Year: 1877

Ii was, therefore, rs the mistress of
| the renovated mansion behind the ma
plies AT the turn of the road that Barbara
Hawkins was considering herself when
tea time came, and she was quite willing
to hurry back into the parlor while her
ready handed step mother supervised
their solitary thelp' in putting away the
tea things.


By this time poor Bill Emmons made
his appearance, after his long days
drudgery in the one law office of the vii
/ lage, where he was the junior, and there
| tore perhaps the working partner-by
/ that time Barbara was ready, civilly as
| she received him, to wish he would post
pone his call until she could receive
him in so much better style" And
yet that night, of all nights the
young lawyer mad made up his mind to
| put his fate to the test, "aud win or lose
it ALL


Not bad fellow was Bill, and he had
more than once reflected how charmingly
convenient was the location of the
Hawkins homestead, and what a tire
| mendous lift the possession of that and
the productive little farm belonging
thereto would give to a struggling young
lawyer like himself The fact that he
was over head and ears in love with Bar
| bara made the whole affair absolutely
beautiful.


Sad was the trial to his impatient feel
Ings, therefore, when all the eloquence
of which he was master-and he had
| long considered himself master of the
situation as well-only resulted in OBJ
tanning for him a promise from Barbara
that she would consult her step moth
err"


"Such a change it would make for
her if | should leave her" sighed Bar
bara.


''Not at all, not at ALL" eagerly ex-
claimed Bill. "She could live with us,
you know. Everybody likes her. I'm
sure l do. She wouldn't be in the way
at all.


! But vain was all he could say or do,
except that Barbara's vision of the Grover
farm and house may have receded some
what as she listened to the pleadings of
her suitor. She also hoped Dan might
not come that evening, for not only the
present situation had its charms, but it
might have its perils as we'll Dan Grov-
er was not. man to be trihed with she
knew, for all his quiet, selfcontained
ways.


And so it was with something of feel
ing of relief that Barbara listened, at
last to the bur of the old kitchen clock
striking nine.


1t was at the same instant that the
shadows of two who were walking side by
side in the moonlight fell on the gate in a
singularly undignifed manner; and tn en-
as the gate opened Barbara sprang to her
feet with a slight exclamation. She had
been sitting close to the low window-seat,
and she had not seen fit, or had forgotten,
to light lamp.


There may or there may not have been
any cause for surprise, but the way of il
had been this No sooner were the tea
things out Of the way than Mrs. Hawkins
remembered an errand she had in the
village, and had slipped quietly out to
perform it. Nor would so simple mat
ter have taken two long hours, but that,
just as the widow was stepping across
the, little foot-bridge at the brook, the
form of tall, broad-shouldered, vigor-
Gus man of say thirty-fve summers
stood before her, and deep voice re-
marked:


''Right about face, please. / want a
bit of talk with you, and there'd be no
chance for it at the house."


Not a word said the widow, as Dan
Grover drew her arm in his, but she
thought: eff he wants to speak of Bar
bara, he's right, for Bill Emmons must
be there by this time. What fool
she is He don't begin to compare with
DAN"


1t must be confessed, however, that it
seemed wonderfully pleasant, even when
Dan turned up the shadowy lane toward
the grove, and when he seemed disposed
to put off his express business and to talk
of his farm and his house, and at last Of
himself.


81 have everything around me fixed
as nicely as | could ask for" he remark
ed at length; "butI grow lonelier every
day. The fact is Eve determined to have
a wife, if can get the one want but
there's only one in all the wide world.
I'd be lonelier than | am now with any
other"


"Why don't you speak to her, then?"
said the widow, with a half-chOked feel
ing in her throat "She's very sensible
girl, but | don't think it would be
right for me to try to influence her.
believe a woman has no right to marry
without loving"


Quick as lightning-very different
from Dams ordinary calm, slow style
was his responsive query: "Have you
always been of that opinion? Have you
acted on it?"


The plump, soft hand on his arm was
jerked away in an instant, and Barbara's
step mother was almost sobbing with an
CRY and wounded feelings, as she stepped
back from him exclaiming: How dare
you What have you to do with that?
Ask Barbara for her secrets. if you will.
Mine are my own"


Exactly" responded the steady
minded Dan, but his voice was shaking
now in spite of his self-control " You
have told me part of your secret, Mari
an Hawkins, whether you meant to or
not | knew you could never have low
ed him. Now | will tell you mine.
You are the one woman without whom /
must forever be lonely. You have been
only too faithful to Barbara, or you
have seen it before.


tRapid, earnest, passionate, grew the
strong mans words as he uttered them,
and he closed with a sudden forward
movement. Before the widow knew it,
Dams arms were around her, and even
her tears betrayed her.


1t was too late for anything but to let
Dan have his own way. Such a willful
fellow he was, too. And when at last
the widow insisted on going homeward,
their arrival at the gate was signalized by
Just another theft as he had perpetrated
twenty times already, for Barbara's ex
clamation had been SIMPLY: "Kissed
her |"


Never was lamp lit so quickly in all