Year: 1860

| oed fellow, as we sat Upright and stared,
Right 10y my side, with her face within two
leet OF my own, sat young woman, not
more than seventeen, with great, dark ha-
zel eyes, such great masses Of brown curls,
tucked away under the neatest little night
cap that ever was She had gathered the
bed clothes with spasmodic Jerk, up about
her throat, and with the most rigid, aston
ished look, as though doubting whether she
was sleeping or walking, gazed steadily in
my eyes. Memory serves man but little
in like eases but If my memory serves me
right, 1t was | who first spoke. blurted
out with


How came yon here p


The figure stared still in spsechless as
tonishment, but ina moment as though
awakened from its stupefaction. spoke


Are you Charles Morgan p


Yes was my rather subdued answer


Well, then, Mr.. Morgan said the figure.
by this time speaking as calm, and with
quite as much dignity as though in the draw
ing-room, i am May Stevens, and / was
put in this, after an unexpected arrival.
Horace had gone over to a neighbours.
few miles of, before got here, and was not
to return until to-day. That is how | was
put in this room.'


so here | was, setting uis ris to this
May Stevens, that mythical lady, for the
first meeting with whom had intended to
get mp snch a superlatve toilet. A nice
style Of Introduction and a nice style of
toilet And she-she by this time was as
cool as the 3lst of December. and sat look
ing me right in the eye, as | made some
ScrambIing eXplaDaiion of my being in that
extraordinary position. 1t was a lame cx.
PLANTATION wonderfully mixed up with irreIe.
want matter, and stammored and suffered
through in n way that should have disgust
ed any sensible person. She seemed to be
seriously pondcring during the recital, and
at its end, looking at me as though asking
the most simple question in the world, said


What's to he done |?


Let me jump out of the window, as
came in,' suid | in sickly tone of voice
for the thought came to me, that to achieve
this end must make some desperate dis
play of myself in a style of costume which
| deprecated. She relieved me instantly
with


No that will not do, there are people
moving about, and you will surely be seem


1t was my turn now to stammer out


Whats to be done p For saw that
the little hazel-eyed girl was superior to me
in presence of mind and energy of action.
She did not wait long TO answer my ques.
tion.


'You must lie still here while / get mp.
When 1 have left the room, you eau rise,
dress, and go away at the first opportunity
was her response, delivered in quiet,
business-like manner.


And so did, under May Stevens CON-
mand buried my ntruding head under
the bed clothes, and kept it we'll covered
until heard the retreating footsteps on the
stairs, which was 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 l will
venture to say that no man ever sneaked
out of bis own apartment more stealthiy
than did.


That morning we met, May Stevens and
I, at the breakfast tablet in the charac-
ter of the ncwly-arrived that mornng-and
were formally introduced, during the cere-
mony Of which we aStonshed every one
present, and planted thorn of wonder in
the sides of Nettie and Carrie, by bursting
simultaneously into hearty laugh, which
we never fail to repeat whenever the memo
ry of our first meeting comes up.


And now, cousin Jane you have the
whole story how l first met my wife,