The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1882-07-14
MY LITTLE SWEETHEART

10 nIt ner 10 my knee.
"No," she said, drawing back, IF I
am yoursweetheart / mustn't sit on your
lap, but beside you. You may kiss me,
though, all the same, and call me May,
and will call you Harry. Mamma says
you are not really our uncle, but we call
you so because we love YOU"
''Quite true" / answered; ''but If you
are not to love me when you are my
sweetheart, 1 shall retire."
80, but l will! You see, Agnes has
Tom Irving to love her, and Janet has
Tracy Hill. / tried very hard, but failed,
to get Tracy Hill to love me; then I
thought of you, and perhaps you would
bring me flowers, and telf me 1 added
to their beauty by wearing them, and
sugar-plums, and say my lips were sweet
er than sugar almonds, and take me to
walk and to ride, and always, always
be lovely to me-"
Butt asked, grayely, ''what are
you to give meP"
20, l will work you q pair of slippers
when / am big enough, and I'll kiss some
OF the sugar-plums, and let you eat them,
and I'll wear the flowers, and if there is
any song you like very much will prac-
tise it, and learn it, if the accompaniment
Is not too hard"
.All right. It's q bargain. You are
my little sweetheart, and l your devoted
adorer from this day." 1 cried. "But it
seems to me, May, that for lady of your
age you know q good deal about the
sweetheart question:"
"Well you see, uncle-no; you're not
my uncle any more"
"Dear Harry" / suggested.
Dear Harry. yousee there is the draw
ing-room, and there is the parlor; and if
Tom Irving comes while Agnes is in the
parlor, she says, Run up stairs, May,
that's a good girl and when l get to
the drawing-room / see Tracy Hill kiss
ing Jane, and he mutters, There's that
child again. and / run into the kitchen,
and Molly has John M'Coy there; and l
can't help seeing them ALL" she added
piteously.
"Exactly. And l think you are a very
sensible child to start a courtship of your
own. Will you allow me to drive you to
the grove this afternoon, Miss Marianp"
l added, with my very best society bow.
'Thank you, dear Harry" she said,
with demure gravity. 81 will 60 with
pleasure"
So we commenced II Irritation, and
never had any man q more piquant,
lovelier little sweetheart than /, Harry
Montgomery, had for the three years L
remained at Maxwellbrig, the village in
which the Sterlings were leading people.
Mr.. Sterling and my father had been
friends for many years, and when / fin
ished my medical studies Mr.. Sterling
let me know there was a good opening
for me at Maxwellbrig, and a warm wei
come at his house, where Mrs. Sterling
and the three girls made me at once
''like one of the family"
My calf-love in its entirety and devo-
ton vas given to Janet, until 1 found
she had a previous attachment, and l
was dolorously weeping ove the fact
when Marian generously came to the
rescue.
"What pleasant days we do have, dear
Harryr' she said to me, when we were
picnicing in the woods; ''all the girls
think / have the incest beau in the world.
And nobody has any idea who it is who
helps me with my French and German,
and shows me all about my Latin, and l
go up overtheir heads because you make
all my lessons s 70 easy. It's not cheating
if l really study all the same, and do all
my sums and exercises myself, is ftp"
mo-" I said truthfully, for the child's
W eager thirst for knowledge and hard
work gave me only the pleasure of SIM
plifying someo of her lessons and defining
some of the ''hard words"
pvf uyhop I hoI baau roor1xyf four xyaoro
at Maxwellbrig my father obtained for
me q diplomatic appointment in Ger
many, and there was a heart-breaking
parting.
ut is not the drives and rides, and
rowing and flowers and candies, I'm
crying for" sobbed my little sweetheart,
'though Agnes pretends it is. 1t is be-
cause I'm going to lose you. You don't
believe / love you just for those things,
do you, dear Harry"
mo, my little love-" Isaid; "Ibelieve
you love me with all your pure young
heart"
II do! / do! You will come backP"
s'Yes but l shall find you a grown-up
young lady, with o dozen lovers"
mo, I'll have no other lover. If you
iudill, Il Sudh uiC' 6lu nCIc lo NY lNOIy-
type, and a curl of my hair, and / want
yours"
l readily promised the exchange, and
went to Germany, the ivory-type and
curl set in a locket-the face promising
rare beauty of the golden haired, brown
eyed type.
We correspondent of course. At first
the correspondence flourished, then it
grew languid, finally died. / was en-
crossed with business and society; May
was working through school, through
society, and rs a belle. Agnes and Janet,
middle-aged matrons, left Marian the
only daughter at home, and society was
cxacting. / heard of her brilliant beauty,
q musician of great talent, and q bright
sparkling conversationalist. l tried to
1l this to my little sweetheart, and failed.
/ had lost my childish adorcr.
But / was not fond of society, nor de-
voted to the duties of q cavalier. Per-
haps Janet had left too deep q wound to
heal. though l did not think SO, when,
ten years after our first meeting, ! found
her with % party of tourists, ''doing the
- n l~ouI.voiced rp1-faood