Year: 1865

feSs L was deeply IN loVe5 ana In TACT
don't believe [ could remember Of a time
when [ was not in love with her. 1t GER
tainly was not when youngster of twelve
when took her under my special care,
feeling prouder of my curly headed charge
than I could now of mine of gold nor
when tall awkward boy of sixteen, | first
ventured to ask for her company home
from church or still later, when after
four years absence, | returned to my ma
tive town, and set up as a surgeon In the
house where DIR. Moore's name had been
since my earliest recollection.


Oak. Place was remarkable place, or
else the good people felt a little afraid of
trusting their lives in the hands of such
young scapegrace as they had known me
to be, for my horse and gig found more
employment in carrying Jessie Hale to
ride than in any more profitable business
and it is certain more of my time was
spent in Mr. Hale's pleasant parlor than
in either study or practice of medicine
Some of the neighbors Silly remarked
that [ must have very sick patient to
occasion such frequentsvisits and | was
certain that if [ had no patients there, all
the patience ever hadwas required there
at times, for of all the tantaliZing little
Wretches that ever fascinated and proyok-
ed a fellow-until he could not have told
whether he was in the body or out of it
Jessie Hale was the worst.


And there was William Tremaine-
standing six feet in my stockings, big
enough to have known better, that is sure,
led about by that little elf coming and
going at every beck and call, as if | were
a great simpleton. as in truth | must have
been, forat playing yours most. devo-l
tedly'' for six months, [ was no nearer
winning than at first. Open-hearted and
candid she was ON every other subject
but just let me speak of love or marriage,
and I might as well talk to a stone wall
for all the sense I could get from her
No matter how cautiously [ might ap-
proach the subject, she was always ready
with some off hand answer, as far from
what | wanted as the equator from the
poles, until [ was most in despair, but
more eager after every failure. All is
fair in love or war. or at least I thought
so, and resolved to try the result of strate-
gy on my willful little lady love.


One fine morning, as we We're about
starting for ride on horseback, as L was
assisting Miss Jessie into the saddle, her
horse commenced rearing and kicking at
an alarming rate of course the Jagged
bars of iron I had cautiously inserted be-
meath the saddle had nothing to do with
it. By the time she was fairly seated he
had become perfectly unmanageable,
throwing her violently from the saddle
of course | caught her before she reached
the ground. No sooner was she in safety
than [ staggered back against the fence,
my right arm hanging helplessly by my
side, 1t took nicely, for Jessie was beside
me IN moment


eOh, VIII, . she said piteously, that
terrible horse has broken your arm, and
what viii you do 2? Poor Will +! poor


How like rascal 4 felt at the sight of
her distress but I was not going to give
up then so | answered with a terrible
groan- etA


st is nothing, dear Jessie; would
suffer a thousand times more to feel that
I had saved your precious life.


But oh, | am so sorry what can be
done for you ?" she said in such touching
accents that / half repented. ASH


"Theend justifies the means, F" [ thought.
The end accomplished certainly did. My
answer was in allow faint voice, as if Twas
just dying


''Only tell me that you love me, Jessie,
darling it will sooth my pain more than
anything else in the world" eoaaa


And then, like the great simpleton that
[ was, 1 put that ight arm around her,
and never discovered my mistake until she
sprang suddenly away from me.


"W ouldn't a little brandy and water do
as well, Mr.3Tremaine ?'' she said archly
'tThere don't seem to be any bones broken,
the injury was internal, | should think


Wouldn't have sold myself for six
pence ? But there was no help for it so
| had to own to the trick, and went home
wishing | had broken my arm or neck,
didn't care much which. After that for a
while, I was rather shy of love subject,
for | did not fancy hearing of my last at
tempt; but "out of the abundance of the
heart the mouth speaketh, and my heart
was so full of love for J essie Hale, that /
could not force my tongue to keep silence
very long. So one morning after loung
ing in my study until [ was tired of fevery-
thing, myself in particular, / went over
the way, resolved that the matter should
be decided before l returned. Jessie
was sitting by the parlor window, busily
sewing, and humming some merry tune to
herself, when l entered. She was looking
prettier than ever, [ thought; and [ found
it terrible hard work to talk on common
place subjects when my life was so full of
the one so important to me-


At last broke in upon some of her
careless nonsense with


why in the world, Jessie, don't you
say whether you love me or no ? What is
the use of keeping a fellow in suspense
forever? believe you do-in fact L
know you do.


Here was l again making simpleton of
myself. l might have known she never
would have told me after that but l did
not understand womankind as well then
as have since.


"Oh, you do know then, do you?" she
said coolly, with merry twinkle in her
eye. 'Then of course there is no need of
my telling you"


"No, I did not mean it Jessie" [ said
penitently. But do you love me ? Win
you answer me yes or no?'


es or no, she answered demurely


"Oh, Jessie Hale" / exclaimed impa-
tiently You will drive me crazy"


A''A terrible misfortune, surely" she
said with a laugh, throwing down her
work and stepping through the low win
dow upon the lawn. NOW Will, [ will
tell you what will do if you will promise
never to plague me again about this. :"


81 will promise anything, if you will on
ly give mo an honest answer, [ said ca
gerly


well then, if you catch me before I
reach the elm tree, l viii give you can
did answer upon my honor.


Ithumped my head against the window
sash, and away l went over the green
sward with ten times more eagerness than
ever displayed in playing catch in my
boyhood days A very dignified proceed
ing, truly, for staid surgeon All the
gossips in that place would have held up
their hands in pious horror had they seen
me then; but did not care If the whole
world saw me, so intent was | ON catching