Year: 1879

Oh, hom thought l." this is part of the programme l had not anticipated but will see if cannot give little light on the subject, and find out if the custom is general" So, without re- pulsing him, I gave sly poke at the fore-stick with the toe of my slipper, and brilliant flame shot up; at the same time felt Wills arm suddenly removed, and noticed suspicious futter among other couples within the radius of the illumination.

 l then complained of being cold-of course l was chilly or should not have been so solicitous about the fire-and declared my intention of retiring, which had the effect, being the belle of the evening, of breaking the party up at least two hours sooner than usual, I have nodoubt. An! that winding up lspark, , as they called it, was quite a I novelty to me; but I soon saw through 1t, my dear, sooner, perhaps, than was intended by the aid of that blazing chunk.

 But this was not the last of Cousin Will by any means, for his fine bay horse became quite a frequent visitor at my unele's stable. He was 8 splendid fel- low Cousin Will mean, not the horse), or, as old Professor Specimen of our natural science class would have said, "a most perfect animal as far as form and features were concerned. But alas 1! the intellect, the best part of our order Of the animal kingdom, was utterly un- trained. In other words, Cousin Will was an unmitigated greenhorn. But. you probably know by experience, my dear, how hard it is for most young ladies, real natural young ladies-I do not mean the old young ladies-to get along without the admiration of the other sex. We'll, am afraid I encour- aged Cousin Will to somewhat higher aspirations than was just exactly pre- pared to answer; for he was, by far, su- perior to any other young man whom 1 met at my uncle's, and the result was just as you have foreseen, perhaps; if did not fal lin love with him he made up for all deficiencies on my part by falling desperately in love with me.

 1t was the night before my departure for home, and when Will called, as usual, my uncle's family, as if by com mon consent, found other occupations for their time, and thus left us in soli- tary possession of the "best room."

 am sorry you are going away" he began; "I don't see how I shall ever get along without you, Sadie"

 My uncle's folks called me Sarah, but 1 had taught Will to use the less plain diminutive.

 "Oh, l guess that will be easily man. aged, replied, in as light tone as I could summon, for l scented proposal, and I really liked Will too well to mortify him by a refusal. And what a figure he would cut among my city manners and decidedly provincial yer nacular.

 But although Win was what the Hon. Augustus Fitz Fanfoodle would have de- nominated decidedly, aw, out of style, you know" yet he had a spirit brave and strong enough to face any fate and conquereit, too, generally. So all my maneuyers, which would have thrown a city gallant entirely hors du combat, only 1 precipitated matters in this case, for he looked me gravely in the face and said, as he took my hand-he had never pre- sumed upon any greater familiarity since the lesson I gave him at the party will not allow you to put me off with trifing, Sadie; I love you. and although I I know you have known it all along, 1 do not choose to let you leave the neigh borhood without hearing it in words, in plain kings English, if you please, that cannot be misunderstood, even if it is pretty well haggled in pronunciation. :"

 Oh, how angry was! To think he had not only completely fooled me in my attempt at throwing him out, but he had effectually closed the door of my escape from the charge of Irritation.

 "Then. Cousin Will," I cried, my | cheek burning with resentment and chagrin, "you must be a great goose to suppose I would have encouraged such presumption; for you must know your self that it is nothing else for an untu- tored!country boy like you to aspire to the society into which would have to introduce you. Why, you must be out of your head to think that would waste one serious thought on a man who could stick down on farm and content him. self to be booby" when the world is so wide and so full of knowledge

 This by way of balm for the wound my refusal gave him. But when I thought to humiliate him, I reckoned without my host, for Will heard me through quietly. and then said, as he arose and I took his hat from the old-fashioned bureau: "Well, Sadie, make no ac- l cusation ii your own conscience doesn't. l So goodbye! I will call to see you l when I come to the city, and he was gone before had time to deny him the l privilege he had arrogated to himself. Sure enough, the next fall when Uncle John brought his grain to market Cousin Will came to our city with him. Uncle came straight to our house, but Will, true to the natural refinement that edu- cation alone cannot give, nor the lack of education take away, put up at an hotel, and at a seasonable hour called at our door. was expecting him, and had the servant instructed. Poor fellow, he was too honest to understand fashionable I tricks, so when he was told that | was not at home,n he took it as literally true, and turned sorrowfully away. But on I the way home, when he learned from Uncle Johns talk that I had been home, he was for time puzzled to understand what was as much of a novelty to him as the "after-piece , of the dancing party had been to p1e. He saw through it in time howpvpr and that too without