Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-05-13

berry Centre before she is fifteen? It
shall not be 'Imogen.''
L thOug' sO,' said Nahum. Il hoped
for Ruth 1t is much prettier on the
cup
Gerald read his slip: Clara.
A slight murmur of assent. "A min
istering angel there said be.
Yes said Julia, meditating, and that
reminds me that we might have put in
Constance and we certainly should
have put in Florence
Shall we begin againY
But no one seemed disposed to begin
again
4 think we will not call her Clara
said J ulia with resolution. Her COM
plexiOn may not be clear, though now it
is perfectly transparent
! Evelyn, it is your turn. | should
name her for you, love. but it would be
such bother to have two Evelyns about
all the time
1T is a nice name,' said Evelyn, L can
tell you that And Nahum Chesnelong
looked as if he thought so too. Evelyn
read her paper: Rachel
Rachel is good. 1 like Rachel 1
like Leah Let Us put ii to vote. Here
are white. All who vote against it will
drop in red
So all rose from their comfortable
sleepy hollows and voted. There were
six red counters.
Then she must be named Leah
George, take care how you talk nom
sense. Remember. may have the car
riage early an5 take Gerald to church
with me. You can never arrive in time
on foot.
Can you forbid the banns at a christ
ening?' said the incorrigible George.
This is certain, at the last moment the
decision is mine in our happy COngrega'
tional forms. 1t was for this, as the
parson says, that Winslow and Winthrop
and Dudley crossed the ocean and set
tied in wilderness, that they might
name their own babies with never a
RumiSh sponsor between. Meanwhile
look at your paper
And Julia looked and read: Nathalie
No. she said. a little criSply, Il will
not name her Nathalie uRless We GO to
live in NormaEdie.'
Then, after ALL said George, the lot
is in my hands, And he read with tri-
umph:
Julia
Il said sol said so from the begin~
ming. 1t was only under ire that fell
back on 'Hepzibah,' my delight is in
her, And he kissed his wife in vic
tory.
George, am perfectly ashamed of
youl Gerald. Nahum. EvelyG-all of
you, would you sink into Old Julia be+
fore you were twenty-five? old Jnlia'
EVnnnc Tnli.1 sRin Tr,Iias nd
Julia'-I think SO, indeed
Then the child will have no name, said
George, ruefully, after another long
pause. We'll, there is no need of a name.
She has had no name for six weeks.
Girls had no names in Rome. They
were only numbered. 1t was Julia pri-
ma, Julia secunda-that was the way
my grandmother was named 'Octavia.'
Puss will have to look out for number
one, that is ALL
This suggestion, which sent the poor
child out into the world like deficient
bit of sheeting on which the manufactu-
rer woul not put any name, naturally
depressed the little company.
Nahum, who was always sympathetic,
felt tenderly for his cousin Julia. After
they had sat minute in silence. Re
said, hardly above his breath: There is
one chance more
L do not see that, said George.
Nor l. said Julia.
Yes said Nahum and Evelyn at once.
They had the same thought, and she
pointed at the Japanese vase into which
Julia had thrown little. despised, and
ignOble wad of crumpled paper.
True; said Julia, eur safety is there.
She flew to the vase. She upset 1t on
the floor Old spools. stems of roses,
half-burned alumettes rolled out upon
the carpet. From the rest separated it
self the little sphere of crumpled paper.
She carried it to the chandelier.
she unrolled it trembling.
She held it to the light.
'OLIvFp she cried.
Oliver Oliver Olive! The air ech-
oed applause.
Olive it shall beP And then they all
went to the theater, and saw Ellen Ter
ry in 'Twelfth-Night.'
As they rode to the church the next
morning with Mrs. Snow, the nurse, and
baby done up in cotton wool, Julia said
to George: DO not forget at the last
moment, darling. 1t would be dreadful
if, after all, she were 'HepZibah.
Edward Everett Hale.