Year: 1861

a month my desk, and went down WIN
my old chum, Horace Hyatt, to his ia
theirs in old Monmouth, the garden of
that unjustly abused State. New Jer-
sey. I should never have forgotten
that visit, even though I had not there
met with an adventure that had its In


1uence on the whole future Of my life
I should remember it for the real true
hospitality the solid old time Of comfort
of the farm, and the quiet way in which
within a few days after my arrival, l
was put into posesseon of it and made
to feel that it all belonged to me to do
just what I pleased with. There was
plenty Of fish, and we ished, plenty Of
woodcock, and we shot. All this shall
be spoken of with a proyiso. Isay we
by which, let it be understood, l do
not mean Horace't twin sisters, Carrie
and Nettie, as having participated in
all these sports. They rode, to be
sure, and charlningly they did it; they
fshed, and l am obliged to confess they
we're much luckier than their guest
But they did not shoot, though l shall
not exult over their luck Of this accom-
plishment, they were charming enough
without. lam sure, l shall excite no
jealousy by declaring that with one ex-
ception, which Ishall not mention here,
Carrie and Nettie Hyatt were the most
charming girls that l had ever seen,
and I was just hesitating as to which OF
them should fall desperately in love
with, when my calculations were all
disturbed by an aelsent--for to l sup
pose I must call it though really
seeming like a special Providence
What this was, I shall tell in the best
way l know how. yrm 1hNa .I.


For some days after my arrival at
the farm, my curiosity had been much
excited by the occasional panegyrics
lavished by the young ladies upon one
schoolmate of tn cir own, May Stevens
by name, who was according to their
highly colorcd account, the most per-
feet thing in the shape of woman then
living. I tried to persuade myself, that
nothing in that line co,ld surpass Car
rie and Nettie, but still the reputation
Of this May Stephens haunted me, and
came like a shadow across nay newborn
passion. I formed at last an imaginary
May Stephens, and do what l would
the figure was with me. At last
worked into an agony Of curiosity, and
trembled with some great purpose which
should bring before me the object Of
my thoughts and Of the two sisters con-
tinucd conversation. In what this
would have ended it is impossible for
me at this time to say, had 1 not one
morning, as entered the breakfast
reom, heard the startling words from
Nettie:


"And so she is coming at last. I'm
so glad" r. ..r..s .a -aa ..s.s


Whether it was that the train Of my
thoughts was upon that point at thai
moment, 1 cannot say; but l knew di-
rectly the whole matter. l saw Carrie
with an open letter in her hand, and
coupling it with Nettie's words. ]
knew that the only hitherto heard-o1
May Stephens was about to become a
reality. 1 had no need to ask ques.
tons. All the information was profer,
ed. May tStephens-the incompatible
May--was to spend month at Hyatt's
and they we're to expect her at any mo-
ment, though, as the letter read, she
might not be down for week to come
A week--it was an age, century, and
was in a futter " excitement. My
long standing passion, of nearly two
weeks duration, for Carrie was forgot
ten in an instant, and my whole mind
was absorbed in making the best figure
possible before this new queen. W lth
this idea began to look into my
wardrobe. 1 had come down with sui
ficient clothes to answer all ordinar
purposes, including, of course, Carrie
and Nettia. hut this new goddess was