Year: 1869

"Mercy! The horrid thing !! J" nat
shall we do with him now?"


Miss Gardner applied the remark to a
wretched crab, which we had discovered
In our peregrinations along the beach,
and had succeeded, after half an hours
patient labor, in extricating from be-
tween the huge stones.


"I am sure I don't know" said l,
cant we put him in the boat?"


"Oh, dear, no, he'd crawl all around.
Besides, we've got the boat half full OF
shells and things already"


"Well, then, we'll leave him behind'" "


"No, we mustn't. I want to keep
him. I'll tell you what; you run up
to the house and get a basket-that's a
dear"


Miss Gardner turned her blue eyes
toward me 10 a way that was not be re-
sisted. / became so exhilarated at the
sound, that l Immediately clapped my
hat over the unfortunate crab, told the
young lady to put her foot on it, and
started away bare-headed toward the
house at the top of my speed.


I had run a dozen Yards when the
conviction that | was making fool Of
myself made me stop and look back
Miss Gardner sat on the side of the
boat laughing mcrrily, with her be-
witching little foot on the rim of my hat,
and waving me on with her hand. So
I dashed forward again.


For two months l had been ponder
ing what mysterious attraction ii was
drew NE towards this girl. She was
very pretty, but at this time this was no
enchantment in my eyes. In fact, l
was very chary of pretty faces, and
never approached one without certain
degree of suspicion.


Ny first meeting with Miss Gardner
was unpleasant. l felt that l almost
disliked her. She had such grand hau
teur, and seemed to feel such serene
Indifference to my presesSs that my self
love was hurt But at THIS time was
a victim to an unbounded admiration to
my cousin Nellie, fancy which, as the
summer wore on melted away with Miss
Garduer's magnetic influence like snow
beneath the sunbeams,


She had come to US in early Juue in
the capacity Of a school teacher, when
the meadows we're green and covered
with golden dust Of dandelious. She
carried her reserve into this school room
with her too, and yet the children, by
potent spell we're drawn to her at
once. Whitburg had about as wild a
set of boys as any village in the country,
but I don't believe there was one of
them who would not have gone through
fire and water for Miss Gardner.


In consequence of this, the female
portion Of the community called her
ststuck up" and little Polly Smith
whose mother kept the post Office at the
Corners, told me quite con6dentially one
day that she thought Miss Gardner was
awfully conceited, "aud put on many
airs for school mistress" But when
I came to know Miss Gardner better, |
found blithesome heart under this cold
exterior, and discovered that after all
she was as merry mink when occasion
required as any other girl in Whitburg.
So by degrees l learned to like her and
it soon became quite regular thing for
Nellie to ask her to join US in our al
ternoon strolls. Alas! before the sum.
mer was gone, poor Nellie herself was
left out of our calculations entirely.


! had q slim suspicion-I know not
how it came, or upon what it rested
that Miss Gardner had passed through
tine ordeal of what tie French call an
affair of the heart. About the middle
Of July, my conviction was verified BY
the appearance of a dark complehioned
cavalry captain, who registered his name
on the tavern books as plain tohr
Smith. This interloper on my rightfu
domain no sooner established himsel
than he commenced courting the school
mistress with all his military might ane
ferocity. His advent brought home t.
me that [ had deeper feeling for Mis-
Gardner than mere regard. I met then
one moonlight night returning from {