Year: 1865

I
shaped head set upon a white neck
which looked as if turned from blocl
Of ivory, exquisite bust and arms, aud
slender figure, whose very motion wa
graceful. and easy, could make her so.-
Perhaps we miss from the eyes tht
depth and tone Of expression that woulc
have given life and beauty to less per
feet face but be that as it may, she wal
faulfless in form and feature. So though
Frederick Manning at the end Of one 0
bis long summer college vacations, wher
he met her, school girl, on visit to hen
aunt, in his native village. Kitty wa.
an only child. Her mother widow in
very delicate health, clung with all q
feeble mothers idola,ry to her only
comfort.


Fred studied law and got to be a man
Kitty grew to be past seventeen, and
more and more beautiful Frederick
asked the mother to give him her only
child-her life-as young men ask such
things-quite as an everyday affair, a
matter of course. She faltered and
shrank from the parting. Practical Aunt
Sally said, your health is not good ;
you can not live always; the child will
be alone; let her marry, and have a bus
band to take care Of her" True again
1t cut deeply and wounded sorely; but
the chid's interest must be considered
before her own happiness. "But would
he take care Of her?' Mothers heart,
do not be too curious. So, with many
tears on her part, and many promises on
his to watch over, and guard, and always,
always love Kitty as she had done, to
keep her so, SO tenderIy, she gave him
her treasure. They were married, and
in less than yenr the meek mother
folded her hands and died, and Kitty was
left alone with her iuexperience-only
her love and womanly instinct to guide
her. Poor little Kitty


Frederick was--we have told what he
was. Young and untried, we know d
quick intellect and rare appreciation OF
the beautiful, that we have seen ac-
customed to adulalion like most Of his
sex, somewhat vain and selfish and ex.
acting, but brilliant and agreeabe-no
faciAating is the word. The soft, low
tones of his voice fell on the ear, bewll-
dering the senses and thrilling every
fibre with its rich melody. Nothing
is so irresistible as such tones of the hu-
man voice, not even the eye itself.


Kitty was devoted to him; she was so
engr, s,ed in her love that even her
mothers loss was swallowed up in the
great mystery that was just revealed to
her soul-she lived and breathcd for him,
and forgot to ask whether he was thus
devoted to her. She took that for grant
ed, happily, and it would have been well
had she never learned to question.


She was the busiest of little house
wives-awkward to be sure, but never
weary of trying and bade fair to accum.
ulate quite a library of cookery books
and written recipes. Her patience and
perseverance were truly praiseworthy,
and she thought them repaid by one
smile or word of praise from him.


Two years passed away an2 there
came little child to the house, so daz-
zlingly beautiful that you almost trembled
to behold it. You felt certain it was
cherub dropped from the clouds or stray
ed away from some heavenly pageant
and would be missed and recalled. How
the little housewife was merged in the
new character Of mother how she look
ed at ner treasure, and wondered if ever
mothers heart was so full before if ever
anything was so rretty, so lovely-if it
was indeed all her very ownl As it
grew and expanded into all the wonder
of babyhood, and learned to lisp the first
accents so musical to mothers ears, how
all the Linds, Piccolominies, Patties and
Nightingales of creation sunk into utter
insigniicance before the magical tones of
that infant voice. Every thing became
insipid beside that. Not her husband
exactly, but now it was her baby and
husband before he had been all in all.
Sometimes he felt this loss of domestic
consequence and chafed under it. He
was exacting, and there was Just one
tinge of-what shall we call it? Jeal-
ousy? No. Envy? These are too
hard terms. Something he felt had
made him the secondary object. He
couldn't be expected to share all these
feminine raptures-at least be did not /;
and after time he became Just little
weary Of hearing the reiterated praises
of the baby, and would have been pleas