Year: 1878

quite late when started to walk back to
the town. The evening was so fine that
Ifelt in no hurry to reach my hotel, and
/ strolled along quite regardless of the
way. Perceiving q foot-path which
seemed to lead through some pleasant
fields to brook, l left the main road to
explore it. Where l went am sure /
cannot tell; perhaps you, who know the
localities, can form a guess. ! know
that passed through a deep, lonely
glen from which the brook issued, and,
following the windings of the stream,
had just succeeded in making my way
through q dense thicket of old thorn
trees, when I was startled by the sight of
a female figure lying on the grass. I
drew near and found young girl not
dead, but sleeping sweetly. What
brought her there at such time was a
mystery. The delicate texture of her
dress and the CLEAN of a heavy gold
bracelet on one of her round arms show
ed that she was not probably under the
necessity of choosing such bed-cham-
ber. If l had remembered what night
of the year it was-the chosen hour of
the people in green-I should probably
not have attributed to her mortal char
acter at all, but should have supposed
that she had merely arrived too soon at
the rendezvous, and was waiting for her
sisters to begin the greenwood revel.
Whether under such a supposition
should have ventured to take the liberty
did [ dare not say; but, as it was, 1
think my guilt had some extenuating cir
cumstances. The dewy red lips through
which the sweet breath came so softly |
why, it was not in human nature to resist
the temptationl Blushing. to the soul
for the depravity of my race, admit my
crime"


"Your contrition is somewhat tardy,
sir" replied the blushing Alice, trying
hard to frown. "Pray, how long were
you there ?"


SIT could not have been more than five
minutes at most. l was revolving
the chances Of getting another kiss witte
out waking you, when I heard footsteps,
and had just time to gain the cover OF
the trees before Charlotte appeared. ]
hurried away across the fields, and
reached my hotel about midnight. Next
day I started for st. Louis, whence I had
just returned when l reached your
house."


"And did you then recognize Alice ?"


"No. I remember that at first
sight her face seemed slightly familiar,
but the impression passed away. Until
to-day I never for an instant associated
her with the heroine of my almost for
gotten adventure. In that uncertain
mingling of twilight and starlight, fea-
lures we're not accurately distinguisha-
BILE. The only wonder is how she man
aged, undetected, to get SO good a view
of mine."


"Now, Edward" cried Alice, in a
tone of real distress, "you surely do not
believe"


He stopped the reproach with kiss.
"No, darling; of course / do not believe
anything OF the kind. But Charlotte, 4"
he added, "what strange thing it is,
this blending of the events actually pass
ing around us with the fantastic images
of our dreams What faculty of the
mind is it which remains awake to take
cognizarce of things outside the closed
eyelldS


"The prophetic faculty, it would seem
in this instance" [ answered, with as
much gravity ss I could assume. "But
perhaps that is peculiar to the dreams
of midsummer-eve."


Edward laughed. "It is an odd
thing, anyway" said he.


think it odd myself, but it is true
Harpe''s Weekly.