Year: 1874

house, and walked toward the vehi
Gle. The famished man saw thai
she carried the pooket.boo in he'
hand. The demon of hunger sug
gested robbery as his eyes fastened
upon the well-flled treasure. He
darted forward SO quickly as to at
tract her attention and for a moment
she looked fxedly in his face. A
strange expression passed over hel
face, but it seemed scarcely that OF
fear. She hesitated a moment, and
then laid the tips of her fingers upon
his arms.


Il have been waiting for you,' she
said; get into the carriage please
Wondering at the meaning of heI
words, and scarcely knowing or car
ing what he did, DR.. Cotton did as
the lady requested him.


Drive home,' said the lady to the
driver, and away theywere borne to
fashionable avenue.


'She has mistaken me for somebody
else, he thought, and l must unde.
ceive her.


Then he said aloud, you have
doubtless made some mistake-at
least l have forgotten you if l ever
the honor of an acquaintance


NO, sir was the reply, 4 have
made no mistake; but the explana,
ton is too long to be made here.
Will you not wait till l reach my
home


DIR. Cotton assented, wondering if
the whole adventure was creation
of his fevered brain.


They arrived, after short drive,
at bro wn-stone mansion of consid-
erable size and beauty. The carriage
stopped, and the lady led the way
up the stairs into the hall. Here the
weakened strength of the doctor gave
way, and he sank into the chair half
fainting.


why, what is the matter? p asked
the lady in great concern. Are you
ill?'


The lady hastily summoned the
servants and had him assisted to an
easy-chair. Tempting viands and
generous wines were placed before
him, of which he partook with good
effect, feeling stronger and better
Immediately thereafter.


The lady had absented herself
during his repast, but now she re-
turned, divested of her street dress,
and wearing rich robe. For the
first time DR.. Cotton studied her
face, he thought, the most perfect
in loveliness he had ever seen.


'Are you prepared for an explana-
ton of my rather strange conduct p
she said.


DR.. Cotton bowed.


'Do you not remember me?' She
asked.


DO you remember she continued, :,
Sin Baxter street years ago, of talking
with dirty, ragged little girl-of
telling her that she was too pretty
to live there, and of sending her to
the Girls Refuge p


After thinking a moment, he said
he did re member that circumstance.


Il am the same GIRL and she
smiled merrily at Colton's look of
amazement. l went to the Refuge
as you told me to do, and was kindly
received l proved an apt scholar,
and at the age of seventeen was able
to get situation as teacher in one of
the public schools. had thus been
employed but few months when a
wealthy retired merchant, named
Arthur Ralston, formed my acquain-
tance and asked me to marry him.
l had no friends and his honorable
conduct won my esteem. / married
him only to become within a year, a
widow with fortune. All this time
/ have never forgotten the author of
my success, and have always longed
to reward him in some way for the
advice which proved so valuable
sAnd l fear,' she added kindly, that
my ASST stance was badly needed


Indeed it was, and Cotton related
his career.


DR.. Cotton slept soundly that
night under the roof of Rosa Ralston.
The next day he returned to his
office-his protege, as she called her
self, insisting upon furnishing him
with money to pay his rent and re.
deem his pawned instruments and
clothing. And her bounty was so
skillfully bestowed that it did not
seem like charity, 'only interest on
old debt as she expressed it.


They were married on Rosa's
twentieth birthday, and now DIR.
Cotton, happy in the possession of a
lovely and loving wife, fortune and
large practice, can complacently
contemplate his days of starvation
and despair.