Year: 1866

of communicating with him as often as twice
week, had become strangely remiss; and
som metimes a whole month would elapse
without hearing a word from her or her
uncleY The altered tones of her letters,
when che did write, annoyed and surprised
the young student beyond. measure. 1t was
sMr. Edgar Houston, Dear Sir now and,
not as formerly Dear Ed d!-exclamation
point and all. Il am very respectfully
YOURS was her style of concluding every
letter now and not Il remain, as ever, your
own Minnie True, Minnie Harcourt was
now seventeen years old, and was now a
young lady and no longer little girl and
Edgar pondered this thought and gave
much consideration to the fact, but, some
how or other, he could not feel that to this
alone was the marked change of manner
and matter to be attributed.


Matters progressed in this direction with
rather too much expedition for Edgar's sat-
isfaction and complacency of mind. The
old story was gone through with-Minnie
growing more distant and cold letters re
piled te-in cool kind of mingled reserve
aud conscious condescensiop, that cut, CALLED
and lacerated the heart and outraged the
mind beyond human endurance. Then,
suddenly the correspondence came to an
abrupt conclusion, and the poor fellow
swoke from his beautiful dream, with the
glory of life all behind him in the past ;
his precious hopes fallen from his miser
grasp, and floating away down the current
of time, like cbiid's lost toy.


Let it GO! Let the dead past sink into
its proper grave, and haunt me no more
with its visions of hope, all airy and un,
substau utial as the foam upon the seashore
or the bubble on the lake Let it 60, as
the uncertain, short-lived fash and glare of
the meteor, as the erratc comet in its de.
vious course! Who cares


Aye those words are easily spoken
words, that spontaneously spring to the lips
uader such circumstances; and pride is the
remote origin of it all. Pride, that rankles
within the humiliated and mortified heart
ever does, ever will, throw up such light
trash and stubble to the surface, while that
which oppresses with its weight remains,
immovable away down in the untathomed
depths of the soul, unseen by man, but
giving color and character to every wave of
life in all it's diversified history and expe
rience


Let it 90, indeed! A heart once all
yours! Yours by the very beuevolence of
the Giver of all Good and the eorroborating
utterauces of her own lips and thousand
nameless but emphatic bonds Never !!
never never!


To the latter determination did Edgar
Houston come, as, with swollen heart and
contracted brow, he perused the letter be
fore him. The reader shall be allowed the
usual privilege accorded by all generous
| authors. Here is the letter alluded to:
sMR EDGAR EIousrox Dear Sir r:-Crcumstances, Of
which YOU must be fully aware, and which shall spare
you the particulars Of render it imperative and necessary
that our correspondence should be suspended indefinitely


feel incumbent upon me, in view Of the Kindly rcat'on-
ship which has existed between lis, 10 add, that the
step now taken in reference to o correspondence, has
acuaed by high sense OF duty and does not owe It's
origin mere whin or caprice, and least OF any


intention of inctng pain or unnecessary disappointment


trust that your knowledge OF my character Will sufficient
y impress you with the uncasonahlcncss OF any effort 10 re-
vivs correspondence which have seriously concluded
and determined shall with this communications The
decision is final. With dimnuton Of customary,
! pew MINNIE HARCoURT.
/ Now, will the reader attempt an ana ysis
of this marble letter? Marble in the cold,
rigid but smooth and polished sentences of
its contents AS we'll might you attempt
to analyze the heart of woman and calcu-
late its mystic workings by the number of
its pulsations. And yet how scrupulously
free from offence, and how skillfully guard
ed from too familiar and intimate express
ion of the least attachment Precisely
what could pass with impuuity between any
lady and gentleman. And yet there was
no little mystery connected with change
so sudden and thorough, as that which had
evidently taken place in Minnie's mind
He, who had been her cherished friend aud
constant companion from childhood up to
the present critical and interesting period
of life, could not be altogether an object of
Indifference to her now-the idea was repul.
sive, from its very unnaturaluess alone, and
Edgar could not entertain it for moment.
But, if Minnie was really actuated in her
present line of conduct by sense of duty,
simply, wherein did the duty consist and
what new cause had been begotton to make
that line of duty necessary!


With q trembling hand, and heart be-.
clouded and saddened beyond all possibili-
ry of thought, he threw aside his Lexicon
and uupaoked the little bundle of letters,
which be treasured almost co equal with the
blessing of life itself What unmistakable
expressions of fond attachment welIed up
from every line What sentiments of de.
7otion and affection, coupled with the most
uufeigned respect and esteem Was this,
when written, the sincere and legitimate
outgushings of loving heart THE natu
raj expression of feelings actually expe-
rienced? If so, why this slow and gradual
approach to Indifference manifested in the
latter portion Of her correspondence, termi-
mating with so abrupt and positive a reiec-
tion. That Minnie had really loved him,
he could not for q moment doubt or deny.
That she had loved him up to a certain Pc
riod of time and then recalled her hearts
allepiance. simnlQ because of some Whim or