Year: 1874

was secure of the coveted bliss, and
stopped his head triumphantly over his
struggling prisoner, the rosy, laughing
face vanished suddenly from under his
arm, and was off and away up the gar
den path leading to the house almost
before he could realize what had hap
pened.


For one moment David who stood
gazing ruefully after her, thought of
pursuit and re-capture. But before he
had time to put his plan into execution
his tormentress, after stopping to give
one mocking farewell wave of her hand
from the front porch, vanished inside
of the hall door So there was moth
ing to be done but to turn reluctantly
from the gate and to take the road
homeward.


If you could have looked into the
family sitting room at Squire Moores
shortly before eight o'clock on that
same evening you would have had a
CHEEKY picture before you. The after
supper clearing away was over, for the
sitting-room was also the room where
the daily meals of the family were
eaten. The leaves of the old-fashioned
dinner table had been let down, and
the table itself covered with a bright
oil-cloth, set back against the wall.
The crumbs had been carefully brushed
with turkey wing from the neat
homemade carpet, and Annie's work
stand was drawn up in front of the an
pie and blazing fire of hickory logs
which cracked cheerily in the old fash
ioned fireplace. ... ......r..


A bountifully piled-tray of red
checked apples and a plate full of
cracked walnuts were on it, in close
proximity to Annie's work basket, made
of pine cones by her own deft little
hands, and daintily lined with blue
silk.


On one side of the fireplace sat Mrs.
Moore, fat, fair, more than forty, and
at peace with all the world. She sat
swaying backwards and forwards at in
tervals in her low rocking-chair, knit
ting as she rocked, and refreshing her
self now and then with q mouthful from
n half eaten apple which lay within
easy reach, just upon the corner Of the
table; OF touching in caressing man
ner with tho tip OF her foot sleek,
lazy-looking gray cat that lay purring
and blinking on the hearth rug before
her.


Annie set on the other side Of the ta-
ble deity drawing her needle in and
out of a long piece of white cambria,
and with her head as busy as her hands
with trying to contrive some clever way
of incidentally mentioning the visit,
which she was now momentarily eX-
pectins, to her mother, without excit
ing the suspicion ofits being pre-ar-
ranged affair. She would have given a
good deal to have been able to say in
an off-handed manner that she wouldn't
wonder if Mr.. Winthrop were to drop
in, as he was in habit of calling oc-
casionally on Saturday evening about
this time. But then she recollected
with twinge Of conscience how hard
she had tried to pursuade the old lady
to accompany her husband on the pro-
posed visit to Aunt Ruth's, in spite of
her forewarnings of coming spell of
"neuralasy" which had intimidated her
from venturing out into the damp
night air, and also how she had pleaded
headache as an excuse for not going
herself. She knew that her mother was
quite sharp enough to draw her own
inference from these two facts and the
additional one of her being dressed
with more than usual care to spend an
evening at home. g.,


II shall not dare to tell her now"
she said to herself. "She'd be sure
to think that I wanted to get her out of
the way, so that I might have David
all to myself" And SO, like q wise
little puss, she was silent.


I'll venture my word on it, you
would not have wondered at our bash
full young farmers desperate enthrall-
ment if you could have seen Annie
Moore as she sat sewing by the fire that
frosty night in November. She had
just before supper indulged in what a
Western girl would call fixing up.
A neat-ftting dark chintz dress, look
ing as fresh as when it had come from
the village store, daintily white linen
collar and cuffs and coquettish frilled
apron Of white muslin and blue neck
ribbon tied in a cunning bow, were the
other items of Annie's toilet. But she
looked as sweet and pretty as if hours
had been spent in donning satin, lace
and jewels. Her rich, wavy, gold
brown hair was carried in shining folds
away from her warm, red-cheek, and
caught up in the meshes Of silken net
at the back.


Eight o'clock and past! Worthy
Mrs. Moore was doing over her knit
ting. Her shadow ON the opposite
wall bobbed about in grotesque mimic
ry as she nodded to and fro-now
crushing the voluminous white satin
bows on her spruce cap against the
back Of her chair-now almost falling
forward, while her fat hands dropped
listlessly in her lap, and her ball of
yarn rolled down upon the hearth,
Pussy, spying it, was soon busy in un-
winding and conYertinu II into MI sorts