Year: 1860

Iuietly INTO ped and In three minutes was OBJ
livious.


'What ought to have dreamed that night
But L shall not anticipate. l lay facing the
windows as the sun peeped up above the dis.
tant nils, and scattered the grey mists of the
morning. My bed fellow was breathing heav.
lily, but it was broad daylight and there was
no more sleep in me, so | determined that
Horace should wake up and hear my story oi
the railroad breakdown. turned quickly and
gave the sleeper sudden shake. AS rapidly
as my own motion, my bed fellow, who had
laid with his back towards me, sprung into a
sitting position. There are such surprises, as
without terror, absolutely deprive us of the
power OF speech until the brain has time to
act and reason. Such surprises do not gene
rate screams and faints. They are expressed
by open-mouthed and silent wonder. This
was the case with myself and my bed fellow,
as we sat upright and stared. Right by my
side, with her face within two feet Of my own,
sat young woman, not more than seventeen,
with great, dark hazel eyes, and such great
masses of brown curls, tucked away under the
neateSt little night-cap that ever was. She
had gathered the bed clothes with spasmod-
ic jerk: up about her throat, and with the most
rigid, aStonished look, as though doubling
whether she was sleeping or waking, gazed
steadily in my eyes. Memory serves a man
but little in like cases but, if my memory
serves me right, it was l who first spoke.
blurted out with


ssHow came you here 30


The figure stared still in Speechless aston
ishment, but in moment, as though awaken
ed from its stupefaction, spoke =


care you Charles Morgan ?''


eyes" was my rather subdued answer


"Well, then, Mr.. Morgan said the figure,
by this time speaking calmly, and with
quite as much dignity as though in the drawing
room, 81 am May Stevens, and was put in
this room, after an unexpected arrival. Hor-
ace had gone over to a neigh boris, few miles
off, before l got here, and was not to return
until to day. That is how 1 was put in this
ROOM"


So here 1 was, sitting face to face with this
May Stevens, that mythical lady, for the first
meeting with whom had intended to get ND
such superlative toilet. A nice style of in
PRODUCTION, and a nice style of toilet! And
she-she by this time was as cold as the 3Ist
OF December, and sat looking me right in the
eye, as l made some scrambling explanation
OF my being found in that extraordinary posi-
tion. 1t was a lame explanation, wonderfully
mixed up with irrelevant matter, and stam-
mered and suffered through in way that
should have disgusted any sensible person.
She seemed to be seriously pondering during
the recital, and at its end looking at me as
though asking the most simple question in the
worlo, said





s'Let me jump out of the window, as came
in,' said ] in sickly tone of voice for the
thought came to me that to achieve this end
must make some desperate display of myself
IN style OF costume which | deprecated.
She relieved me instantly with:


ono, that will not do, there are people
moving about, and you will be seen.''


1t was my turn now TO stammer out:


ssWhat's to be done ?'' For | saw that little
hazel-eyed girl was superior to me in presence
of mind and energy of action. She did not
wait long to answer my question.


"9ou must lie still here while I get up.
When l have left the room, you can rise,
dress, and go away at the first opportunity
was her response, delivered in a quiet, busi-
neSs-like manner.


And SO did, under May Stevens command.
| buried my intruding head in the bed CLOTHES
ana kept it well covered until / heard the re-
treating footsteps upon the stairs, which wa S
but few minutes, though it seemed an age
and then with desperate bound l sprung from
the bed, and turned the key on the departed
one. 1t was the quickest dressing / ever
made, and will venture to say that no man
ever sneaked ont of his own apartment more
than | did.


That morning we met-May Stevens and l.
at the breakfast tablet in the character of
the newly-arrived that morning-and we were
formally introduced, during the ceremony of
which we astounded every one present, and
planted thorn of wonder in the sides of Net
tie and Carrie by bursting simultaneously into
a hearty laugh, which We have never failed to
repeat whenever the memory of our first meet
ing comes up.'


s'And now, cousin Jane, you have the whole
story of how first met my wife,