Year: 1861

mind to pay visit to my dear a unit Betsy,
who had been living in New York for a
number Of years packed UP few ne.
cessary articles in carpet. bag, and shout.
dering the indispensable "umbr,l," start
ed. After fighting with great vigor
for the possession Of my bag at the statioM
in New York, and knocking down On en-
! thusiastic cab-driver or two, took my
way in the direction of my aunt's house
She lived somewhere in Twentieth Street


| had the number down in my book, but
when got TO the neighborhood where the
houses ought to be, it was so dark could.
mt see the numbers. | went up Oh stoop
and rung the bell. The door was opened,
and before had time to ask where No. ~
was, a pair Of the chubbiest, rosicst, soft.
est arms in the world were tight around
my collar, and forty horse power kissing
machine was petihs me about the face aud
mouth. Oh, wasn't it lucious!


"Why, Cousin Bob aint glad to sec
you; it was so late thought you would not
get here tonight. How you grow; should
not have known you. How is it Aunt Ma.
ry? Come in and warm yourself All
these questions and EXPLANATIONS were
showercd upon me before l could get L
chance to explain the matter. begah 70
smell a mice She no doubt miS.ook
me for her Cousin Bob, and to this mistake
was indebted for my reception, did oncs
in great while get kiss in Nashville; but
| had to work for it with some bashful
country GIRL and when did got it, it was
dry and cold, like so much sawdust, COM
pared to these cousinly salutcs from the
bright-eyed girl before me.


was in no such great hurry to see my
dear aunt, so very coolly walked into the
parlor took off my overcoat, and sat my
self down on the sofa with determination
to see the joke out.


'Aunt Nancy is very we'll, and sends
her love-" ventured to say.


"Have you seen Carrie lately, Bobs-
You spoke about her in your last letter"


No, have not seen her since the day be-
fore wrote" suggested.


why did she not come with you? yov
said perhaps she would"


"Oh! her mother wouldn't let her, sis
But how are all your folks ?"


They are all very we'll. Father and
Charley are gone out, and if vot, had not
come should have been all alonc.' ..


Things were going on swimmingly. We
sat there and talked nonsense all the even
ing. managed to guess at pretty nearly
all the correct answers to her questions,
I found that belonged to Albany when
was at home-that Aunt Nancy was nv
mother, and Carrie Lee, a lady of great
personal attractions; and supposed to be
my 'steady company" Immediately, on
finding out the latter fact, went into
very lover-likc rapture, declaring Carrie tp
be an escaped angel-wings and all. I
found my cousins name was Kate, and such
mouth and eyes as she had think nev.
er saw before. The first kept pretty con.
stantly employed; and with the latter she
kept my heart dancing about under my
watch pocket like reach in hot water.
did have some fear that perhaps the real
cousin would come and drive me out of
my new found paradise; but my prayers
were answered and Bob did not arrive thar
night. About nine o'clock father and
Charley came in, and | was introduced TO
them as Cousin Bob. l was easily recos-
nized from my looking so much like my
father O. Itappcared they had none Of
them seen me for several years and must
have rescmbled the real Robert" very
closely, for all Of which l was devcutly
thankful. answered all their questions ax
good luck would have it. Once or twice T
made mistakes such as speaking about nv
father, and afterwards learning he had beer
dead two or three years; but when they
went to bed guess they had no doubt oi
me.


About elcTcn o'clock had to 60 to bed
Kate said must be so tired travelling
she would not keep me up too late. !
thought it would not do to be too anxious,
jort I tn1l
would like to go to bed; for all of which l
hope to be forgiven, as never felt more
like sitting up in my lie.


As jumped into bed that night soliio
quized somewhat like this-"Mortimer.
my boy, you started from the bosom Of
your family in NASHVILLE this afternoon to
visit your dear Aunt Betsy. Your aunt
expects you she is probably thinking OF
you this very minute from under her night
cap, wondering what has happened to you.
You come to this house to inquire the num-
Der and they thought you were cousin Bob.
You let them think so, and you have sue
ceeded in defrauding him out Of some
hundreds of kisses from Cousin Kate, and
here you are occupying his bed; for all Of
which You will have to answer in a coming
day or night as the case may be; and here
fell asleep and dreamed saw a rocky
place with wild beasts and enraged young
, men, with drawn swords and double bar
relied muskcts in their hands,sin the fore
ground, and away in the distance was
Kate calling for help and beckoning to me.
| started swiftly up the steep, and the wild
beasts howled at me, and the young men
hacked at me with swords, and fired guns
at Inc but kept on, and at last stood be.
fore Kate, and was just reaching out to
clasp her in my arms, when behold Aunt
Betsey stood in her place. saw Kate in
the distance and started after her, but with
no better success.
When awOke the sun was rising, and
some one was knocking at my door to
wake me. got throught with my break
fast very WELL and was very glad to sec
the disappearing coat tails of father and
Charley, as they went to their place Of
business, telling Kate to amuse me as we'll
as she could until they got back at night.
She had no mother so We were left alone. /
trembled every time the door bell rung for
fear of seeing Bob make his appearance
| was fast growing desperate under the
melting influence of Kate's bewtching eyes.
and was on the point dozen times Of teM-
ing her the whole truth-Loth that was
not her Cousin Bob, and that was most
particularly and desperately in love with
her own dear self did not dare tell her
yet, for fear she would say no. About ten
o'clock we were sitting by the front win
dow, in very cousinly position namely;
had my arm around her taper waist, and
she had hers around my neck, and her face
very close to my lips. The window blinds
were open and thought two OF three times
| heard my name called. At first l looki
cd out. Jerusalem what sight met my
eyes. In the house just opposite saw the
good natured face Of nv Aunt Betsev-