, 1877-05-04

SldIe uuuef my DIuIIeu eyes anu OAdI-
ley's pencil in my trembling fingers.
The rosy evening light streamed in upon
us, the soft south wind bringing resin
GUS odors through the window from the
woods where Charley yet fingered.
Now, my dear Mrs. Sweet, said Mr..
Slade--and the very gentleness of his
| tone and the tender rendering of my
name, made me shiver and shake; for 1
couldn't get the thought from my head
| that when he was gone there was nobody
left to deal tenderly with me or mine
''now pray try and give your thoughts
to the subject in hand. 1t is the sim
plest thing in the world; and these ru-
diments once conquered, the rest will
| follow. Now, a man sold his farm for
! So, ,730, and fourteen -hfteenths of this is
seven-ninths Of the cost of his house,
and the house cost three times as much
as the store; now what was the cost of
the house and store"
His voice was so persuasive, so dis
tinct; it must have been pleasant voice
to listen to at the school, even if the
poor little blockheads could make nei-
ther head nor tail of his meaning.
losked at Mr.. Slade, then out of the
window, where the mellow light of sun
set shone, and way over the wooded
hills beyond, and 1 thought how such a
little while ago it was a Spring land
scape all bathed in tenderest green, and
now it was Autumn, the grass was sere
and brown, the leaves falling, the
branches like skeletons against the even
ing sky.
"Madam-my dear Mrs. Sweet" said
the voice of the schoolmaster, II beg
your attention to these few first rules.
1t is distasteful to me to leave you prey
to the coarse habits of these village wo-
men, who haunt their fnery in an
obtrusive and unbecoming manner, and
grudge you the poor reward for your
labor"
"She said the seams were crooked,
and perhaps they were," 1 said, for I
knew he meant Mrs.. Chapel. 81 am
not very good at sewing, or-or any
thing" Then two big tears rolled out
of my eyes upon Charley's slate, and
blurred the schoolmaster's pretty fig
ures, which so distressed him that he
got up and took turn about the room.
Then he came back to the table again.
Dear Mrs. Sweet" he said, quite
imploringly, 'If you would only make
up your mind to master these first
rulesl A man sold his farm, S,370 dol
lars"
"And I'm sure he got good price
for it," I broke in; "and whatever he got
for his house it must have been all it
was worth. As for his store, don't
want to know anything about it; can't
see that it's any of my business, Mr..
Slade, and 1 can't bother with it Just
now. If it was house alone or q store
alone, or farm-but to cut them all up
and put them together again like
patchwork quilt is impossible for me to
think of, Mr.. Slade, can't do it, new
er could, and it's ridiculous to ask me
such thing, Mr.. Slade. All I can do
after you go away is to go on working
for Mrs. Chapel till 1 drop dead; and
il it wasn't for Charley, I wouldn't care
how soon that would be-"
Then I put my head down on the
table and cried, ready to break my
heart. I couldn't help it. I was the
most wretched creature in the world,
and my heart was full. couldn't help
the cry, and I'm glad now that l did.
For suddenly felt his strong arm
tremble on the back of my chair.
sit is 80 hard and terrible" said,
Ito have the seams always crooked, and
Mrs. Chapel"
Confusion to Mrs. Chapel and her
crooked seaml Tell me, madam-Mrs.
Sweet-tell me, dear little heart, would
il not be even better to give over your
future to grim old pedagogue like me?
/ It shall at least be free from crooked
seams and puzzling problems.
l heaved O little sigh of relief, and
his strong arm fell shelteringly about
me.
'If Heaven will vouchsafe to me"
he said, getting back to his dear, old
wordy way, t'your sweet companion
ship for all the days to come, I can
even find It in my heart to be CRATE
full to Mrs. Chapel, and wish her
we'll"
1 don't know what 1 said, but every
body knows that never could see any
fault in Mr.. Slade, and l don't to this
day. He fills his professors chair, and
have ever so many comfortable ones
at home. Charley is splendid math-
ematician; but there is little fellow
Just creeping into fractions, and he came
to me the other day, his dear little
brains sore with puzzling over that
self-same sum.
"And please, mamma" he begged,
ga man sold his farm for $3.50, and
fourteen-ffteenths of this is"
"GoI to papa, darling" I said; "he
found out the cost of it all long ago;
but as for me, dear. I'm glad to say that
1 never could make it out. ."-H1Pers
Weekly.
| ~, -oro.;ns ~ a balloon have inst