Year: 1865

CouSlSIiilS vi d fractured umbrella, TORN
calico gown, and fearfully dislocated bon
net-Miss Hanson rose up-a Nemesis =
And such thrashing as | received at her
hands, would have made the blackest vii
liam out of purgatory confess his sins with
out prevaricatiOn


had heard my mother say that no one
died till their time had come, and felt sat
isfied that my time had come. ] vainly en-
deavored to repeat


''Now 1 lay me down to Sleep


as both fitting and appropriate to the oc-
sion, but Miss Patty thumped the words
out of me at the tune of the Umbrella
Quickstep, in staccato


Little Cherry lips came nobly to the res
cue.


For shame Miss Hanson" she cried,
to beat a little boy at such rate 1t
won't mend your umbrella, or straighten
your calash And the perspiration is
washing the paint all out of your cheeks !"


My enemy LETT me to fly at my defender,
whose name was Florence Hay. But Flor
ence was little too agile for the old lady,
whom she speedily dstanced, while | made
good my escape into the sheltering foliage
of an apple tree, where, securely perched
on a strong limb, | remained until school
was out and the girls had all gone to their
homes


After time, at my urgent entreaties.
my parents removed me from the village
school and placed me at an institute for
boys. | had thought previously to the
change, that | should be perfectly happy
when it was effected but had somehow
miscalculated missed the bewitching
faces of the girls l had fled from, and, for
the first time in my life, | realized that the
world would be terrible humdrum sort
of place if there were nothing but men
here


To confess the plain truth, | had dis
covered that in spite of my bashfulness, |
loved every single girl had ever seen
not even excepting good black Bess in my
mothers kitchen, who cOncOcted such ad
mirable turn overs and seed cakes. But
at that time, sooner than have aCknowl-
edged such weakness, would have been
broiled alive


As grew toward manhood, my bashful-
ness got no better. 1t was confirmed it
had become a chronic disease, as IRENE
diable as the rheumatism, and thousand
times more distressing


.
pie parings, huskings, etc. but / never
dared to go least should be expected to
have something to say to some of the fcmi-
nine portion of the company


fmy mother sent me on any errand to
house where there are girls, | used to
stand half hour on the door-steps waiting
to rap and if one of the aforesaid girls,
happened to answer the summons, it was
with the greatest difficulty that | could
restrain my self from taking refuge in flight
And after | had got in, and made known
my business, knew no more what was told
in return than we know why the comet last
summer had a curved train


At church, habitually sat with averted
face, and cut my finger nails; in fact had
performed that operation for those digital
ornaments-so often that there was very lit
tie left of them to practice upon. | most
devoutcdly wished that it had been so that
folks could have been created with knit
ting work or something Of the kind, in their
hands-it would have been so nice when
one don't know what to do with his upper
cxtremities.


As for my feet, though not remarkably
large, they were constantly i'll the way. |
have often seen the time when | would have
given all the world, had it been mine to
give, if | could have taken them off and
consigned them to obscurity in my pock-
cts.


One eventful day my mother took it into
her head to have quilting Early in the
afternoon | retired to the garret, as the
most isolated spot | could think of, and
ensconced myself in bed All the girls in
= he nd |
sooner have faced flaming line of armed
batteries.


Such gay, joyous time as they had of
it, Judging from the sound of merrimcnt
that occasionally foated up to my retreat
! longed to be witness of the frolic | knew
they were inioying but could not summon
resolution enough to venture from my con-
cealment and so | wound the sheets
around my head to shut out the gay peals
of laughter, and tried to think myself highly
satisfied with my achievement. | was
comfortable, and safe, so far as ] knew
but the hours were long oncs and prayed
Time to jog on his team a little faster, if



By and by, the merriment grew louder
there was pattering of eager feet on the
gawet stairs, considerable loud whispering
in the passage, and an infinite amount Of
giggling. Good heavens What are they
going to do? | clutchcd the bed clothes
with frantic hands, and drew them around
my head, to the utter neglect of the rest of
my body, probably believing, like the os-
trich, that so long as saw nobody. nobody
could see me.


Directly the door was thrown open, and
evidently there was a consultation upon
the threshold


"Go in, Flory " said the gay voice Of
Kate Merrick, the pride and tease of the
village. Il say go in What on earth are
you afraid of? Roy Sunderland won't eat
you, if he is bear 7"


But what will he think p said Florence
Hay, softly, "he is SO bashfuI Goodness,
Kate how can Il"


" Nonsense. You must pay the forfeit,
or your thimble remains in my possession
| won't be coaxed over this time" returned
Kate, decisively


There was a slight scut1ie, and then the
eager hands Of the cotere began to pull
away my fortifcations | resisted with
the strength Of desperation, but / was no
match for a dozen frolicsome girls They
unswathed me, and while four of them
held my two arms. Florence Hay kissed