Year: 1867

made carpet, and Hettys work-stand


drawn up in front Of the blazing fire, A


bountifully piled waiter of great red ap-
pies and plate Of cracked walnuts were
on it, in close proximity to Hettys work


basket.


| On one side of the fire sat Mrs. Thomas
fat and fair, and at peace with all the
world, rocking and knitting, and refresh
ing at sundry intervals with a bite from
half eaten apple that lay on the corner
of the table. and touching every now al d
then, IN caressing manner, with her foot,
a sleep, lazy-looking cat that purred and
winked on the rug before her, Hetty sat
on the other side sewing, and busy in
thinking how she would tell her mother
that she expected visitor She would
have given the world to be able to say in
an off-handed manner that she expected
Mr. Hawley to drop in about eight. But
she recolected with a twinge Of con-
science how hard she had tried to get the
old lady to accompany her husband to
! Aunt Ruths, in spite of the forewarning
of spell of neuralgia; how she had
pleaded head ache as an excuse for not
| going herself And she knew that her
mother was quite sharp enough to draw
her own differences from her being dress
ed with unusual care to spend the even
ing at home.


II shall not dare to tell her now. She
will be sure to think that | wanted to
get her out of the way SO | might have
Josiah all to myself, and [ should never
hear the last of it," And SO, like wise
little puss, she kept it silent.


[ will venture my word on it, you
would not have wondered at our young
farmers desperate enthrallment if you
could have seen Hetty Thomas as she was
sewing by the freside on that cold Nov
ember evening. Under pretext of going
to her uncle's, Ca thing she had no idea
of doing) she had, just before tea, indul- |
ged in discrimi nate ."fxing up" A
neatly fitting dark calico dress, with the
store look upon it, fresh linen collar |
and a tasteful black apron-these were
the chief items of Hetty's toilet; but she
looked as sweet and dainty in her plain
dress as if hours had been spent In dom
ming lace and jewels. Her rich hair of
the darkest auburn tinge fell in shining
folds close to her warm, red cheeks, aad |
was caught up in a cunning net behind.


Eight o'clock and pastl Mrs. Thomas
DOING in her chair-her shadow on the
opposite wall bobbing about in grotesque
mimicry as she nodded to and fro--now
crushing the voluminous white satin bows
on her spruce cap against the back of her
chair-now almost falling forward, and
her fat hands lay listlessly in her lap, and
her ball of yarn had rolled out upon the
hearth, and puss was busy converting it
into Gordian knots.


And just then came double rap at
the door so loud, sudden and self assur
ed that Hetty started up with little
shrek, and gave voice to her amusement |
and displeasure. The combined noises
reused Mrs Thomas, and starting to an |
erect position she rubbed her eyes, settled
her cap border and exclaimed: ''Bless
my soul, Hetty, what was that?''


Somebody at the door,"


"Who can be comirg here at this time
of night?"


'It's not late mother-only little
past o'clock. I'll go and see who it is"
said Hetty, demurely, taking the candle
from the table.


"No. Here you wind up my ball and
sweep up the hearth, while | go to the
door," says the old lady, whose feet were
struggling in the meshes Of the unraveled
yarn.


All this time Josiah was standing on
oae foot out in the cold porch, with his
hands in his overcoat pockets, wondering
if Hetty had fallen asleep, and every now
and then giving the door smart rap by
way of variety. In a hurry, Mrs. Thoul-
as forgot to take the candle, and as she
stepped into the little front entry the
sitting room door slammed after her. She
had her hand on the handle of the hall
door at the moment, and opening it she
suddenly found herself in the embrace of
| stout pair of arms, whiskered face in
close proximity to her own, and, before
she could think about the strangeness of
her situation, she received a. prolonged
kiss-a hearty smack-full upon her Vir-
tuous matronly lips.


She had by this time divested herself
of the impression that it was her usually
sober spouse, who must have come in an
unusually excited condition thus to in
dulge in such an unwonted display of af-
fection. "Get out ! get out, [ say. Who
are you, anyhow {? MurderI thieves !!
Hetty, come here, here's man kissing
me like sixty"


But the intruder had by this time dis
covered his mistake-it did not need the
indignant scratching and pummeling of
4Lo IA IaJu'c fists to cause him tn relIn-