, 1871-04-13

There was kitchen aud asittinR room,
aud fathers bedroom, aud q little be..>
room where Paul aud slept; a .hen
there was spare bedroom that we did
not use, for Floy slept in the attic.
FaIhrr and mother had botn been well
educated, and had once been very well>'o-
do in the world; but that was when
was very little, and did not remember
anything OF it, only what mother told me
before she died. = 49,.
Mother died on the island just when
Paul was born, aud that was tigh; years
befare the time about which l am going
to tell; and now Paul was eight years
old, and l was sixteen.
So, as father and mother were educated
people, they had books and pictures: /:
SOME Of the pictures mother had painted (;
aud there was a melodeon on which she
used to play very sweetly; and there
were stuffed birds, and nice furniture /;
and there were vines of ivy, aid honey
suekle, and woodbnr, trained thiekly all
oyeethe outside, aud about the windows
SO that it was the incest aud prettiest
home ever saw.
Since that time have seen many far
grander houses, with richer furniture, and
more costly paintings and bucks; but 1
hold to my childish opinion STILL For.
though / was sixteen, was only child,
after all; for had never left my home,
and had got all the little learning l had
ircm my dear father and mother, who
were always proud to teach me. Aud all
knew about the great cities was what l
read in books, and what was told me- for
had nover seen one. Floy had; and
she told me great many strange things
abHut them. She came to us when mother
was taken sick, to work about the house,
and had stayed with us evrr since. She
said she was w~nty; but know now she
was near thity-though so young look-
ing.
Floy was very handsome: she hal long
black hair, and black eyes, aud beautiful
teeth and she was tall and very graceful.
Why she should wish to be a servant,
away off on a desert island, could never
understand; though sometimes | did
think she had a secret. and was hiding
away from somebody, brcause she always
sermrd so frightrned when any one came
to the i>land-which was very SELDOM.
Some lines party came off in a sail
boat to visit the light house, and then
Floy would go up in the attic and look
out Of the window. trembling, and would
never come down until she had seen every
one in the boat.
Occasionally these parties would make
little picnic in the grove; or go fishing,
ard CO and eat Ih-ir fish on the rocks.
while Paul and would sit off at a little
distance and look at the ladies, in their
beautiful dresses, and see the gentlrmen
opening bottles of wine, and being so ats
tentive to them. Heigho! l used to wish
l was lady then.
But there would often be months when
no one came n ar. the island, unless
il was the government inspector; and
then the only change we had was an oc-
casional trip to Bayport.
But we were never louely-Paul and l..
Il was amusement enough to sit ON the
rocks and watch the ships go cut at sea I;
or the porpoises. rolling and tumbling
elise by; or to 10 up into the lantern in a
gale, and see the great waves dashing
over the long reef Of rocks tlat lay black
and awful below US. Then had to study
my OWE lessons-which l never neglected
-and to teach Paul; and l had to help
about The housewoIk; and in this simple
but pleasant kind of lif had lived to be
sixteen years old.
1 was great contrast TO Floy, in my
clear, pearly skin, and long, light curls,
and blue eyes; but never thought l was
handsome. Her style of beauty was
what l admired, though she said gentle
men like.I mine best; but did not care
for what gentlemen liked in those days.
But the day was coming, and was near
at hand. when l was to care aud when
was to lraIn more about the great world,
and its ikings and its sorrows, than ever
my books conld have told me and-this is
how it happened, aud how come to be
telling this story, instead of Floy.
1t was blight August day, and Paul
and were sitting in our favoIitr seat on
the high rock, at the foot Of the light
house, reading book together.
1t was q new book that father had
brought on his last journey from the Yil-
lage. and we were so interested in it, that
do not think we luoked from its pages in
an hour; and, in fact, we did not until we
were startled by the sound of some one
calling to US then W.T. looked up, and
there was sail boat with two gentlemen