Year: 1867

"But in talking Of Samantha, have
forgotten Deacon Lees queer behavior.
He would lock at me awhile, and then
at Ephraim Allen. 1t was 80 curious,
| began to fear that he was deranged.
But at last / found out what it meant.


"0ne day as l was coming out Of
meeting, ard Ephraim had just said,
Good morning. l looked around and
there was Deacon Lee close beside US,
watching us with severe expression in
his face. Young man, said he, and
the tone was SO awful that / trembled
all over,-.young man, l have noticed
for some time past your attempts 10 at
tract the attention of this young woman,
who, l am grieved to say,'-turning to
me,-'does not receive this notice as
she ought. Instead of assuming an ex-
preston of severe reproof, she bushes
from time to time, and casts down her
eyes, and l cannot discover from her
face that this ungodly conduct is dis
pleasing to her. ..' ...


81 was so overwhelmed by thisrebuke
that could not look up or speak, and in
a minute more / should have cried in
good earnest 1t was Ephraim's voice
that stopped me- i am sure l beg
Mercy's pardon and yours, Deacon, if l
have done anything improper. sup
pose looked at her because my eye
could MT find pleasanter resting place.
You won't pretend that Elder Crane is
handsome enough to make it pleasure
to look at him.


81 was astonished, and Deacon Lee
looked Mortified, but Ephraim's face
glowed all over with smiles.


"'Ephraim Allen, said the Deacon
sternly, 'ifyou were aprofessor, i should
present you to the church for irrever-
ence. As it is, l have done my duty
and with that he went away.


"Most ofthe people had lett the meet
ing-house by this time, but good many
of them were turning back to look at
me where / stood near Deacon Lee and
Ephraim Allen. Isuppose they did MT
know what it could mean; for in those
days we always walked soberly home
from service, not profaning the holy
day by common talk. And this was
the reason that l was surprised and
frighted when Ephraim, instead of go
ing away by himself, walked down the
steps with me, and along the road at
my side. 1t was a good two miles
home, and l had happened to come alone
that day, father being laid up with a cut
in his foot, and mother staying at home
to nurse him. ....


"The path was a beautiful one, lead
ing through deep, still woods, now COM
ing out into the edge of a clearing, and
now running along brookside where
there were flowers nodding over the
water, and bird's-nests in the thick
grass on the bank l thought some
times that the walk did nae as much
good as going to church, particularly if
Icame alone, and stopped now and then
to read my Bible by the way.


$50 we walked along, Ephraim and
L and presently we passed great
clump of witch hazel bushes that were
in all their bridal white, and Ephraim
picked bunch of the flowers, and gave
them to me. He had not spoken a
word since we started, but now he said,
Are you very much put out with Dea-
con Lee, Mercy?'


"This made me feel very much
ashamed again, but l said hoped I
knew better than to bear anger against
anybody and then-quite excited and
esger-I said l wanted him to forgive
me if | had looked his way more than
was proper, and not to think l meant
to be forward or unmaidenly. And
Ephraim made reply that he would new
er believe any i'll of me, no, not all the
deacons in the world were to testify to
it; and he said that he owed Deacon
Lee thanks for SO bringing us together,
for he should never have had the cour-
age to come to me, though he longed
for a sight of my face every day, and
was constant at church, never missing
aSunday, so that he might see me-
All this he said in such an earnest, sin
cere manner, and his voice was so gen.
tie that could not rebuke him, though
| feared that his heart was in a dark,
unregenerate state, if he cared so much
more for me than for Elder Cranes SER
mons.


"You wont care to have an old wo-
man tell any more Of her love-stcry,
Nowadays these things are all written
in novels, and I should think the bloom
of girls delicacy must be long gone
before she hears such words said to her.
self. Then it was different. l had
never dreamed Of anything SO beau
tiful.


"The woods were very still all around
us, only once in while bird would
sing out, and then the silence fall again
all the sweeter for the song. When the
woods opened we caught glimpses Of
the green grain-felds and orchards in
blossom. A chipmonk darted across
the path, and, scampering up into q
beech-tree, clung to the great brown
bole, and looked down at us, perkine
his head so mischieviously that | coulC
not help thinking he knew our secret
And so on and on I've often though
that walk was like the life we lived to.
| o.othnr and a nronhpcv of IL --hriyht