Year: 1859




replied, and turned quickly towards him


though to note the effect of her words 3


unclasped his hand from her arm, and his arr
+ from her waist.


T "Then, Carrie, we must meet no more, an
i God grant that you may never have fearfl
5 waking from your present joyousness and fin
that you have trifed away the hour which WI
given you to mould your own future and tbs


no light laugh may echo your cry for lov
, when your woman's heart turns to find happ
I ness in home husband and children. You hav
7 been very dear to me and l wish / had know
how you felt before, it would have saved m
much misery" Then turning quickly an
holding her face between his large hands b
/ peered through her eyes into her heart. 8"
know that you are good, pure-hearted CIR
and all of this has been my fault. May Go,
: help you, Carrie and he took quiet earnes
kiss from her lips. She rested moment be


meath his hands motionless, the tears dropping
, from her cheeks, and then disengaging hersel


she fed to the house, not Stacking her spec,
until the door of her own room was locked be


hind her.


Caroline Dayton was the only daughter o


a wealthy landholder, who resided in the coun


try, and the idol of the house. Her parents


could not bear the separation of having hel


at school, SO governess, writing master, and


music teacher attended her from the nearest
town. Her life had passed free from care in
the midst of friends, all eyes to add their mite


to her general fund of happiness, and as she
grew up to mingle in society so kindly did the


world, or her little part of it, receive her, thai
ILL Il L.. L. Al
and that she was as safe in its mazes as be-
meath the rooEtree of home. She saw not the
whirlpools of selfshness around her, or the ef
forts to draw her into their currents. It was
difficult not to love her-her face was SO
fresh and winning, beautiful in expression and
feature, while her ardent, impulsive fun-loying


nature was tempered by deep affections, aud
strong sympathies. And when there was adj
ded to these the entire wealth of her father, to
which she was heir, it made her an object
doubly attractive to fortune-hunters, and as a
matter of course lovers were plenty, and her
parents watched anxiously for her choice. But
/ the little fairy loved her freedom too well, and
understood her own heart too little to think
seriously of marriage; besides she was not
/ free from the romantic notions which very
young girls entertain on the subject of love,
and was waiting for some miraculous manifes-
tations to prove that she was 'in love- and
would not hear serious word from any one
on the point. She had driven many young men
from the house by her waywardness but little
she cared while dozen others patiently bore
her frowns, and thankfully received her smiles.
It was wonder to all who Carrie Dayton
would marry and there was not a tea-table in
town, around which suitable husband had not
been selected for her. while the object of their
solicitude thought less on the subject than any
one else. Mr.. Summers had been student in
an adjoining town and visited her fathers
house frequently. When other young men
were around her he would wander off to the
library and spend the time until she was alone
again. He had been early dedicated to the
ministry by his parents, and at the opening of
our story pastor of church in distant
town. The last year he had spent in school
he had seen much of Carrie Dayton and each
time loved her more, although his Judgment
told him she was no wife for II clergyman, and
that she would alternately please and tease him
through life, destroying the quiet necessary to
his profession. Still his affections took ibis
Judgment captive and brought him to
her feet. At times she treated him with
kindness that hattered his fondest hopes, but
as he turned to her with heart hungering for
love, she would give him stones to feed upon,
veXing him beTond endurance by her wayward
trifling and then when he showed his dispeas-
ure she would sooth him with gentle womanlv
ways, which he thought came from other feel
ings than mere dislike of seeing any one un-
happy near her. So, like her other admirers,
he had failed to get one satisfactory word from
her until he brought matters to crisis that
evening. and the result we have seen. The
next morning Carrie dressed with great care
and entered the breaklast-room with down-casC
eyes, but no one was there beside her father
and mother. She waited until they had half
finished their morning meal, and then inquired
where Mr.. Summers was. Her mother replied
I" he left last evening, did you not see him, he
said he had bid you good bye" Yes she had
seen him. but she did not really think he was
going. All day Carrie sewed industriously in
her mothers room, and in the evening when
some young people called they found her list
less and weary.


Would she sing ?" asked one of her old
admirers.


No, she hated music"


Would she walk in the garden it was a
beautiful evening"


No, she wasn't going to catch her death
cold just because the moon happened to shine"


Should he read to her from new book of
poems, just out"


He knew she could not endure poetry,
what could put such an idea into his head"


And so the young man left the field to 9th
ers but none had better success, and as they
found their young hostess would not be pleased
with anything, and was petulant and snappish,
instead of playful and roguish, they all left,
the last one that went down the steps, shaking
his fist exclaiming:


The man that gets Carrie Dayton will
have his hands full; am glad she never ac-
cepted me, and by Jeve I know will never
offer myself again after the exhibition of tenn
1 have seen tonight"


A commendable resolution, for which, no
doubt, his ady-love thanked him. Carrie did
not regain her usual spirits all of that week,
nor during the following one, and on the third
her mother began to watch her anxiously, and
discovered that she was languid and had no
appetite, and she was sure the darling did not
sleep well, all of which discoveries she hasten |
to impart to her husband, who only shook his
mead and said :: d" guess Carrie will come out
right enough after a while" which barbarous
Indifference made his wife wonder how he
could take it so cody, when any one could see
that the dear child was not well. And Carrie
did not seem to be WELL she had lost some of
her flesh, and really looked pale, but when her
mother entreated to know what was the mat
ter she replied, that she had always been too
fat to look WELL and white was more becoming
to her style than those shocking red cheeks she
used to wear, and as to company, she supposed
she had right to stay in her room if she