shake upon the last word the branches were pushed aside to reveal the prettiest little fig ure that an itinerant painter could ask as a model. It was a young girl standing there, clad in a golf dress of brightest red, a most ungoMike flower-wreathed straw hat perched on her crop of curly hair, mischief dancing In her laughing eyes, playing among her dimples, and emphasising the upward turn of her saucy nose. She held, in her hand a stick with a curved handle, from whloa depended a knotted string, which she waved gayly above the young artist as he rose into a sitting position. Then she drew It back sud denly with a startled exclamation, and her face grew crimson. "I beg your pardon," she faltered; "I thought that K was my brother. Tom." "Neither Tom nor Harry, only Dick, very much at your service, Miss Bo Peep or do you still answer to the name of Rosalind given you jn bap tism V "Mr. Dedham! How did you know me?" asked Rosalind, ignoring his question and digging holes in the ground with her stick. "I saw your crook. By-the-way, where are your sheep?" "Would children do instead of sheep? It happens that I am looking for some at this very moment." "And I am busily sketching, as you may see. Tes. I should say that chil dren would be capital sheep; shall I Join In your frantic search V "You had better blow your horn first and look after your own cows. I passed them in the corn half an hour ago as I came along the path and found you " "I was not under a haystack; I was painting fast and furiously, as Hold you before don't you see my traps?" "But how did 3'ou know me, Mr. Dedham? Tou haven't seen me for ages, not since" "Your Aunt Annie's dance for you at Pierce HalL I have a strong mem ory, you see, and on that occasion you wore some sort of a blue or green dress, and your hair was shorter and your skin was fairer. Don't tou com pliment me on remembering so well? I didn't happen to notice your freckles that evening, but I suppose that they were there." "They .distress gran'mamma hor ridly." said the girl, putting up two little brown hands to hide them; "she makes me wash my face in butter milk ugh! how I hate it but they come and they stay! Still, I don't really see how you come to know me it seems strange that oh, dear, did I hear a child crying?.. "Never mind If you did. You know the rhyme; what is It? '.Let 'em alone and they'll come home' how many are missing?" "Two of my small sisters, one small brother, two small cousins, three small visitors. We were all playing hlde-and-seek, and when we got tired I took Jim's crook to hook down some apples, and" "Apples! and green ones, of course! You are a nice sort of a shepherdess! And you fed them to the Infants, "and now they are lying somewhere in the agonising throes of cholera and you will be put in jail and hanged as a murder-ess! Let us run away quick, before they catch you!" "They were not green, and you are very disagreeable and frivolous! Be sides, I ate them myself, except what I have In my pocket." "You have apples In your pocket!. And you see here before you a hapless human fellow-creature perishing with hunger, and you have never offered me even a bite!" "What about the cholera?" "Oh, you said they were not green; besides, you have partaken of themr let us die together, or. If we are brought back to life, I will be more1 generous than Adam. I will not say The woman Thou gavest me " "It wouldn't be true If you did, and you mustn't be irreligious, as well as frivolous." "Never mind what I am; tell me about yourself. When did you get home?" "How did you know that I was away?" "What do you suppose that I came to the Island for?" "Oh, I don't know; to fish, I suppose. Aren't there four miles of fishing? Oh, no, I forgot, you came to sketch, of course." "Exactly. Also to see your father and mother. I called on them day before yesterday, and they told me 'that you would be at home tomorrow." "There isn't any to-morrow. I came yesterday." "Moral Always expect a girl two days before she is due." "But how strange that mamma didn't tell me. When I spoke of you she" X5o on, why do you stop at such an exciting moment? When you spoke of me what did you say?" "Nothing." " 'Nothing for naught.' I hoped that you would please my flattered ear by" "Don't be a goose." "I can't. Both sex and gigantic in tellect forbid it, even had I the incli nation, which I politely deny. How long is it since your Aunt Annie's party?" "Several months. I believe." "Several! Is that as near as you can come to the date? My memory Is better than yours. It is six months to a day or was yesterday." When they had seated themselves side by side on the trunk of an old tree. Rosalind had tossed her hat aside and amused herself by stiring up the dry leaves with the stick she held. Now it dropped from her hand, and she bent to pick it up. lifting a face deeply flushed by the effort. The man watched the bright curls and the lit tle ear. all that he could see of the face. Intently. The ear was crimson. "Did you have any reason for com ing yesterday?" he asked. "Had you an engagement here?" She was silent. "I had. I told someone that I would be back from Europe and would see her six monthsher six months from the night of your Aunt Annie's party. Do you know who It was? Do you know where she Is? Little Bo-peep, what a humbug you are!" Still the head did not turn, though it drooped a little and the bright color stained the brown throat. We do the genuine French dry cleaning of shirt waists and fine garments of every description. Cleaning and pressing of gent's clothing a specialty MIS' H DYE WORKS OFFICE us iv. IS St. HIGH ART BICYGkES Atkftowledge bo equal, no peer. They hare proven to be not only uf04 as the best" bat actually the very beet wheel made. 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