Year: 1877

There is a man in our village whose name is Thomas Brown. This is not remarkable fact in itself, but this par ticular Brown met with little adven- ture not long ago, that is really too good to let pass. Brown is widower, on the other shady side of forty, and rather well to do in this worlds goods. He is not good looking; in fact he looks rather the other way, but somehow he has managed to secure two better halves, outliving both. Since his last wife's death, he has been living in our village inn (dignified by the name of hoteD, and has spent more of his time in-well, looking around for third Mrs. Brown. Not long ago the land lord handed him letter directed to Thomas Brown, Esq-Hotel, Still water. He opened it and read:

 MY DEAR BROWN II have just bought a houte in the town of B., and have moved my wife and daughter there for the summer. I will be detained in the city for week yet; couldn't you, like the good fellow you are, go over to B. and stay there until come? It's true you never met any of my family but me, but this letter will be a sufficient introduction to them, and 1 will guar antee you a hearty welcome. Make yourself completely at home, as if I was there, and have an eye over things in general. Do this for your own school fellow. -

 HIRAM JUDKINs.

 Brown stared at this letter for full two minutes after reading, and then broke his spell of enchantment by com mencing to vigorously scratch his head. He thought over all the boys he used to go to school with and play marbles with, but did not remember any Hiram Judkins. He never recollected hearing the name before, and the harder he scratched his head the more mystified he became. He looked up the address on the envelope and read Thomas Brown, Esq, again. He was the only one of that name in Saltwater, conse- quently the letter must be meant for him but who and what was Hiram Jud- kins? So deep did his eogitations be- come and so engrossed was he in solv- ing the enigma that he twisted his face into every imaginable shape, to the consternation of the landlord, who had been standing by watching his boarder and who asked him if he had a pain, and advised little gin and water as relief. Brown replied by turning on his heel and walking off. All that day hn fo froc hi memory of school days, but at night had conjured up no vision of a Hiram Judkins. He used to know a Hiram Sands, and as the recollection flashed upon him he thought he had solved the enigma, as Hiram might have married somebody by the name of Judkins, and reversed the order of things by drop ping his owff name and taking the lady's. But on second thought he secuted this idea entirely, and by night he was no nearer the solution than in the morning. One thing he decided upon though. He would go to B. and seek up the Judkins family, minus Hiram, and then decide whether the letter was intended for him. That night he dreamed of man who had a thousand and one names pinned on his back, and all of these names were Hi- ram Judkins. He tried to catch a glimpse of the mans face, but he per- sistently turned his back to him. The next morning he made his necessary arrangements and started in the noon train for B@. Arriving there he had little difficulty in finding the neat lit tie cottage which Mrs. Judkins and her daughter had just commenced to occupy, and with rather nervous tread he walked up the pretty path from the gate to the front porch and timidly knocked at the door.

 He was ushered into a neat little parlor by matronly lady, who, when he inquired after Mrs. Hiram Judkins, informed him that she was the person.

 ''I have just received this letter from your husband,' he commenced, as he pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to her.

 She took it, and upon looking over its contents exclaimed, "Ah, yes; so this is MT. Brown? I am glad to see you, sir. My husbands friends are mine, and you must make yourself at home here-do just as you please. Per haps you would like to wash after travelling" and not waiting for an an- swer she rang the bell, and continued to the young girl who answered the summons, ''Mary Ann, take this gen. tleman up to the third story front room and see that he is attended too."

 Brown saw that it would not do to seek an explanation in the presence of the servant, so he quietly submitted to being led upstairs, and dismissing the girl he shut the door and began to ru- minate on what should be the next move. It was evident that he was get ting himself into scrape, and he con- cluded to explain matters at the earliest opportunity. The supper bell inter- rupted his meditations, and it was with rather nervous air that he answered the summons. He found Mrs. Judkins already at the head of the table, while opposite her sat young girl, that he found to be her daughter, and whom