Year: 1879

1t was a stormy night Farmer Gowland
and his wife sat before their great fireplace
together. The boys had gone ont with the
servant to see to the cattle, and husband and
wife were alone.


The farmer was stout, sturdy, middle
aged man, with a handsome face, which
one would have called merry but tonight
as he looked into the embers change came
over him, which only his wife knew, and
he put out his hand to her as if for COM
fort.


'Elsie," he said, ''you know how suf-
fer when a storm like this breaks over the
valley. If live to be fifty years older
than am it will always be 80. When Jack
went away the wind moaned in the trees as
il does now, and when he opened the door
the rain beat it and swept acrOss the floor,
and saw the zigzag lightning darting over
the black hills. Yes, he went away in a
storm, lass and let him go-penniless and
afoot-in a storm like this. l should have
remembered that he was my younger
brother; that he had not penny, while all
this place was mine. You were but child
then, flaxen-haired lassie of twelve, and
] was man of five and twenty and he nine
teen. We were both in love with one
young woman, Mamie Conner. We quar-
relied about her. She was an arch coquette,
and led us on, laughing in her sleeve, and
she betrothed to the rich squire's son all the
while But we brothers fought about her,
and saw him 90 out into the storm.
know the poor lad was so helpless, so i'll
fitted to fight with life. We had not much
education, and my father bade me share all
| Al I L lol II fhao oil
est son and / let him go. Lasse, l think
old Beau here knew it and hated me for it
for years. Beau loved Jack So"


'But Beau loves you now, said the wife.
''Here, Beau, here, come and speak to your
master" AZ


At these words an old dog perfectly blind
and weak with age, crawled from beneath a
tall settee and felt his way to his master g
side. -t. ..-t


The farmer let his hand fall on his head,
and the dog thrust his nose into the great
brown palm. .t.as


''Beau cannot live long now,. wife, said
the farmer, sadly. "He is very old dog
now. The oldest dog l ever knew; and he
is failing every day"


0Beau will not die yet, father" cried a
CHEEKY voice at the door. 'tHis hearing is
good, though his sight is gone; but I've
something to say. When we went down
to the barn to see all safe, Will and Ned
and |, we found an old man lying there
upon the hay. He seems very i'll and fee
BILE, and he begged that he would let him
sleep there. But knew you and mother
would not permit it, and asked him into
the house and he said in a way that
brought tears TO my eyes: ''No, lad, no
not unless he bids me himself. I'll not en-
ter his house unless he takes me by the
hand, and says, ''Come in" His house il
his own, and am only poor wanderer.
So came to you, father"


''Right, laddie, " said the farmer "Wife
we've always room at our table for another
eh2 I'll come out and ask the old fellow
in"


"Yes-yes, Robin" replied the wife
and turned her attention to the hot suppe
just now being dished for the hungry party
"No, Beau; lie down. It's no tramp, bu
a good, well-deserving Christian, no doubt
Why do you wine so Z"


But Beau was not to be calmed. He haG
snihed his way to the door, and stood there
with his head bent down, uttering Low