Year: 1877

her trousseau; but my father said this
only to tease Aunt Deborah, and I
never believed it was true.


In that year l was breeched we lost
Aunt Deborah altogether 1t was q
great year at Sweetcross, l remember
1t was IN the winter time. We had
kept Christmas merrily, in downright
old-fashioned winter, and the snow
made the village look like the top of
twelfth cake from Yuletide right up to
st. Valentines Eve. | mention St. Val
entlne's Eve because that was red
letter day with US, for it pleased the
Fates that I should be born on 18th
OF February, and we always kept the an
nlversary. | was allowed to sit up till
midnight in my own honor, and make
myself as Ill as bounteous good things
would permit. We had little company,
but we were happy circle, full of good
humor and life. My father and some
other of the elders were full of nonsense
so Aunt Deborah said-for they all
declared that she longed for the dawn
of day and the coming of the village
postman. There was great joke to





upon on the dawn of the auspicious 14th
would be her valentine, and Aunt laugh
ed and vowed she would look on none
other than her dear boy. When jokes
failed they took to storytelling, and
each had some merry tale to tell of Dan
Cupid and his whims.


1t was nearly midnight when it came
to Aunt Deborah's turn, and by that
time unlimited ginger-wine and un-
wonted almonds and raisins were doing
their will upon my eyelids; but when [
heard Aunt Deborah say she did not
know any stories, l reused myself and
blurted out that she knew the tale of
the pretty Princess; and aunty seemed
confused, and said it was nonsense, and
only story for very little boys. But
my father and all the rest insisted that
she should tell it. She would not, how
ever, and then, little idiot that / was, I
volunteered the story, and told it
straight through in its simplicity, for |
knew it by heart, and had not the sense
to see that was covering poor Aunt
Deborah with confusion.


remember that had just come to
the part where the Princess was look
ing over the silvery sea, longing for the
ship that never came, when the door
opened. almost noiselessly, and we saw
a strange man standing in the room.


He was muffied up in rough coat,
and he took off fur cap and ficked
the snow from it with his hand. Every
body started up as the light of the lamp
fell softly on his handsome, bearded
face. .s.-


"Good God!" cried my father; s'Pet-'
wood!" And he took the strange mans
hand.


Aunt Deborah, pale as ghost, had
risen with the rest, and she stood star-
ing at the stranger with a lost look in
her eyes. Then she tottered toward
him timidly, holding out her hand; but
he advanced TO meet her, with his arms
wide open, and aunty burst out crying
and fell upon his breast.


just at that moment the old church
bell rang out the hour of midnight, and
heard my father say: "The ship has
come from over the silvery sea-"
And Aunt Deborah looked up into the
strange mans face, and as his was the
first male face she had looked upon
since the clock had ushered in the day
l concluded that he must be her valen-
tine.


was right, too, for the strange man
Petwood was the Mr.. Somebody who
had wanted to marry Aunt Deborah,
and he had come back rich from the
land of gold, and had not married 10
savages--that was fudge-and he laugh
ed at the story with the rest. But he
did marry Aunt Deborah, and he is now
my Uncle Petwood, the best and kindest
of men. H. f'