Year: 1878




her away on poor miserable beggar
like Bob White" began Sally.


Why, my DEAR" broke in, '.Rosa-
lies mere child. Don't begin to plan
about her future, beg of you. She's
scarcely left off her pinafores, and if
ever there was maiden meditation fam
cy-free,' anywhere, 1T lies in the brown
eyes of our Rosalie."


By this time we had reached the i'm
posing portal Of Blacks house, and were
soon ushered into the presence of the
satin damask and ebony. Blacks chill
dren were none of them grown, but were
precocious enough to take the lead in
conversation; and we sat for whole
mortal hour and listened to the eldest
girl hammer out upon the piano what
Mrs. Black called ''reverie." I was
glad when Black took me into his libra
ry, where there were some good cigars
and some pretty fair wine, and we left
the women to themselves.


But a goodly quantity of poison was
infused into Sally's system and mine
before we left the big luxurious house,
and we went home together as changed
as if touched by the rod of an enchant-
er.


"Dear me !" said Sally. "what little
cubby- hole this is declare it's quite
like a baby house l''


'I'd like to have library like
Blacks" said I, taking up the refrain.
'1t's nice to have room," continued,
to Bob White, "where man can take
his friends. 1t would be far pleasanter,
for instance, if you and could have
our game of cribbage without the con-
tinual gable of women in our ears


"Oh, l don't think so," said Bob-"I
don't think so at ALL"


The lad looked over at Rosalie and
blushed ingenuously. The color deep
ened in Rosalie's cheeks till it went far
ahead of the crimson in Blacks satin
damask upholstery, and sly CLEAN
shot from her brown eyes that sent
flood of light into my obtuse Uranium.



began to think that Sally was right.
Bob White was all very we'll in his
way, but no sort of match for my daugh-
ter Rosalie. She was my own eve lamb
the bonniest, best, and dearest little
girl the sun ever shone upon. And be-
sides all this, there was the secret con-
sciousness that she could, if she wanted
to, dress sin silk attire, and siller hae
to spare" l hadn't lived a plain way
all these years for nothing. People
about me began to realize that although
Brown lived in small house, he was a
man of inconsiderable means. Black
had managed to convey the intelligence
to them, and l found no fault with this
friendliness on his part. Old White
never thought of such thing as taking
the seat beside me now on our way down
to the train; it was generally filled
by more popular parties, and | began to
take quite an interest in the social and
political points of discussion.


All this cost me considerable in the
way of time and money. My games of
cribbage were few and Gar between, and
| put my name to all the subscriptions
they chose to get up; but I didn't mind
the money, and had long since deter
mined that the less Rosalie saw Of young
White the better. The color grew a
little less vivid in her round cheeks and
the light less mischievous and joyous in
her eyes but Sarah said thought
this was really a more suitable name for
my wife's dignity-that her beauty was
growing more and more refined every
day. 1t had even lately attracted the
attention of Mr.. Percival Green, the
junior member of Blacks firm, and
Green was one of those live, active bus
ness fellows who was sure to make his
mark in the world. | told my wife to
spare no expense for Rosalie's advance
ment and happiness, but was sorry to
see a lack of spirit upon her part. and a
quiet denial to partake of these new
pleasures of popularity.


One thing was certain-radical meas
ures must be taken to put gulf between
her and Bob White that could not. read
lily be bridged over. The whole White
family were as proud as Lucifer, and I
knew should have very little trouble
in convincing them that the old intima-
cY had better be broken off. My new
house on the Boulevard began to take
noble dimensions, and had already cost
me mint of money. It's marble halls
were spacious enough to chill me to the
bone, and there was quite melancholy
expanse of mud and masonry in its vi
cinity


1t rather surprised me. when I put
our snug little place in the hands of the
agent, that my wife was so willing to
part with the furniture too. l thought
few of the familiar old time servers
might be used to advantage somewhere
in the new house. and I confess to a
feeling of keen disappointment when she