, 1880-08-23
Aiy Little Sweetheart.

When first 1 knew her she was Is
wears cd; [ was % Sic was school
master daughter; l schoolmaster's
son. We hrst met one September
evening. Her father was struggling
pedagos que, with family Of seven
children to support, aid few pupils.
I had il ii my head to become his
partner, and vent down first to see
how thiags were looking. arrived
after q lengthy journey; and the first
thing / saw Wben ushered into the room
was little girl seated in an old arm
chair. Ii llh d big book upon her knee.
She sIisuk hands With mt; aud as she
dio SO. | noticed her eyes We're blue, her
hair v.is golden brown, escaping
from T., beAas III ripping wavelets;
and TIL, she had curlou>ly Winning
smile ,.niiipg not only with her lips,
hat w4tA ner eyes and face and all.
Later Oh, | WAS stru by the way her
little h ed WAS poised upon her shout
ders. she was upright as oait; and
when shu moy ed, it was with an infinite
grace, as sUuie tiny queen.
Her name WAS Emily; to her friends
she was always Em.
She and | struck friendship. She
always ola make friends with all ma le
creatures, Whethtr five years old or
ffty. | WAS scribbler even then;
and fancy the pride of authorship,
even il SO small a degree, had certain
charm lor her, Wi:ich set me up III her
eyes. Sle wrote her name in my
birthday book; and beneath it wrote
"Ay Little Sweetheart 1t lies before
aDe at thIs moment.
She would fly through her work like
bird Hinglng unwelcome showers
from its wing. She could not see that
life wa real.
Yet she had good cause to see that it
was 50 1t WAS the hardest struggle in
the woi Id for her father and mother to
bring two ends together. Very little
money Was ever hers. Her wardrobe
was Of the scautiest. She knew moth
ing of pleasure, as some people under
stand il; she had never been ten miles
out of tie town where she was born.
Yet there must have been some fairy
present at her birth, for she was like u
summers day, always bright. Not
that she could not be grave. That WAS
one of her rarest charms--her gift of
sympathy. Only let some one whom
bQ6 hDGW huu CdtSu AOI OC III 5OlIOW,
and EN- would Lot be far away. Dark
indeed would be that sorrow which did
mot change to light when her sun was
shining. Her voice, her eyes, her
arms. ali joined to drive the shadows
away ard soothe the sufferer with the
presence of her love.
Time sped. had now known her
more than two years. | was going Or
. rambling expedition to foreign parts,
and though knew [ was fool for my
pains, 10 me it was bitter parting.
And 81 for the time, think it was for
her; for In some way links had been
Joined between us without our ever
inewAg they were being forged.
swell" said 1 to her, the day be-
lore J. went, we being alone together,
"Blue Eyes, how long shall 1 be-
missed"
The only answer was to throw her
self upon the hearth-rug, place her
hands upon my knees, and turn her
eyes up towards my face.
"Ah, Blue Eyes," said I triaing
with her sunny hair, you'll have an
Other sweetheart in q week."
In week ?" said she, in that curl
ously clear voice of hers. Do yon
ahink so?' She looked up and watched
me for a moment. Then she turned
and got upon her knees, kneeling in
aront Of me. Perhaps so" she said,
But leaning forward, so that her
breath mingled with mine" nell nev-
or be a sweetheart like you"
What could do? knew her 80 we'll!
hot l,iu ol.a
would say to any one by way OF COM
fort. knew that her words were as
trifes. light as air.
"Make no VOWS" said I, "only to be
broken. You and have had happy
times; why should begrudge the same
to another?"
She was silent; she was now nearly
Is; but she was so small, that it never
occurred to me to think of her as any