Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-15

her mother had begged her to do at Mr..
Thomas Whitcomb's store, and had her
brother leave her there, saying she would
join them in few minutes.
But when Mr.. Solomon Solely inquired at
the Sign of the Lamb, he found that
Joshua Simmons and Aunt Love had driven
away in their chaise some half an hour be-
fore, and the hostler, who had been told,
did not remember that they had merely
gone to look about the city a little for the
missing child, and were then coming back
to the tavern to see If she had In the
meantime been brought there. However,
another hostler remembered that the lady
carried large green bandbox and was
crying. Ann
and shs began to ss eEy sGc Solomon Solely
you shall be taken home safely tonight
Then he turned the chaise around and
drove back to the store, where his sister
had stopped, and before Serena Ann fairly
knew 1t they were on the road to Braintree.
1t had grown very cold, and the wind
blew. Mr.. Solomon got out a great plaid
| camlet cloak from under the chaise seat
and put 1t on over his mulberry-colored
| one. Then presently, because Serena Ann
| began to SILVER little. tucked Ia between
| the two as she was, he threw an end oS the
camlet cloak around her, over her brown
silk hood. She was quite warm under that,
and also quite hidden from sight. Nobody
| meeting them would have dreamed that
there was little girl in the chaise.
| In the meantime, Aunt Love and Joshua
| Simmons returned to the Sign of the Lamb,
| and the hostler, who had forgotten they
| were coming, told her that a gentleman III
| q chaise had been there with the little girl
and said he was going to take her home to
| Braintree. Guess you'll overtake en-
| said he. Gentleman was alone in the
| chase with the little girl, who wore a null
| berrycolored cloak"
| Aunt Love fairly wept for joy. "Oh!
Joshua. l am so thankful she cried. II
| never could have told Sarah I'd lost Serena
| don't care. I'll get married in my old ones.
Let's start right away, so we'll overtake
| them"
Joshua Simmons started up the horse.
and the chaise ratified out the tavern yard
and down the road toward Braintree.
But their chapter of accidents was not
| quite finished, for as they were crossing
| Neponset bridge, peering ahead to see If
| they could catch glimpse of the other
| cbaisc, a gust of wind took off Joshua
| Simmons hat and toss ed it into the river.
| He had cold in his head, too. Aunt Love
| pulled off her hood promptly. Put tins
| on" said she. Don't say a word. If you
| don't you'll be laid up with influenza, and
| the wedding will have to be postponed, and
that's a very bad sign
"What'n you do?" asked Joshua Sim
mons, hesitatingly.
Aunt Love united the green bandbox.
| PUT on this bonnet" said she. It'll be so
dark when we get home that the neighbors
can't see it,"
So Joshua put on the hood and Aunt
| Love the wedding bonnet and 1t happened
| that when they finally overlook Solomon
| Solely, who had not much the start. and
whose horse had got stone in his shoe
| once and made a delay, that the occupants
of the two chaises looked hard at each
| other and saw nothing that they were
| looking for.
For Joshua Simmons who was naturally
| somewhat ashamed of his woman's head
| gear, kept his face turned well away, and
both Solomon Solely and his sister. Pamela,
| thought there were two ladies in the
chaise. and not the aunt and the young
man for whom they were looking.
AS for Serena Ann. she was fast asleep
| under the camlet cloak and saw nobody,
dreamed she was there. Moreover. they
were looking for one gentleman in the
chaise with her. and here was young
lady also. He wore a camlet cloak, too,
instead of a mulberry cloak, as they had
been told
So the two chaises ratified on almost
| abreast for quite a stretch on the turn
pike but finally Solomon Soley's forged
ahead little. for his horse was fresher.
They reached Brantree and when they
were within a half mile of the Bagley
farmhouse. Joshua Simmons turned into
another road, which was little shorter
cut. Aunt Love was impatient to If
Serena Ann had reached home. And so it
happened, since Solomon Soley's horse was
a little faster, that both chaises turned in
to the Bagley yard at the same time and
Serena returned from her Christmas out
ing with something more exciting than a
flourish of trumrets.
Serena Ann herself was SD tired and
sleepy that she could not fairly realize
anything. 1t seemed to her like a dream;
the chorus of surprise and delight, Mr.
Solomon's and Miss Pamela's coming into
the house and getting warm, and eating
supper. and borrowing a footstove before
they started on their homeward journey
and everything. She scarcely even graspcd
in its full measure of delight the fact that
| Hiss Pamela presented her with the rose
wood workbox and the doll when she kiss
ed her goodbye, but Serena Ann had got
ten one OF the pleasantest memories of
her life, and had her first Christmas keep
ing.