Year: 1869

brushed from the clean home made carpet
and Hettys work stand drawn up in front
of the blazing fire. A bountifUl piled wal
ter of great apples and plate of cracked
walnuts were on it in close proximity to
Hetty's work basket.


On one side Of the fire sat Mrs Thomas,
fat and fair, and at peace with all the world,
rocking and knitting, and refreshing herself
at sundry intervals with bite from half
eaten apple that lay on the corner of the ia
ble, and touching every now and then in a
caressing manner with her foot, lazy look
ing cat that purred and winked on the rug
before her. Hetty sat ON the other side, and
busy thinking how she would tell her m 9TH
er that she expected Mr.. Hawley to drop in
about eight. But she recoliected with a
twinge of conscience, how hard she had
tried to get the old lady to accompany her
husband to Aunt Ruth s in spite of her fore
warnings of spell of neuralgia; how she
had also plead headache as an excuse for
not goiug herself. And she knew that her
mother was quite sharp enough to draw her
own inferences from these facts, and from
her being dressed with unusual care to spend
an evening at home.


''I shall not dare to tell now She'll be
sure to think that l wanted to gef her out
of the way, so might have josiah ali to
myself, and should never helF the last of
it" And so like wise little puss she kept
silent.


l will venture my word on it, you would
not have wondered at our young farmers
desperate enthrallment if you could have
seen Hetty Thomas as she was sewing by
the freside, on that cold November eve
ming.


Under pretext Of being ready to go to her
Uncle's Ia thing she had no idea of doing),
she had, just before tea. INDUCED in an in
discriminate fixing up" A neatly fitting
dark calico, with store look upon it, fresh
linen collar, and tasteful black silk apron,
these were the chief items of Hetty's toilet;
but she looked as sweet and dainty in her
plain dress as if hours had been spent in
donning lace and jewels. Her rich hair of
the darkest auburn tinge fell in shining folds
close to her warm red cheeks, and was caught
up in cunning net behind


Eight o'clock and past! Mrs. Thomas
was doing in her chair-her shadow on the
opposite wall bobbing about in grotesque
mimicry, and she nodded to and fro-now
crushing the voluminous white satin bows
in her spruce cap against the back of her
chair-now almost falling forward, and her
fat hands istlessly in her lap, and her ball
of yarn had rolled out upon the hearth, and
puss was busy converting it into gordian
knots.


And just then came a double rap at the
door so loud, sudden and self assured Il at
Hetty started up. with little shrek, and
set her foot on puss's tail, who in turn gave
voice to her amazement and displeasure.


The combined noise aroused Mrs Thorn
as, and starting to an erect position, she
rubbed her eyes, settled the cap border, and
exclaimed


Bless my soul, Hetty, what was that
somebody at the door? Who can be com
ing here at this time night p


Its not late, motheI-only little past
eight O'Clock. I'll go and see who it is, -
says Hetty, demurely, taking the candle
from the table.


mo. Here you wind up my ball and
sweep the hearth, while | go to the door, !"
says the old lady, whose feet were strug-
Cling in the meshes of the unraveled yarn.
''Drat that cat


And all this time Josiah was standing on
one foot out in the cold porch, with his
hands in his overcoat pockets, wondering
if Hettie had fallen asleep, and every now
and then giving the door a smart rap by
way of variety.


In her hurry, Mrs. Thomas forgot to take
the candle, and as she stepped out into the
little front entry, the sitting room door slam
slammed after her. She had her hand on
the handle of the door at the moment, and
opening it, she suddenly found berselfin the
embrace of stout pair of arms whiskered
face in close proximity to her own and
before she could think of the strangeness of
her situation, she received a prolonged kiss
a hearty smack-full uron her virtuous mat
| ron lips.


She had by this time divested herself OF
the impression that it was her usually sober
spouse who must have come home in an IN
| usually excited condition thus to indulge in
such an unwonted expression of affection.


Get out, get out! l say Who are you,
anyhow? Murder! thieves Hettyl come
herel Here's man kissing me like mad y
But the intruder had by this time discov-
cred his mistake-it did not need the indig-
nant pummeling and scrathing of the old
lady's fists to cause him to relinquish bis
hold and fly as if pursued by some indignant
ghost.


| Hetty, nearly choking with smothered
laughter, in spite of trepidation, now came
to the rescue.


Il never was so frightened in all my life
the mean scamp! Who can it be, Hetty


But that dutiful daughter was, to al
appearances, as innocent as a turtle dove.
She soothed the old lady by representing
that it might have been one of the neigh
>bors, who, having drank too much, had mis-
taken the house aud the housewife.
n