Year: 1866

MISS MAIt1 . BLUE HAT.


MY friend Kelly was walking
down Main street, Milwaukee, last
autumn, in brown study upon
some abstruse subject, his vision
horizontal and vacant, and his step
rapid and careless, when just as he
had forded one of the crossing
streets and lifted one foot to place
it upon the curbstone, a big, but
cowardly yellow dog came sweep
ing along, followed by black
animal of the same species. The
yellow dog whized past him, but
the black specimen, oblivious to
all things but the object of pursuit,
as every dog should be on such an
occasion, and, possibly, somewhat
under the control of his own mo-
mentum, struck Kelly's perpendicu-
lar leg, while the other was walking,
and knocked it out from under
him. My friend went down instan-
ter. His glossy beaver bounced
upon the pavement, and continued
its journey. Spectacles danced
jingling into the gutter, while his
shawl struck against shopman's
window like pellet paper on a
wall.


Kelly gathered himself together,
picked himself up, and looked after
the dog that had done the mischief,
expecting to find him shove to" in
canine dismay at the accident he
had caused; but, to his autter as
tonishment, the animal seemed as
regardless of his equilibrium as of
any other trivial matter, and was
making after the aforesaid yellow
dog at as great speed as though he
had not tipped over the best fellow
in Wisconsin.


While my friend was down, a
clear, musical, girlish laugh had
rung out upon the air. 1t was so
evidently spontaneous, so charm
ingly musical, was so suddenly
checked, and withal so good cause,
that Kelly could scarcely be angry
or even disconnected.


When the gentleman had recov-
cred from his surprise at the heed
lessness of the quadruped, he
bethought him of the music. There
were half a dozen ladies in view,
but by trigonometrical calcula-
ton he reached the conclusion that
the laugh must have come from
either a dainty little blue hat with
delicate, straw-colored trimmings,
or a decidedly sober and ancient
brown one-the two being in con-
junction. Of course he fastened
upon the blue hat; for never since
the flood did a grave, questionable
bonnet give out such gushing
laughter as that.


Kelly was not a city gentleman
not he. He was squire in a rural
town, a leader of town affairs. A
man OF mark; to whom the village
politicians looked for shrewdest
counsels, on whom abused people
called for advice and redress, and
in whose hands friendless widows
put the management of their scanty
estates, sure that all would be done
for them and the little orphans that
tact, fidelity, and warm heart
could accomplish.


The blue hat was city hat; and
the brown hair it covered, together
with the hazel eyes that sparkled
in front of it, were of city growth.
But the sober, brown honnet was a
rural affair; and the lady under it
was a rural aunt of good dimen-
sions, both person and heart. Be.
fore the catastsophe which brought
out the laughter, the aunt was
listening attentively to the lady's
very eager request that she would
try and procure her a school near
her country home; after the aeci.
dent the brown bonnet gave a very
appropriate and impressive lecture
ON the improyriety of laughing out