Year: 1865

ever xisted-at least, l thought So


though perhaps / was not an impartia
judge, as l was deeply in love-and i


fact don't believe / could remember o
time when l was not in love with her


1t certainly was not when youngster o


twelve, took her under my speci.l care


feeling prouder of my curl headed charg


than l could now Of q mine of gold MOI


when a tall, awkward boy Of sixteen,
first ventured TO ask her for her com
pany home from church, or still later


when after four years absence. l return


ed to my native town and set up as


surgeon in the house where DIR. Moor e'l


name had been since my earliest recol
lection.


Oakdale was remarkably healthy


place, or else the people felt little
afraid Of trusting their lives in the hands


of such young scapegrace as they had


known mea to be, for somehow my horse


and gig found more employment in car
rying Jsssie Hale to ride than any more
profitable business; and it is certain
more of nv time was spent in Mr.. Hale s
pleasant parlor than in either study or
practice of medicine Some of the
/
/ have very sick patient there to occa-
sion such frequent visits, and l was GER
tain that if l had no patient there. sll
! the patience l ever had was required
! there at times for of all the tantalizing
| little wretches that ever fascinated and
! provoked poor fellow-until he could
! not have told whether he was in the
| body or out of it-Jsssie Hale was the
worst.


And there was I--William Tremaine
standing six feet in my stockings, big
enough to have known better, that is
sure, led about by that little elf, coming
and going at her every beck and call, as
] if l were great simpleton, and in truth
/ must have been, for after playing
yours most devotedly" for six months,
was no nearer winning than at first
Open hearted and candid she was on
every other subject, but just let me speak
of love or marriage. and | might as well
talk to stone wall for all the sense
could get from her No matter how
cautiously | might approach the subject
she was always really with some of
hand answer as far from what l wanted
as the equator from the poles, until /
was almost in despair, but more eager
after every failure ''All is fair in love
or war;" or at least thought so. and re-
solved to trv the result of strategy on
my wiltul little lady-love.


One fine morning, as we were about
starting for ride on horseback, and |
was assisting Miss Jessie into the saddle
her horse commenced rearing and kick
ing at an alarming rate; of course the
birs of iron had cautiously inserted in
the saddle had nothing to do with it
BY the time she was fairly seated he had
become perfectly unmanageable. throw
ing her violently from the saddle; of
course / caught her before she touched
the ground No sooner was she in safe
ty than, with a deep groan. l staggered
back against the fence, my right arm
hanging helpless by my side. 1t took
nicely, for Jessie was beside me in a
moment.


90, WILL" she said piteously. "that
terrible horse has broken your arm and
what will you do? Poor Will. poor
VIM"


How like rascal felt at the sight Of
her distress but l was not going to
give up then so ] answered with anoth-
er terrible groan. 1T is nothing, desr
Jessie, 1 would suffer thousand times
more to feel that / had saved your pre-
cious life"


But, oh, 1 am sorry, What can be
done for you ?" she said in such touch
ing accents that half repented.


THE end justifies the means," 1 tho't.
The end accomplished did. My answer
was low and faint, as if l WAS just dy-
ing.


.'Only tell me that you love me, Jes-
sic darling, it viii soothe my pain more
than anything else in the world" And
then, like the great simpleton that was
put that right arm around her, and
never discovered my mistake until she
sprang Suddenly away from me.


.sWoul dn't little brandy and water
do as well, Tremame 2" she said archly.
There don't seem to he any bones bro
ken; the injury was internal, l should
think"


Wv couldn't have sold myself for
sixpence? But there was no help for
it; so / hsd to own the trick. and went
home wishing l had broken my arm or
neck. didn't care much which. After
that. for awhile. | was rather shy of the
love subject, for l did not fancy hearing
of nv last attempt: but ont Of the
abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh,' and my heart was SO full Of
love for Jessie Hale. that l could not
force my tongue to keep silence very
long SO one morning, after lounging
in my study until | was tired of every
thing-myself in partieular-I went
over the way. resolved that the matter
should be decided before l returned
Jessie wa. sitting by the parlor window,
busily sewing, and humming some mer-
~ tune to herself when l entered She
was looking prettier than ever, / thought
and found it terrible hard work TO talk
on commonplace subjects, when my
mind was so full Of the one so important
to me.


At last broke IN upon some OF her
careless nonsense with-"Why in the
world. jessie don't YOU say whether
YOU love me or not: l believe you do
in fact know you do


Here l was again making 3 fool Of
mvself I might have known she would
never have told me after that. but did
not understand womankind IS we'll then
have