Year: 1878

'fYes, yes, he said sebut we haveno
son that cares to come home TO us. .
After a time another sound was heard
| a rumble Of wheels, and they stopped at
the gate, and before either of them had
got there an excited young woman had
burst in, and kissed them both before they
could say word After few minutes
the presence of some one outside was
broken very gently, and then the bes
part of that old, old story of the Prodiga
Son was acted again. What passed at
that time was too sacred, too solemn for
other eyes than their own. ~


One evening soon after Ieannie and
Fred had returned to the city, they were
chatting costly together in the little
front room up stairs. 'I'm going to
bring the doctor up tomorrow evening"
he said, ''and if you don't say he's fine
specimen l shall consider your judgment
fatally warped by too much poetry and
school teaching


There certainly isn't much sameness
about the two, ;" she answered, laughing,
Il dare say he's a sanity kind of a
creature that exists only in your imagina
ton. I'm afraid Pm going to be disap
pointed in him. / wouldn't wonder II he
turned out to be dreadful commonplace
and dull. Or if he isn't, perhaps he'll be
condescending, and look down, from his
lofty pedestal, on me, as something that's
really quite passable for woman, where
at he'll proceed to rack his gigantic in
tellect for phrases that are pretty and
harmless, and suited to my comprehen-
sion. That's the kind Of man that
makes my blood boil, and | shall shock
him. Depend upon it i shall forget how
much L owe him and say something
dreadful. If you see me on dangerous
ground, just step on my toe and Iii leave
the room for few minutes and cool
down y


even make you look as pretty as pos
sible, and III keep guard over your
temper, and perhaps Wen be able to
worry through the evening. ',1s


Now if II was only the gentleman |
told you of, who was so kind when
sprained my wrist, then there would be
some excitement in getting yourself up
killing believe you said your doctor
was about fifty and had bald spot on his
head, didn't YOUR roq


.Well, the poor man can't help his age,
can he? I've known some very estinIable
people who even wore wigs. Besides,
you are twenty-five, and can't expect 10
be noticed by gentlemen much under
sixty H.1 9


Then don't make him any more daz-
zling than you have already, or Shall De-
Obliged to enter the room carrying a piece
Of smoked glass before my eyes. Besides,
if you tell many more like the last, | shall
begin to suspect his very existence. Be
ware lest turn on you as did Betsy Prig
when the hyperbolical Mrs. Harris be-
came too much for her.


'Pausei you know not what you do; if
one Of them is glass, spare me for the pre-
sent. haven't quite recovered from the
wig yet though you did break il as gently
as possible. =


She stuck her needle into the cushion
and leaned back, pushing up her hair
with both hands and drawing her pretty
brows into frown, as she regarded him;
but the Sphynx was not more immovabie
than the subject before her, and she gave
it up.


The next evening the two gentlemen
called rs expected. When Jeannie en-
tered the little parlor, and the lntroduc-
ton followed, the denouenent was all
that treacherous and designing young
man could possibly wish for.


The first time that the Doctor and his
friend met after that evening an exceed
ingly lively conversation ensued. Each
one mad been the victim Of the other to u
certain degree, but strange to say, neither
Of them seemed disposed 10 retaliate in an
unpleasant manner-fact, they took It
quite philosophically and stood ready 70
accept the result in high good humor.
Fred Hulett was heard to make some re
marks concerning references, but the Doc
tor declared it looked little now as If
the shoe was on the other foot.





Just one year from that eventful
Thanksgiving, DIR. Thorndyke joined
JEANNE and Fred at the old farm house.
There was quite a little family gathering;
even DR.. Tnorndyke's mother, q grand
looking old lady, was there. The room
was dressed in evergreens and FERNS with
scarlet bittersweet berries burning among
the branches. The open fire cast a CHEEKY,
dancing gleam on the faces of the guests,
and the old-fashioned candelabra held
waxen tapers all alight.


Suddenly there was little expectant
hush-under the leafy arch came man
and woman who had realized in each
other that one bit OF Heaven which the
first of a sorrowful race had carried out OF
Paradise when the earthly gates were
closed forever, that perfect love- which
casteth out fear.


Since her marriage Mrs. Thorndyke
has won reputation in the literary
world, and her husband glories in her sue
cess. might tell the name she writes
under, but promised not to.





A curious incident is related OF
CANARY bird by 4 Georgia paper