Year: 1869

tain afternoon making an omelet At
least he called il an Omelet, hut in reality
1t was nothing but scrambled eggs. "Ome-
let " sounded better, but il would not have
tasted half as good, especially if Cyrus
had had TO make one bimsef


In order to understand why this young
man cooked his own eggs it must be known
that he was medical student in Philadel-
phia, and the son of very respectable
and by no means nngenerous physician in
Maryland, who allowed him for his eX-
penses quite enough TO keep him very
comfortably, even in a large city. But
Cyrus, who always had table-boar on
Walnut street for about the first half of
every month, had generally been accus-
toned from necessity to live in a "bache-
lor-hall" style for the remaining portion
of the month in his rooms on Sansom
street He was very nicely situated in
these rooms, and the high rent he paid for
them contributed not little to his slim
ness of purse during those days which im-
mediately preceded the arrival of his
monthly remittances His study" was
on the second floor of what is known in
the city of Brotherly Love as the back
buildings" and was approached from the
long entry by single short fight ofstairs.
This room looked out at the side on
pleasant yard, was very well furnished,
and was altogether quite too good for a
young fellow who ought to have been sat
isfed with any garret where he could
study unmolested. Back of the large
room was small bedchamber, generally
tenanted not only by Cyrus himself, but
by any one of his companions who might
stay too late studying anatomy-or eu.
chre.


Cyrus was bending over his little wood.
ctirrino hiQ YNiIIxr thox,
should burn, and keeping an eye at the
same time on his coffee-pot, which, how
ever, had given no signs of boiling. 1t
was only four o'clock, but Cyrus had had
but a slight lunch, and so wanted an early
supper. This power of having his meals
when he chose was another advantage of
this mode of living His table was set
with a small linen cloth (the clean side
up), a cup and saucer, and q plate. The
"omelet" was just done, and Cyrus had
given it the last scrape around the pan,
when there was knock at the door.


Come in y said he, and the door open
ed and the knocker entered Cyrus look
b ed around, and dropped on the top of the
stove the frying-pan which he was Just
lifting off by the long handle. In the
doorway stood young lady, dressed in
the loyeliest possible travelling suit, with
roses in her cheeks far more glowing than
the pink lining of her parasol. ,T


Mr. Durham" said she. -r -.-s,


"Why, Miss Birch ~ cried Cyrus, with
his face redder than any silk lady would
dare use to line her parasoD II had no
idea-I am very glad to see you; take a
seat You must excuse me-bachelor's
hall, you know, When did you come on p"
Miss Fanny Birch was by no means un
embarrassed She had hesitated about
calling on Mr.. Durham, and would cer-
tainly have postponed; her visit had she
thought she would have found him cook
ing his dinner, supper, or whatever it was.
But she took seat which Cyrus placed
for her (as far as possible from the stove,
but unluckily facing it), and with little
laugh, which was intended to restore her
self-possession, and which had a partial
success asked him where he supposed she
had come on " from; and then, without
waiting for an answer, proceeded to in
form him that she had not come from
home, but was just going there (she lived
about half mile from DIR. Durham's
place) from her uncle Williams, where she
had been for nearly month.


"You know" said she, "that he lives
in New Jersey, just little way out of
Trenton"


Cyrus didn't know it, but he did not say
so, but asked her If she had a pleasant
time. She answered that it was at first,
but she got tired as soon as her cousin
Emily had been obliged to 60 back to
boarding school; and, he knew, those
Connesticut schools always commence
their terms right in the middle of The
finest weather; and did all the students
keep bachelor's hall this wayS


Cyrus said the most of them did at
any rate those who liked better and fresh
food than thau Oranaral1v not Of fha
boarding houses. Then Miss Fanny re-
marked that she thought it was a very
good way if you only knew how to cook
and didn't he think that whatever was in
that pan was all burning up? Cyrus
turned round and said he thought it was
and so he took the frying-pan, full OF
blackened and smoking eggs, off the fire,
y and moved the eoffee-pot little back.


When. he sat down again there was a
little silence He knew she had not come
TO see him simply because they were old
friends and neighbors, and he thought it
very probable that she had something par
ticular to say, and was wondering how
she should say it, He was right. After
looking out of the window, and remark.
ing that she should think the people in
the next house could look right in here
che said: sa


Mr.. Durham, guess you wonder why
I.came to see you, Oh yes, of course you
are glad; but, you see, / left uncle's this
morning by the boat, and sent my trunks
On home by express, and coming off the
boat at Arch Street wharf, or somewhere
Il haven't the slightest idea where
had my pocket picked, or lost my porte
Y monnaie; and 1 didn't know a soul in
Philadelphia who could lend me enough
to pay my fare in the cars, except you
and / thought I'd borrow some of you.
knew You lived in SAMSON Street. but
had to ring at ever so many houses before
found you"


Now as Cyrus had exactly forty-eight
cents in his pocket, this was rather hard
ON the young man.


"You see," she continued, that if ]
take the six o'clock train for Baltimore,
win get there about ten, and can stay
with Mrs Sinclair tonight The passen
ger cars will take me right past her door
and father will send you the money"
p u"Oh, don't mention thai" said Cyrus
who looked exactly MS if he was returning
= from the grave of q pair Of twins. "Bu
II haven't think not, at ieast-but tha
, Il need make no diflerence-lN just step on
and get il, Oh, I'm very glad indeed-n,
Just make yourself comfortable here for
few minutes. There's pipe-I mean there
some books perhaps you would like Z
look at I'll be back directly. Notroubl'
at ALL @TtlElt :


SO OFF went Cyrus, with his hat on hins
part before. AS for Miss Fanny Birch
she first wished she hadn't come. Bu
then she thought that she couldn't help il
for she had no other place to go TO. Blu
she thought Of course he'd have none,
enough for that "What a pity abOu
those eggs-jus. as black as crispl Wha
funny way OF living wonder if b
calls these things clean He ought 70 hay
somebody TO wash his cups and plates 70
Is him; hut suppose it wouldn't be bache
"a lor's hall if he didn't do 1t himself


An those books are full Of horri
ibones, expect I'm sure don't want !
look at them. | should think he di
nothing but smoke pipes every where.