, 1891-03-24
HOW | SAID YES.

/ DO not remember my nurses out 1 nave
grace enough to pity them. The mildest
of my teachers considered me "unruly,7
and you can ask Godfrey what he
thought of me a year ago. Now it is
different. have found my master, and
| believe | rather like it. This is how it
came about:
Godfrey had asked me three times to
marry him, and three times l had said
No" in the most decided manner. But
that never made the least difference to
him. He only laughed, and said l would
know my own mind better next time.
q suppose" l said, You mean to ask
me nee a quarter
is that enough:"
TOO often, a great deal. sir.
Wen, then, we viii say once in six
months. Miss Olive"
And then he walked smilingly away,
and began some n-onsensical talk with
father about DR.. Koch and his bewilder-
ing theories.
The last asking was just at the begin
ming of warm weather, and father, who
thought Geoffrey's opinion infallible,
asked him where he would advise us to
go for the summer.
l had made up my mind to go to Long
Branch, and l said so very distinctly,
but Geoffrey proposed some out Of the
way place in the Virginia mountains.
Then he painted it in such glowing col
ors that nothing would satisfy father
but apersonal investigation, 1t was all
Geoffrey's doing, and I told him so at
the railway station.
1T is your doing, sir" ! said, land l
shall remember you for it."
Thanks, Olive" he replied; there is
nothing | fear but forgetfulness."
| wanted to speak Enthusiastically to
him, but the train moved, and l felt that
it would be only waste of material.
At the end of the second day we got to
our destination. 1t wasn pretty place, l
must acknowledge that. Nature had
done all she could for it, but art and civ
ilization had passed it by. The men
were simply "frights," and the women
were-well, none too good for the men.
The houses were log cabins, through
which daylight peeped and the wind
blew rs it listed. But there was Of
course n big white hotel there always
is. | have no doubt if we had gone to
Stanley falls or Guthrie We should nave
found a hotel and a proprietor-the in
stitution is ubiquitnry. We procured
rooms, and my trunks were with some
difficulty got up the hill and the flight
of wooden steps into the hall.
II suppose" | said, with a resigned
look at futher. there is no use in taking
them upstairs. / can have no use for my
dresses herey'
"As you like, Olive he replied, in one
Of his meek and mild ways, las you like,
dear; that gray thing you have on looks
pretty well, and it does not show the
dirt"
After this remark of course | had every
trunk, bonnet box and sachel taken up
stairs; and the noise and confusion, and
even the occasional bad word their size
and weight called forth, were quite
grateful TO mo.
1T is not my fault" l explained. IF
people will build stairs like corkscrews
am not responsible"
In this amiable mood we took possess
sion, and think, If Godfrey had known
what | was thinking about it, as | did
up my hair and put on my white even
ing dress, he would have lost a trihe of
his self complacency-that is, if men
ever do make n loss Of that kind. The
hAHl AlAllE iAAtL Blth7tA llt WIS lnt sup
per. 1t really was good, particularly
the berries and cream, which are a spe-
cialty with me.
But, sir" l inquired, ARE there any
Christians here besides o~urselyes?'
1T Is to be hoped so, Olive, I saw a
little church in the valley"
"Pshaw, fatherl l did notmeau church
Christians, l mean society Christians"
"Ah, they are different, are they?
Well. what do you think of Augusta
Pennington for a Christian
Augusta Pennington! Is she here?'
asked, amazed.
NO, she is not, but her brother lives
within two miles, and he has a daughter
about the same age as yourself. Mrs.
Pennington wrote them we should be
here today; they will doubtless call in
the morning"
Well, did not care if they did. The
dresses in my trunks were sufficient to
inspire any woman with comfortable as
surance The next morning | made a
beautiful toilet, but neither Mr.. nor Miss
Lacelles called. Just after supper /
heard u little stir and hustle on the
stairs, a ripping laugh, the rustic of
silken robes, and, leaning on her fathers
arm, Miss Lacelles entered. She was
beautiful; | saw that at a glance; tall
and pale and ladylike. reminding you of
a fair white lily.
We soon struck up a friendship
girls friendship, | mean. Some one has
said that there is no friendship between
the sexes, and some one is mistaken, ]
think, for the world holds no safer friend
for n woman thar an honorable man. A
womnn's friendship is very likely to be
the result Of convenience, contiguity, OF
OF being, as my father rather sneeringly
remarked, "the only Christian within
hail of each other" Mary showed me
all her dresses and told me her secrets,
and l returned the compliment, mindful
of Burns advice TO still keep something
to myself / wadna tell to ony."
Life settled down into an unexciting
but endurable routine. Mary and
visited each other and arrangedou our next
winters campaign, for l had invited her
to pass the cold weather with me in
New York. One day, in the middle of
of these pleasant chats, a servant
came in and handed me a card. The
nams on it reused at once all the an
sag2uism in my nature. 1t was;
GEOFFREY GARDNER.