Year: 1878




told himself falsehood. He did care
Nobody can say the like and tell the
truth.


He obtained another situation, not so
good rs the one he had lost, but he was
glad to get even that. Then hard times
came suddenly, all the world was turned
upside-down and driven out at sea, and
Birney Graham along with 1t. The luck
less young man could obtain no work to
keep himself, his peevish old father and
his vixensh sister alive. The childish
complainings of his father, and the nag
gings and goadings of his sister, drove
him nearly frantic. 1t was not q pleas
ant situation for gentlemanly young
man to be placed in. 1t had been five
years since he had the talk with Alice
Marlay, but it seemed to him that her
hate pursued him. Only for her, he
would have still held his place at the
Thirty-first National Bank, perhaps
better one. He felt like cursing her and
himself, too, whenever he thought of
her.


At last, with the worry and anxiety,
the complainings, and goadings, and
naggings, Birney Graham fell sick. AS
if to insult his pride and sufferings,
one day an Overseer of the Poor whom
Birney Graham had snubbed many a
time, because he was coarse and talked
bad grammar, came in and said


Young man think you'd better be
took to the 'orsepital."


"I'll die first !" said Birney Graham,
desperately.


He sprang upon his feet and walked
about the room. Presently he informed
his peevish father and his vixenish sister
that he believed he wasn't so sick after
all. He really thought he would take
walk, and maybe something would turn
up. He staggered feebly down into the
street. The lamp-posts seemed doing
witches dance. Birney Graham was
half f,delirious with worry and fever
He started to walk towards the fields
and the country, thinking crazily that
he would at least get out of the city,
where they could not send him to the
hospital. ,


81 mean to walk and walk till 1 fall
down and die," said Birney Graham to
himself.


The cool November air struck his
cheek and entered his lungs and stimu-
lated him unusually. He wandered on
and on, out towards the open country,
over smooth turnpike road, which led
he knew not whittier. AT length when
the sun sank slowly behind the western
hills, Birney Graham sank, too, unable
to go any farther.


Next morning rich lady's coachman
told his mistress that there was tramp
out in the stable, sick and not able to
move on.


"The country's full o. them tramps,
num-" said the coachman.


The mistress was slender petite lady,
with delicately- beautiful, though sharp,
naughty face. 1t wasn't the sort of face
beggar or an erring sister would have
appealed to from choice.


Haul him to the station, and put
him on the train to so back to the city,
where he came FROM" said the lady,
sharply.


eth kill him, mum, for to do that to
him. He's very sick, num-"


But what'll we do with him here ?"
asked the lady, still more sharply.


"He's very clean and decent, mum,
and there amt no smell of liquor on
him, said the coachman, very humbly.
"Oh !" said the mistress, sarcastically.
81 shall air the best bedroom, shall I ?
and make fire in it. ~


The man looked at first as if he was
uncertain whether his mistress would
discharge him or give him whack
across the shoulders with her riding
whip, if he spoke his mind, but present
ly he did speak it nevertheless.


"If you'll excuse me for saying it,
mum, he could be brought in here on
the kitchen floor, and bit of rug put
under him. He'll die before this days
out, if he don't get warm and suthin'
put in his insides. You wouldn't want
it said that you let human creature to
die when you could have saved its life,
would you, mum ~


The lady colored family at this
Where is the fellow ?" she asked.


The man lay on the stable-hoor. An
old blanket was rolled and placed under
his head. Alice Marlay followed the