, 1881-08-26


counsel rs to the most advisable method
of getting the so needed helpmate; and
the first man he consulted was Herr
Thaler. a successful and rich German.
whose estate adjoined that of Ailsa Craig.
49, So, so. said that parsonage. 'Zere
is nothing more easy. ZaNe oil that rag
get beard, burn in re fire ZOse old clOdes
not tit for Oundsditch or any Juden
Strausse. buy Won big tob, mien friend,
get some Europe muster coats, and zen
return to re frauleins and vidderfraus vld
re monish bags in re 'auds. If zey will
not ave zou, re will take re rupee; frost
EN- for Zat, my zon.'
But the recommendation was unpal-
atable, and to a great extent Impractical
bic, so another fidus AchateS was appeal
ed to, one Jack le Geste, il man much ad-
dicted to chaff and practical joking.
LIN this land of pearls and precious
stones, no go, dear boy, said Mr.. lie G.
From Dondra Head to Point Calamere-
north, south, east, west-the women
won't look at you; that you have found
ont long ago. Give up hunting, then, IN
these ft-trod Colonial fields, and draw
the home covers. Don't you happen to
know any bonny lassie in your own Cal
edonia stern and wild or pretty col
leen in the oisle of shillelahs and sham
rocks, who would be glad to share curry
and rice with you? Go and try those
parts; if not, have haphazard shy at
where hail from-the Channel Islands.
Spins -ay, and precious goOd-looklng
ones, tOo-are as plentiful there as cocoa
nuts are here, and maybe one of them
might be induced to clear out IN your
favor. Failing those islets, l know of no
I 4 4 |. L., Nf
those cooperative associations which fur
nish everything, even to q better half.
But mind, old man, they keep a roster
for foreign service in their offices; first
lady on the list, plain or pretty, first for
duty: you pays your money, but you
don't take your choice.
'But these suggestions also were con-
sidered infeasible, and put aside. Pres
emily. however, a thought struck Nc
Pherson.
LIE Geste, said he, when l was q
boy there lived in the neIghborhoodsso ssof
my fathers manse II widowed lady with
two or three then wee, very wee, daugh-
ters. From what l can recOllect of them
their means were cramped, not to say
scanty, but they were of good blood and
form. One of the children-the eldest.
if my memory serves me-was called
Eaie Medium, and promised, to be
bonny, for / can family recall her blue
eyes, haxen hair, rosy complexion, and
jimp little figure. If she be alive she
must be close on 80, for it is many years
since l came out here STRIPPING and was
Chinna Dorav Anglice, little master,
on the Paycock estate, as my kind en-
ployer styled that property. Mrs.
Medium knew me well-better, indeed.
than knew her. / wonder if she and
the BARNS be IN the land of the dead or
the living
"'Write indirectly and inquire"
"And Sandy did so, and ascertained
that his old acquaintances, Miss Eifie
included, were still alive, and proudly
bearing up against the res augusta domi.
Armed with which intelligence he once
again returned to lie Geste.
"'It is all right now, Mac said he; !;
your course is as clear as day. Send q
chit to materfamilias N; tell her that
you are well-to-do in the world, own
lands and cattle, men servants and maid
servants; that you want to settle; that as
whipper-snapper you iiked-no, better
say loVed-Miss Ef1ie, and ask her in
plain English to come out and marry
you. Above all things, though, be sure
nAu oChu SOuA ySu oAS AAOS
such very, very bad looking chap,
Sandy, if you would only dress like n
Christian, and not like coolie.'
$50 the letter was written, submitted
to lie Gestes inspection, sealing, posting,
and in due course was received by the
Mediums, in whose little household it
created no small amount of astonishment,
and was much spelt and pondered over,
especially by the damsel most concerned
still comely, if even a somewhat
passe body-and who, after while, con-
sented to go out and wed her suitor.
"'After all, mother dear, she said, 'he
has house and home for me; maybe by
and-by, for you too, Jennie; and I'll do
what can to help you. It's the best
thing for me. And really, Mr.. Me-
Pherson-or 1 suppose L ought to call
him Alexander-is yet young and not bad
looking. Quite the contrary--very, very
nice-looking; see the photo he's sent us. -
''And Miss Jennie quite agreed with
her elder sister that Mr.. Mcpherson was
beauty.
well, my BARNS" said the old lady,
Il can't gainsay you but the portrait is
winsome and douce enough; but as call
to mind the boy Sandy, the son of the
minister, he was not nearly so seemly
and -well-favored. But it is, indeed
lang syne set eyes on him, and likely
he has got handsomer as he got older;
some men do
''Then everything being settled, Miss
Medium accepted her kismet, agreed to
go out, and her lover-open-h handed,
| honorable, true, as / have already told
you he was--sent the wherewithal for
passage and outfit.
And pending the many, many weeks
| that elapsed. and while the good ship
! Queen of Serendib was sailing round the
Cape for her destination, a change, a
radical change came over the life and
habits of our bride-expecting friend. He
! cast into the limbo of things done with
his coarse 'cumlics,' rough 'dungarees,
and other country clothing, and burst
ont into 'Europe-muster' linen, tweeds
and serges. He purchased largely of
house furniture and nick-nacks; he
bought lady's horse and Peat's side
! saddle; he whose equine proclivities had
never extended beyond shaggy noun
tain pony, and tattered and torn pig
skin. He told his old flames and chums
that he was going in for the Benedict,
and bashfully listened to the riles and
ieers of the one, and the chaff and laugh
of the other.
"But, barring The Great Unwashed