, 1882-09-15
My LITTLE SWEETHEART.

"Uncle Harry, may be your sweet
heart ?" asked Marian Sterling, lifting
her big brown eyes to mine, with all the
innocent frankness OF her years of
maidenhood.
"Indeed you may" cried, STOPPING
to lift her to my knee,
"No," she said, drawing back; "if l
am your sweetheart | mustn't sit on
your lap, but beside you. You may kiss
me, though, all the same, ard call me
May, but will call you Harry. Mamma
says you are not our really, truly uncle,
but we call you so because we love
YOU"
THAT is So" I answered; "but if
You are not to love me when you are my
sweetheart, | shall back out"
ooh, but | will You see Agnes has
Tom Irving to love her, and Janey has
Tracy Hill" l WINGED here, as I had
tneu very hard to fill Tracy Hills
place. "It makes me dreadful lone
some," continued May, "but then |
thought of you, and perhaps you would
bring me flowers and tell me 1 added to
their beauty by wearing them, and sugar
plums, and say that my lips were sweet
er than sugar almonds, and take me to
walk and to ride, and always, always be
lovely to me
But" asked gravely, "what are
you to give me?"
"Oh, will work you a pair of slip
pers when l am big enough, and I'll
kiss some of the sugar plums and let you
eat them, and I'll wear the flowers, and
il there is any song you like very much,
l will practice it and learn it, If the ac-
compartment is not too hard"
albright. lisa bargain. Youare my lit
tic sweetheart and I your devoted adorer
from this day" l cried. :" But it seems
to me, May, that for lady Of your age
YOU are pretty well posted on the sweet
heart question"
"Well, you see, unele-no; you're
not my uncle any more"
Dear Harry" / suggested.
Dear Harry, you see tnere IL the
sitting-room and there is the parlOr,
and il Tom Irving comes while Agnes is
in the parlor she says: Run up stairs,
May; that's good girl; and when / get
to the sitting-room see Tracy Hill kiss
ing Janey, and he mutters: There's
that pest Of child again and I run
into the kitchen, and Molly has John
Mccoy there, and | can't help. seeing
them all, she said, piteously.
Exactly. Aud | think you are
very sensible child to start your own
firtations. Will you allow me to drive
you to the Point this afternoon, Miss
Marian?" 1 added, with my very best
society bow.
"Thank you, dear Harry" she said,
with demure gravity. "lll so with
pleasure"
Sowe commenced our Irritation, and
never had any man a more plquant,
lovely little sweetheart than ], Harry
Montgomery, had for the three years
remained at Maxwell Station, the will.
Vge in which the Sterlings were leading
people.
Mr.. Sterling and my father had boen
friends for many years, and, when !
finished my law studies, Mr.. Sterling lei
ma know there was a good opening fo'
me at Maxwell's Station, and warm
welcome at his house, where Mrs. Ster-
ling and the three girls made me at once
like one Of the family"
Ny calf-loye in its entirety and devo-
ton was given to Janey, and was dol
orously weeping over the fact when
Marian generously came TO the rescue.
"What lovely time we do have, dear
Harry" she said to me, when we were
picnicking in the woods "all the girls
think 1 have the incest beau in the
world. And nobody guesses who it IS
who helps me with my French and Ger
man and shows me all about my Latin,
and l go up over their heads because You
make all my lessons so easy. It's not
cheating ii l really study all the same
and do all my suns and exercises myself,
is itY
"No," I said, truthfully, for the
child's own eager thirst for knowledge
and hard work rave me only the pleas