The daily gazette., 1876-01-04
trundling along the platformDE-

trundllng along the platformDE-
dia shawl and boa of Ru'
worth its weight in grcenba mnds ans.L D.s.
Charley" she cried, "L :"
never should find you. Is tha-,x n wo
here2" .ar; w.
Gan here, and waiting, Aunt = Ns''
responded the young man; but he Ill
hesitated a second, as Bertha Hooper
stood with averted face and dmotionless
figure in the shadow of the building.
"Can be of any service to you?''
he asked. ''If you are expecting
friends who have failed to meet YOU
Anybody here by the nameof Ber-
thy Hoo-oo-per?" shouteda stentorian
voice, and II tall, raw looking lad with
lantern lighted with red glass
rushed shuffling around the corner.
Zebedee himself Zebedee red haired
and shambling and awkward as he had
been in the old fox and geese days.
"Oh!" said he catching up his Ian
tern, so that that the scarlet birds
wings flashed out like spits of fame
scarcely, more scarlet, alas, than Ber-
tha's own face. "Here you be! Tina
little late, for the roads is SO alfred
bad and l couldn't start the pony out
of walk, Come on! How de dor
Be you very cold?"
"Zebedee,' said Bertha, clinging al
most bysterically to her cousins arm.
"who's that young gentleman with
with the other lantern?"
"Eh!" said Zebedee. "That feller
with the old lady in a patchwork
shawl?"
"Yes!"
"It's Charley Harcourt, the squire's
son." said Zebeeee. "Just come from
furrin parts!''
"Zebedee," said Bertha, with cur
ious little sound between laugh and
sob, "put me into the cutter, quick,
and drive me somewhere, don't care
where! Because
"Eh2" said Zebedee, staring hard at
his cousin, as he packed the buffalo
robe around her before touching up
the laggard old pony. gee-'
because" added Bertha, in spe-
cies Of desperation, II took Mr.. Har-
court for you; and l hugged him, and
I kissed him."
"Is that alls" said philosophical ze,
bedee. "Ho won't carep t''I
"No," said Bertha, "but shall"
"You amt crying, be your" said
Zebedee, noting the quiver in his
cousins voice. tie
"How can help it9" walled poor
Bertha. .....-
"Twarn't no fault O. yourn," said
Zebedee, consolingly.
| "Of course it warn't," said Bertha,
impatiently. How was 1 to know that
every lantern at Montcourt had red
glass door to it?"
And poor little Bertha cried herself
to sleep that night. ....l..
The next morning-New Years day
all showed up into glorious drifts
everywhere-Mr. Harcourt drove over
to the Higgins farmhouse. The young
lady had dropped fur glove on the
platform, and Mr.. Harcourt felt it his
duty to return it to her. And, more-
over-here Mr., Charley Harcoxrt hes
itated a liltle-he hoped Miss Hooper
would excuse him for being so stupid
as to allow her to fancy him her
cousin"
II ought to have explained sooner"
said he.
mo. you ought not" said Bertha,
The fault was all mine"
II don'trecognize fault anywhere"
said he. "And if am pardoned-"
"Of course you are," said Bertha.
roster and prettier than ever.
''In that case 1 am commissioned by
my mother to ask your aunt's permis-
sion to take you over to help us finish
dressing the church in time for morn
ing service. My horse is waiting"
May l go, Aunt Almira2" said
Bertha, with sparkling eyes.
tOf COnrca Won ,v,ou ~ oa;J A,,nt
Almira. -.
And poor Zebedee was left out in
the cold.
What was the end OF it all9 There Ia
but one sequel to stories like this, when
youth and bright eyes and human
hearts are concerned. The next New
Years eve Bertha Hooper and Charley
Harcourt were married. But the
bridegroom persists in declaring that
Bertha did the first of the love max
ing. s'r-,5
And Bertha only laughs.