FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30  
31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   >>   >|  
se. The Squire thus disappears toward the barn. Miss Lavinia superintends the household operation of "washing up the tea things," and Redbud puts on her sun-bonnet, and goes to take a stroll. CHAPTER II. VERTY AND HIS COMPANIONS. Redbud is sauntering over the sward, and listening to the wind in the beautiful fallwoods, when, from those woods which stretch toward the West, emerges a figure, which immediately rivets her attention. It is a young man of about eighteen, mounted on a small, shaggy-coated horse, and clad in a wild forest costume, which defines clearly the outline of a person, slender, vigorous, and graceful. Over his brown forehead and smiling face, droops a wide hat, of soft white fur, below which, a mass of dark chestnut hair nearly covers his shoulders with its exuberant and tangled curls. Verty--for this is Verty the son, or adopted son of the old Indian woman, living in the pine hills to the west--Verty carries in one hand a strange weapon, nothing less than a long cedar bow, and a sheaf of arrows; in the other, which also holds his rein, the antlers of a stag, huge and branching in all directions; around him circle two noble deer-hounds. Verty strongly resembles an amiable wild cat; and when he sees Redbud, smiles more than ever. The girl runs toward him, laughing gaily-- "Oh, Verty!" she says, "indeed I am very glad to see you. Where have you been?" With which, she gives him her hand. "At home," says Verty, with his bright, but dreamy smile; "I've got the antlers for the Squire, at last." And Verty throws the rein on the neck of his little horse, who stands perfectly still, and leaps lightly to the ground. He stands for a moment gazing at Redbud with his dreamy and smiling eyes, silent in the sunshine like a shadow, then he pushes back his tangled chestnut curls, and laughs. "I had a long chase," he says. "For the deer?" "Yes," says Verty, "and there are his horns. Oh, how bright you look." Redbud returns his smile. "I think I didn't live before I knew you; but that was long years ago," says Verty, "a very long time ago." And leaning for a moment on his bow, the forest boy gazes with his singular dreamy look on Redbud, who smiles. "Papa has gone out riding," she says, "but come, let's go in, and put up the antlers." Verty assents readily to this, and speaking to his horse in some outlandish tongue, leaves him standing there, and accompanies Redbud toward
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30  
31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Redbud
 

dreamy

 

antlers

 

tangled

 

bright

 
Squire
 
forest
 

stands

 
smiles
 

smiling


moment

 

chestnut

 
throws
 

amiable

 
hounds
 

strongly

 
resembles
 
laughing
 

singular

 

riding


leaning

 

tongue

 

outlandish

 

leaves

 

standing

 

accompanies

 

speaking

 

assents

 

readily

 

sunshine


shadow

 
pushes
 

silent

 

lightly

 

ground

 
gazing
 

laughs

 
returns
 

perfectly

 
attention

rivets
 

immediately

 
stretch
 
Lavinia
 

emerges

 

figure

 
eighteen
 

mounted

 
outline
 

person