Year: 1866

~ Ou GEAR dellShtful creature, said
Emily Graham, looking up into the
manly face of young officer of her
Majcsty's -th regiment, who stood be-
side her, "it is the kindest thing that
you have done for long while, and
iii show my gratitude for ever and
ever"


81 hope you will, Emily, and then I
shall be amply repaid"


"You are quizzing me, Frank, and
that is dreadfully unkind. But what
girls are to be asked ~


"Almost everybody; that is, every
available young lady who is good-tem-
pered and pleasant and cheerful, and a
few: for the sake of peace, who are
neither"


"To which circumstance do I owe
my invitation p said Emily, pretending
to look piqued, but smiling archly the
while.


"The last, of course; I thought we
should have never done quarreling had
yOu been left out So, Cousin Emily,
though you are reitber pretty, good
tempered, cheerful, nor agreeable, I
have brought you this card" And
Frank Graham laughingly laid little
scented piece of pink on his cousin S
work table,


"Aud I thank you very much for it, ;"
said the young lady. taking it up and
playing with it between her dainty fin
gers and rosy lips, "for I like dancing
as we'll as anything l can get in this re-
mote unpublished district; and if you
don't think l possess any attraction, it
does not follow that all your company
will hold the same opinion"


A less attractive girl than Emily
Graham might without vanity have
made this speech; as it was, you could
hardly help convicting Cousin frank of
a serious want of taste, if his words were
spoken in earnest. The young girl was
rather tall, of slight graceful figure,
with soft brown hair, brown, clear mis-
chief loving eyes, and fair complexion
trife too pale, perhaps, save when ex-
citement lent color to her cheeks, and
added lustre to her earnest eyes.


But it would have been unwise to
have acted upon the expressed opinion
of Cousin Frank, and to have said to his
face single disparaging word of his
pretty cousin; nothing could sooner
have enkindled wrath in those manly
features, nothing have brought more
hasty words to his courteous tongue.


"Good-by, darling co.," he said, at
length, after a long pause had succeeded
to her last words; "don't really make
me jealous again"


"Jealous .' said Emily, archly accept
ing her vantage-ground ''you will
surely not be jealous of me ?"


Frank colored. "You provoking
pet,' he said, 81 am jealous of anybody
else that gets a smile, or kind word,
or look, or touch from you, and dance
means all that and more. I only wish
uncle"


"Hush Frank we had better not
talk of it again; few years is not
much, if am worth waiting for :; let
US think about the dance. Is there anv
shop IN this place where l can buy a
ball dress, or must l invent one from
my present stock 2"


"That will do just as well, Emily,
we look upon this as sort of picnic
ball; you will not be expected to appear
In costume fit for Almack's at the Cliff.
The most we can expect from the ladies'
in such a place is. that they will look as
much like fairies as possible, and be as
good natured too. If you have a white
muslin, and loop it up in some style
with my favorite pink rosebuds you will
look just as pretty as need be; now am