Year: 1879

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YOU.


Laura sat by the window of her roolr
reading q note, nothing but perplexity
aud disturbance in her fair face. She
was noble, intelligent, well educated
girl, but utterly unsophisticated, or, al
her school-mates called her with girlish
slang, "green."


There was no reason for this in her So
cial surroundings. She had been born
and brought up in city, been sent e
more than one boarding school, ann
seen much good society in her fathers
house: but her nature was radically un
worldly, and could receive nothing of a
oounteractive kind from things about
her. She was as romantic, as senti.
mental, as ideal, enthusiastic, innocent
and gushing at twenty as girl Of ten;
believed what people said to her, had
| implicit faith in the newspapers, de-
spissd money--it Is to be acknowledged
she never knew the want OF it-and had
entire trust in the honor, honesty and
kindliness OF all about her. Within a
year Of the time we are introduced te
her she had Termed an acquaintance aud
what she called friendship with a
young man in Dennis who was law
student, and rather an unusual sPeci-
men Of the class. Mr.. McCraw-for he
was of Scotch descent--was poor, pious
and Irim to degree.


Laura thought him as near saint
as couldlss, and considered their init.
macy a privilege to her. He was one
OF those people who talk sort Of re-
fined and poetic cant that sounds we'll,
but, like the fruitlsss fig tree, feeds
no living soul. His modest recreation
after hard study consisted chiefly in
long walks, AMI he delighted in getting
up parties of his own age to divert the
way.


Miles after miles had Laura Stockton
followed his strides over hill AMI dale
distancing her less enthusiastic COM
rades, she painting with fatigue, he coo
and gaunt, the sandy hair that thatch
9 his angular head ly Dg in the breeze
his high cheek bones and prominent
nose turned Of a crude pink / n the keen
air of the Dennis hills, and his great
rad hands swinging beside him like 8
pair Of raw pendulums.


Sally Stockton, Laura's little sister,
sinfully given to parodies, travestied
the "Battle Of Ivry" for Laura's bene
fit, and made the refrain


"Press where ye see my light locks wave, ant


hear my loud guffaw,


And be your oriiiamme to day the red hands
| of McCraw.'


Laura was very angry, but everybody
else laughed. She alone, shs thought,
understood this lofty spirit, and enjoyed
being disciple of his fine theories. 1t
was u pleasure to her to pound along
after hins by the dusty road-sides, and
come up in time to hear him say, with
a gesture Of command and dg,to mon.
stratum, "That cloud !" or, perhaps,
"That COW - whereupon Laura fell to
and admired at it, as old writers say,
in the infantile innocence of her heart,
thinking the thing was to be admired
because Mr.. McCraw said so.


Then they would pause under some
great tree and when their companions
had gathered about them, this youth
would draw from his capacious pocket a
small volume of poetry, and torture
TsnnysOn or declaim Browning with
such tricks Of elocution as college had
taught him, and such lack of perception
as was inborn in him.


| But in all these walks and talks and
readings, though he singled out Laura
as his companion, and turned to her
for the appreciation he failed always
to obtain from others,s she never dream
ed of any peculiar and personal interest
on his part more than that community Of
spiritual interests which was once the
fair Platonic day dream of many a girl
ish soul. Girls in these days know bet
ter, or know great deal more. She
had never had her pulse quickened or
her visions perturbed by this man.
Theoretically she admired him; his
mind seemed to her very deep. HIS
selfish reticense and moody temper
were great deal deeper than any mind
he had, and his pompous self-conceit
was but cover for the most cross and
dogmatical ignorance of anything more
profound than his law books. Even
his professed religion was II form that
did not modulate or sweeten his daily
life; he kept the commandments because
it was respectable and proper to do so,
not because he loved to obey lis Faith.
er and Lord.


Honesty, cleanliness, economy, Ger.
tain hard and useful intellect, and
tolerable self-control were his virtues
but to a person with any sense ofhumor
he was absurd too often and his rail-
pant conceit made him obnoxious to
any one with the least perception Of
character. Luckily for Laura, neither
humor nor perception were in her
makeup. But Mr.. Mc9raw was judi
cious person, and he intended by no
means 10 suffer Platonism to take pos
session of his soul, and blind him to his
best interests. He fully understood
that marriage with Laura Stockton
would insure him high position in So
ciety and eventual wealth, and his
friendship Of year eliminated in u
foImal and distinct offer OF marriage in
the not which we found Laura reading
and med tating over


Sac Was panied, griev~d, and djssap-
poi. trd; she liked Mr.. McCraw much,
i hllg as he was only friend, but
not one tender sentiment pleaded for
him as i, lover. The truth was though