Year: 1868

! Tue w ellis family. Inc grass waved
and surged about in the evening breezt
a sea of billowy green, gemmed will
tall, nodding buttercups. The deli
cious breath from the crimson clover
on the hillside came waited to hel
like purest incense, and little fur
ther on, faint, delicate odor from
the lowlands told of strawberries rip
ening to luscious sweetness dowr
among the rank grass and weeds
The bobolinks nodded their saucl
black caps at her as they followed
along in friendly proximity, thrilling
forth meanwhile their unintelligible
iargon, rich and clear in its silvery
sweetness. and thus attended she trav
Ell sed slowly the long meadow path
drinking in at every step the beauties
of earth and sky and cloud. Dowr
the little hill which hid her home from
view, then through huge gate which
opened little way with its creaking
sweep, let through her agile form, then
around the corner of field of rye, al
ready standing stout and tall, and she
entered a little pine grove. The
breeze was whispering and signing in
the waving branches, making a sweet
pensive music which chimed in pleas,
antly with her thoughts so attuned to
natures harmony, and she fingered in
the charming grove little. pleased
with everything, even the soft, brown
carpet which the fallen needles made
under her feet. Regarding it then,
and not till then. she noticed that she
had on her new CATERS. Provoking
The morning dew would nearly spoil
their beauty, but it was not worth
while to go clear back home again
so, resolving to make the best of it,
she passed on out at the bars, and
down little piece of dusty road to
the brown little house which was her
destination.


The soft, clear, summer night pass
ed away, the patient watcher moving
quietly about, doing all that sympa-
thy could prompt for the poor old wo-
man now so nearly beyond the reach
of her gentle ministrations. With a
touch as tender as though the invalid
were a dear friend, she chafed the





aged limbs smoOthed back the snowy
hair from the wrinkled face, and bath,
ed the aching head. Unwearied were
her attentions, and much were they
needed by the worn sufferer, until
toward morning they took effect, and
she sank away into a quiet, peaceful
sleep. Still Charity sat by the bed
side, driving away with her fan the
villainous mosquitoes that persisted
in annoying her charge, and at the
same tIme creating ir6sn currents Oh
air for the comfort of the o"Ao~o-',
whose lungs were we'll nigh wasted
away.


At sunrise the family were up, and
Charity was released from her post.
glad to 90 forth in the fresh morning
air, after her wearisOme night.


The fresh rays of the morning sun
shone full in DR.. Nortons face, rous-
ing him from night of unusually qui-
ct and undisturbed sleep. To visit
Old Mrs. Wells was his first thought,
and he made a hastv toilet and start
ed out A sudden determination seiZ-
ed him to 90 across the fields on foot,
instead of taking his horse to go ar
ound by the road which was twice as
far. The morning air was so invig,
Grating that he felt as it the walk
would be a decided benefit, so he
struck into the path across the pas
ture, which. at the rye field. came into
the path Charity traversed the evening
before, and walked briskiy on.


Mindful of the welI-being of her
new CATERS, Charity picked her way
carefully along the road, wetting them
in the dewy grass when she tried to
avoid the dust, and covering them
with dirt when she tried to avoid the
dew by taking the midle of the road.
Once in the shadow of the pines, she
paused to look at them in disgust
when a brilliant thought struck her.
Why not doff shoes and stockings and
90 home barefoot? 1t was so warm
and pleasant, and the path so smooth
and soft. There was no danger Of
meeting any one, and she could slip
in unobserved at the back door at
home, so that even her watchful moth
er need not know it. To plan was
to execute with this active young lad y,
and seating herself on a fallen tree
trunk by the path she quickly barred
her feet, rolled the snowy stockings
into snug little ball which she put
into her pocket, light knotted togeth-
the strings to her CATERS so she might
hang them over her arm, then rose
and went bravely onward, congratu-
lating herself on her brilliant idea
Alas, for the frailty of human calcula-
tions Out of the pine woods, along
by the edge of the thrifty rye, and
there was DR.. Norton himself just
coming around the corner, and within
ten yards of meeting her, paipably and
undisguisedly barefoot as she was,
with her skirts caught up to avoid the
dew, and her new CATERS carefully
hung over her arm! g


1t was trying moment for Chari-
ty Abbott, and all sorts of wild tho'ts
careered through her mind at once,
though she still kept on her way, since
it was too late for concealment. Yes
terday's bushes when he caught her
exhibiting her CATERS were as white
roses to peonies compared with the