Year: 1879

,acqultteu noF, ana Sn0 eXCuSeu nim y.


being beset by some passing fancy an'
answered his note in the kindest art
most delicate manner, expressing re
gret that she must seem to hurt hi
feelings, and hoping they would still
continue to bs friends.


Partly because she was shy, partly
because she was an American girl, she
did not go to her mother with this note
or. indet d, confide 1t to any body YET
Miss Sally'ssharp eyes read the secre,
with the acuten4ss OF fitteen-whsr
fifteen Is acute; Laura at twenty was
no match for her. Mr.. McCraw smiled
grimly pleasant smile when he re
ceived Lauia's answer. Worldly wis
dom was not wanting in him he
regarded her regret and hope as tanta
mount to an acceptance, and in a week
or two re-sppeared at Mr.. Stockton g
house as pious, poetic and priln as ever,
and was received by Laura exactly on
the old footing. She was pleased to
think he cherished no i'll feeling at her
rejection ; he was as much pleased to
be virtually accepted by her smiling
welcome, and sally who hated him,
was furious to see that he had return,
ed to his former footing without even
dint or a stain on his mail Of conceit.


She turned upon Laura as soon as
he loft the door that morning.
"Laura Stockton are you fool ?"


"Why, Sally, what is the matter?
what have done now?"


"Done When you refuse man
why don't you refuse him, and
not have him dangle after you like
this ?''


"Who told you l refused him ?"
said Laura, blushing red as a fire.
lily.


"Your face told me, and various other
indications. l can see with my eyes, II
you cant"


"But, Sally, what have I done ? l
don't see any reason why one can not
dislike to marry a man, and yet like to
be friends with him"


"Psrhaps you don't, but he does -
In six months see II he don't offer
again. I'll give you my gold bracelet
If he doesn't. He doesn't feel rejected; !;
not at all, assure you. Laura, If you
had been little yellow gosling on the
edge Of Cross pond, you could not be
more silly than you are"


Laura opened her large eyes. 'Sal-
ly, don't think you ought to talk
that way about it; you are only little
girl |"


"A little girl Then you're only a
baby, Miss Laura; and I believe in my
heart you area great, big, dear, i'm
practicable baby. Just wait till he
offers again, and we'll zee who is right
then."


"Sally! |" But the lecturer had van.
ished in wrath.


However, as the summer went on,
matters reverted to the former footing
entirely. Geology now occupied the
McCraw mind and with bags and ham
mers he led his nsophytes up and down,
and filed the echoes with sounds of
gneiss, sysnite, volcanic formation, dip
of strata, aud the like utterances, and
gave occasion for the enemy to mock
him in the person Of Sally, when, being
asked by visitor in search of informa-
tion what q certain blue mountain in
the distance was, he curtly answered,
"Trapr' the astonished girl having
meant to ask its proper name.


But when winter covered all geologi-
cal formations. and walks we're brought
to q sudden end, this strenuous youth
devised new dissipation. Collecting
ragged evening school in the lower
part Of Dennis, he beat up recruits
among his own sort to become teachers,
and Laura took up the project with
earnest enthusiasm.


So docile was she in adopting all his
suggestions, so devoted to the work he
had inaugurated, that he considered
himself before loag to have formed her
mind and moulded her character, and
looked upon his creation in a certain,
proper way, much as Pygmalion looked
at his peerless statue, yet no doubt
with profounder sense of his own
power and glory in the fashioning of
such an image. Seeing in Laura a re-
Election Of his own goodness and great
ness, deeper emotion stirred within
him than she had ever before awaken
ed. Self-lOve was his strongest trait,
and he learned to love her from this
motive his eyes shons while he talked
with her az pleasantly as green eyes
can shine, and milder pink than the
spring breexes, bestowed-though still
visibly vivid-sutlused his eountenance
with an arid glow whenever she came
into the school room. He was SO certain
that he was in love with her that he
resolved not to wait until the year ex-
pired, which he had set tor the limit of
his delay, and before spring had fairly
begun he again, though in rather
less formal and shade warmer man
ner, requested Miss Laura to accept his
heart and hand, adding:


make this offer in the confidence
that such union will conduce to our
mutual spiritual good, and render more
useful to both of us the discipline of
this life and the means of preparation
for the life to come.


Unluckily the girl who received this
curiously methodic and stilted note at
the door carried it to Sally, who recog-
nized the tall and angular script she
had SO often said was a perfect photo
graph of the man.


She ran up stairs with it to Laura,
and maliciously stood by while she
read it; for Laura was too simple to un
d-rstand expedients, and dared not
quite ask Sally to leave her. Poor
girl she could be silent, but her face
spoke for her. Even to her unsuspect-
ing soul this letter was ungracious and
between the written lines
ran that annexation that letters so often
betray; the self-love, the innate tyran