Year: 1877

leaves from the trees, and they stretch
ed out their bare and euivering limbs
to implore winter TO cover them with his
icy sheen. The poor we're shivering in
their novels; the rich enjoying life as
best they could, surrounded by such
comforts as wealth always commands.


In a neat and cosy mansion in the
said town-or rather in a parlor thereof
sat two persons one young man,
whose almost beardless face aud youth
ful appearance did not place him above
Ole and-twenty years in the records Of
time, if SO much, Had it not been for
rather reckless and dissipated look, he
would have been considered handsome
He had a dark, flashing eye his hair
curled around high, fair brow; his fea-
lures were regular ; his figure good, and
his dress, with the exception of being
over-iewelryized, was in the fashion and
elegant.


His companion was modest and love-
ly blonde; small and plump in figure,
with auburn hair and those tender blue
eyes, which, while they speak, not of
fever heat, nor tameless passion, still
contain world of deep and constant
love. Her age was evidently two or three
years less than his just that era when
the girl is merging into womanhood !;
when new thoughts, new feelings, new
passions and no experience, she emerges
from the bud into the flower, hanging
upon the thorny bush of humanity, at
the mercy of every breeze, and in dan
ger of every daring hand.


"What do you say, Annie?'' said the
young man. "Will you not be mine
without his consent 90


ssOh, Charles, how can I 2" replied
the young girl, as she clasped one of
his arms within both of her own. Chow
can [ p? love and fear my father I
love you but is it not my duty to heed
him 90


s'And so marry old Prendegast, the
banker, for whom he intends you'll" said
the young man, bitterly


sNo, Charles that will never do !"
she replied, in tears the while sit is
cruel IN you to say it,


''And yet he intends it he taunted
me with it to-day when I asked your
hand of him, while he called me nothing
but beggarly post-ofice clerk.


A change came over the young girls
face as she heard this. The tears SEEM
ed of themselves to dry upon her burn
ing cheeks. Her little form seemed to
enlarge, and her plump bosom rose and
fell like waves on o lakelet suddenly
aroused to motion. The color on her
cheeks grew deeper and the light in her
eyes more bright.


SHE has spoken to me of that old
vretch," said she, sand he is invited
here to spend this coming Christmas.


s'Then, dearest, let him come but do
not let him find you here. Let us fly.
Disguises for both are ready ; the cars
pass in two hours I have plenty of
ready money, and IN few hours we can
be in another state and you shall be my
welded wife. Then we will send your
father word, and copy of our certificate
of marriage and though he may storm
and rave for an hour or two, he will soon
see that 1t is useless, and call US back to
his love and home again Come, Annie,
come -


She hesitated-there was evidently a
struggle going on in her young heart
love on one scale, and duty on the
other He saw her indicision.


"Prendegast is hateful old miser,"
said he.


The scales turned in moment.


CHARLES said she, and her tone was
low and solemn, and her look touching
ly earnest in its trusting innocence as
she spoke "Charles, I will go with
you but pray God to treat you as you
do me /; for my honor-my very life-is
in your hands from the moment leave
my fathers protecting roof


"Amen, my dear ANNIE" said he, as
he kissed her tenderly. ''You need not
fear wrong from me, for [ love you as I
do my very life!


And he seemed in look and tone most
sincere when he spoke those words.


s'Be with me IN an hour, at the cor
ner of Bland and Cypher streets, dear
est, he continued, sand from thence we
go where we can disguise all that is ne
cessary to escape recognition at the de-
pot and then, within ten hours more,
you will be so much mine by the laws of
God and man, that no power on earth
can drag you from me. I have arrang
ed at the Office, and got leave to be alb
sent for few days so that | shall not
lose my situation by being away from
my post"


''I will be there, Charles" replied
Annie, not in wild romantic manner,
but with the quiet firmness of one who
seemed well to know whas she was about
to do, and who in deep. calm love, was
willing to risk everything for him whom
she loved.


And now the reader may as well be
told who those young people, so bent
upon an elopement, were.
Annie was the only daughter of the
wealthiest man in the place, the daueh-
ter of an honorable but ambitious man,
who was stern in his manner and haugh-