Year: 1874

In the low, rough loft overhead OF
the living room OF the Lees was a rude
sleeping apartment in which were two
beds of a pattern quite as primitive as
the cottage or cabin TO which they be-
lOnged. One Of these beds served for
the nightly use of Henry, Jim and one
OF the twins, while the other accommo-
dated Fan and Sue and Tot. The re-
manning twin and the baby usually
slept with Annie below stairs, in a bed
placed foot to foot with her mothers.


The advent of the stranger was the
occasion for q general disarranging Of
the family roost. The mother and
daughter held an earnest, confidential
conversation in the loft, which resulted
in an arrangement for Fan and Sue to
sleep with their mother, while Dan, the
blue-eyed twin, should share the bed of
the visitor.


"Henry's bed is better than Fans,
suppose we give him that" suggested
the mother.


"Hen and Jim will both grumble at
being disturbed about their rights
growled Annie. "Pve been so mortified
with the whole batch of 'em tonight
that have half notion to run away.'
Daughter, do you mean to Kill me 81
queried the mother, wildly. "You
know I've nothing In the world worth
living for but you" and she sobbed
Historically as she held the pillow be-
tween her teeth while drawing on q
coarse muslin slip of snowy whiteness.
'1f rm all you have your life's fail
ure," said the girl.


"Oh, Annie, my little darling, why do
you talk 50 ?'


"Because I mean it; that's ALL"


Annie looked ruefully around the rude
apartment. It was in sad disorder, and
no wonder, for what with old boots and
pantaloons, guns and fishing tackle, and
hats and coats in formidable array on
one side, and the rude paraphernalia of
the three girls toilets upon the other, a
broken chair or two, a cracked looking
glass which puckered and scattered the
different portions Of your features as
you gszed, aided by the uncertain light
Of hole in the wall; boot-jack and
shinny bat and the wheels OF an old
hand-wagon, there was little show for
making the place attractive.


"Amie, it's no use" said the mother.
''Let us put the stranger and the big
boys down stairs, and we and the girls
will come up here to sleep"


'FYesl and have a nice time going
down in the morning to get breakfast
before he's up! Catch mep' and Annie
brought down her foot with startling
emphasis.


whats that row about?" bawled
Henry from below.


This brought Annie and her mother tC
a sudden realization that the children
must be hurried of to bed; but all at
tempts at private understanding Will
them as to the change of sleeping pro
gramme proved a failure, and th,
stranger, tired as he was, feeling that b.
was an intruder, found it impossible Il
sleep, so deeply was he annoyed by, ant
interested in this strange family, wher
there was such a mixture of the refine'
and uncouth, philanthropic and selfish
Annie had settled her tired self upol
the bed, and was just counting over on
hundred for the twentieth time in
fruitless effort to WOO the drowsy dream
god, whose form, heretofore intangible
SOOllId persist in appearing to her menta
senses in the guise Of the handsome
stranger, when her mother, in a low
tender voice, began a conversation.


"Amie, my dear, 1 should die if
should lose you" putting her arm ner
vously around her in the darkness.


''You're q foolish mother, then, for
am not worth dying for. But what ol
earth made you think you were goinI
to lose me2'


"Darling, you know that you ar
good and refined and beautiful. Yo
are the only one Of my children that /
any way takes after my mother, an
YOU have been my only ray of sunshir
in all my dark married life of twent
years"


nNonsense, mother; you've told n
that so often that it's dreadful stale"


"But somebody will come who cam
appreciate you as do; somebody wi
never deprived himself Of single ]
diligence for your sake, and only fanci
you because the possession Of such
prize will be an additional luxury; al
he will tell you that you are good al
beautiful, and you'll listen and belle
him; and instead of thinking that VIII
he says is dreadful stale,' you pant
his praises as the hart for the broo
Then, some day, he'll carry aw.
my precious flower, and she'll bask {
while in the sunshine Of a love th
gratifies him in its bestowal; and the
when sickness comes, aud sufferiu


when heart-aches and dreaded mothe
throes, which no man can know, shs


be her constant portion, she will fin


too late, that the love she consider


necessary to her existence is a phantoi


and the law and the power and I


pleasure and the privileges are all


the side of the stronger party in [


marriage firm; and then, my daugh