MY DRESDEN SHEPHERDESS.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XV, Issue 2361, 21 November 1888, Page 4

MY DRESDEN SHEPHERDESS.

ry. ' CHAPTER I. „- - r r leaving: my mother. to determinejm.y career for me She^ fondly, but erjftia^Bjf Xim^ningit© tfirk&dbJißt of my father^jmj^ol^jaeawiljufell upon bis only cbild, bad me educated asa^aJrlSoH .& .uML course I went to tbe Academy, and bad tbe opportunity of wooing' " I-^d<Kvnat io say. studying — tbe antagonistic methods of tne great pain^|s of the aa^afj^ learning e^ ow |^J^^ SDu^concerning me tlSyMiad^a Ijgaous opinion it wa^[ n||a^'^ Sdnever paint a^e^e|it pi^ilre, WI regret to J^v^ up: tbe present nothing ha* occurred to prove that opinion ill-f cwinded, I did, howevery develop a talent for " patching and ni^ndSng,'' which bas; stood me in godjsteiC(3l as regards t!hat, not-to-be-deßpiaed question} an incon>e, — a necessary my father had no : moxe to me than his genius. 4 r "OT tried my hand first npon a por- j traij^f^my great aunt (which lam sorr^4o^^ had fallen a victim to the toy-pistor%>^iy kj|ickerbocker days), and so compfetel^ c^lfl the lady to her f ormer'appearajice that I had the gratification of hearing my work ungrudgingly praised by some paint %n original picture," said one oo^S2lW%Hi!€ you can restore one m a manner truly So, in tjbtQ course of time 1 fQt & deaf of this work td db, and tool* a rsalrpteastireinit. ■ ■"?■*■*. One morning, after I had been following r|bif fTof ation $pt^ovae three year»Wtfi Wedess. i'£6umi, on entering; my motbejV breakfast room, a letter fro m an old f ellb w-sttiden t . ° A p^): wi4Qwejr Jiyißg in t|he country liiMy it a^esfrecl, purchased a number of dilapidated pictures, which he considered too valuable J;o be trusted out of his signt^TOicr h& 'wanted sbinebne trustworthy to restore them on the "I have ventured," wrote my friend, "to mention youruame to him^, but I wamf mW&t?m pM^jaM in all probability mere rubbish, for i&ftM&Afoftt '*M* \bmu ) victim of^ ydjpcipled^ |4ejaler^ ?^n<J, t^ao / be n su^o; PlP^e t |rpvided ? it has '"a" dumber of coats of dirt, and varnish to grendec it dark and Bui; m> Bear Gonijtoi f»^el»itt J&yilii© kltttttW.Wifflßfif umoM sgcfesjf^a^ fts a^ ) fljf|§^?|onjy pretty daughter !" , r ,,, I Broiled at the last sentence. My correspondent^^Burjilfiifiii Jbj..paroe> was in and out of love three times a that Inaano tender ..ejiisqpeL own to relate at IwwUo^ dreatn or in the solitude oj: my studio. A tew days after tbe receipt 01 Burnleigh's letter alj my arrange^ ments were complete, and I a^t fofth to perform my "patching taflfe' 'fats Mr fieath'g residence/ v am6og t^ Surrey hills, and pos«W? tbmrgbt T spem^lyJp fal|in love with tha pi^t% iSighieiu LJutl wJilial I #»» Arriving J^ariy Station X made my way, 1 by meant' of tne edmp^ss 1 always carried, through the pine clad hills towards Thornton, a distance of three miles or «o. I had not advised Mr Heath of the bo«r at which I shoald amis, tedmi»i Hy ing in |^>^idoo # J had looked forward to, ihii waHcflt^plfiasui^ . It was JTulf, wj4. the day was so bright that I left my light pvercoat and iunl)reHa at the f ail^ay sjtati6» t» £6i\am^m>miitemp Nggage. 1W not proceeded morttttftn a mile wfaen I regretted tbe circuoastanjce, the sky changed and a wind sprang up and "wnistied among tbe pine trees: fbefe was a sound of distant thunder. I rather anjoyed a good thunderstorm as f rifcu for iF fmtised^ Wf sense of the sufclfm* and usually tiro. Mm* poem. Jlwf J wid fetl

occasionally "dropped into ppeti^Jl like Mr Wegg ? Not, however, p&: the. benefit of my friends, being much^ tao Wise for that. j Nevertheless,^ 4 id; not go so far as, to be willing ta^pay the pricje of a iftjjiig for Ja&ii inspiration, aniijf regretted my umbrella. Presently my regret changed into a devout thanks-* ■jKft^fV%) ?3fc lsg£ iw) fik^w eh dibits' ter of yards aheao* of mJLjmM^ a glimpse of a graceful Jijjtle J^ 0^? w *^ ™5&» white J goats lesitfi* iier. ,J The. clTs^ great to allow of, r my noting details, but the grace jof the little figure, the poetry of the; movements, were superb. I bad discjover^L a sylvan shepherdess. She wasj ten of. iu^goats—- otst «beep-,^>ttt- jnst isUone rounds a etory for the sake pf harttpogq so one rounds a vision jto suit 4rßeut indent. For me, then, sbe| was a Ine^liepebSj nnA the goats) were lambs. %#;##? n ! **»™ On the rising ppteid m front of, my shepherd es s^Hip} gijand old dak 1 wbich had taken u^ i^^bode ;among Jblie -piaes, and stretew^^^^ ijks long leafy Ranches among iiHjin as if appe>^ingto them to be neighbourly. J3^y shepherdess, thought I,j mus% be "*&& of the approaching storm liWe-^nyself , and would probab! y seek the shelter of this oak, w rich 1 deemed an appropriate refuse for myself also. *Q% \ My speculation9#e^urding the oaktree proved c^ecV The little fl*aio) took up *JberJ>position under J;he sheltering jpfcncbes, her white goats aC%erf Ikirts. But before I j could Feacn the spot down came the rain in torrents, and I had to turn up my tjoat-collar and turn down th£ brim o^mf felt h|fc afd run fafffife I 4 T Arriving |W%r the ti^J 5 politely l)o wed to my^Bbepherdelsfkn*ecting : t6 jß^ejßer for the first time. The I water of .my hat chanced to salute one of [t|be[ goat? ,;«»> J. |^oV:ffcbfß| *|wi ; he returned the salutation witl* his horns upsh fny legs— not atrall playfully. 4 i *JA#" this salty', the? % oat'ii? distress laughed saucily, ? an 4 y X / laughed, jtho|^br|inyi" Jeg»\^ero tingling. A faugFiri ■"cbntmo^ is a capital | introaMfons.. %rta .^^^y*rr f . M fr. ■■,■>■ ' - *' Anil Tld^ "1 really at my cemp^nion ac eJo^Tjgarte^Si for the first time. HoW fair she wasy and how quaintly dressed ! She resembled npitning v ßp ,/much as a Dresden statuette. Her soft brown haifrwas plaited^ iii., £w<* ioj^ P^j& s .wiich terminated? W *$f tre 'r*rbbbii Below her waist. She wore a flowered cambtfife polonaise pooped up in coquettish po4W'^)Ver a kilted skirt of a moss 1 -* green colour, short enpugh to exhibit dainty feet and ankles clad in black Bilk' knife iftfcujkleU Biroee;! Then the }&ugtyng; faqej geeoed coyl^ but saucily from under the broad-brimmed Jiat. jt wou£(|-hav& taken captive a reritabfemisatftlirijjb, and this J was i j lDowb i peitsi -$& r,(*tq ; ?#p|ild it s^^deifc wasnoi afraid of thunder, nowerißr^l obeer#«4 inwardly and ruefully, for then it might have afforded an excuse oW% little freckled ihaiidg. >j£ull^ort^liiy^y, she was not afraid pf me either, so we chatted ineVftly 6£ rain and goats, off, the of pixies and|sprigans, which she $$& me still haunted these woods, only she ha4not seen any herself she confes■'jjjjffT For myself, I would not have jssserted as much at that moment. And now it maliciously stopped ■rjBDiM. %aflw nw^ietty companion pretty maid r, " " * Going a milking, sir,' " she said, following up the" rhyme. " t And hole do they name you, my pretty maijdf " I said as a variation. " * That is a, »ecjpes, ,sjr/ " T *be eajd, " * And won't you Jisc^vf r if;, my pretty maid f^ ' " J " ' I m*\ JQ& goqd mornio^ sir,' " she ssid, audslje tripppcj ftwaj bf twee^Q the trees, pelting .me witji soft laughter as she went. Aad I stood looking after her till she&aappeftFeaYandl wondered if X "What will Was Heatb appear, like after this .?" I meditated. "Shei must be a T^eauty indeed not to appear plmn after my presden sbepherdeea." And plain (enough and tot spare) Mibs He^th turned out to be vihenl met her at dflaner that evening,