Year: 1877

More than one village critic had add
ed to his other charitable thoughts the
suImise, ''LOOks kinder bad for Bill
Emmons :" and Barbara herself could
have assured them of the correctness of
their reasoning.


She was too kind hearted, however,
not to add to herself, $50 much the
better, too, for Mrs. Hawkins. Neither
Dan nor | would object to her living at
the old place till we could find a buyer.
| only wish she could raise the money
and buy it herself"


1t was, therefore, as the mistress of
the renovated mansion behind the
naples ut the turn of the road that Bar
bara Hawkins was considering herself
when tea-time came, and she was quite
willing to hurry back into the parlor
while her ready-handed step-mOther
supervised their solitary "helpn in put
ting away the tea things.


BY the time poor Bill Emmons made
his appearance, after his long days
drudgery ia the one law office of the
village, where he was the junior, and
therefore perhaps the working, partner
by that time Barbara was ready, civ
lily as she received him, to wish he
would postpone his call until she could
receive him in so much better style"
And yet that night, of all nights, the
young lawyer had made up his mind to
put his fate to the test, land win or
lose it all.n


Not Il bad fellow was Bill, and he
had more than once reflected how
charmingly convenient was the location
of the Hawkins homestead, and what
| t,..,,, 4 "a Il.
and the productive little farm belong
ing thereto would give to struggling
young lawyer like himself. The fact
that he was over head and ears in love
with Barbara made the whole affair
absolutely beautiful.


Sad was the trial to his impatient
feelings, therefore, when all the elO-
quence of which he was master-and he
had long considered himself master of
the situation as well-only resulted in
obtaining for him promise from Bar
bara that she "wOuld consult her step
mother


''Such n change it would make for
her if | should leave her !" sighed Bar
hara.


''Not at all, not at ALL" eagerly ex-
claimed Bill. ''She could live with us,
you know. Every body likes her. Pm
sure do. She wouldn't be in the way
at ALL"


But vain was all he could say or do,
except that Barbara's vision of the
Grover farm and house may have re-
coded somewhat as she listened to the
pleading of her suitor. She almost
hoped Dan might not come that eve
ming, for not only the present situation
had its charms, but it might have its
perils as well. Dan Grover was not il
man to he trit1ed with, she knew, for
all his quiet, seli-cOntaiued way.


And SO it was with something of il
feeling of relief that Barbara listened,
at last, to the bur of the big kitchen
clock striking nine.


1t was at the same instant that the
shadows of two who were walking side
by side i'll the moonlight fell on the
gate i'll Il Singularly unified manner;
and then, as the gate opened, Barbara
sprang to her feet with slight eXcla-
nation. She had been sitting close to
the low wimdow-seat, and she had not
seen fit, or had forgotten, to light
lamp.


There may or there may not have
been any cause for surprise, but the
way of it had been this: No sooner
were the tea-things out of the way than
Mrs. Hawkins remembered an errand
she had in the village, and had slipped
quietly out to perform it. Nor would
SO simple Il matter have taken two long
hours, but that, just us the widow was
stepping across the little foot ot-bridge at
the brook, the form of tall, broad
shOuldered, vigorous man of, say,
thirty-tive summers, stood before her,
and Il deep voice remarked.


Fright about face, please. | want Il
bit of talk with you, and there'd be
no chance for it at the house,


Not a word said the widow, as Dan
Grover drew her arm in his, but she
thought, ''If he wants to speak of Bar
bara, he's right, for Bill EmmOns must
be there by this time. What fool she
is He don't begin TO compare with
Dan"


1t must be confessed, however, that
it seemed wonderfully pleasant, even
when Dan turned up the shadowy lane
toward the grove, and when he seemed
disposed to put off his express business
and to talk of his farm and his house,
and at last of himself.


81 have every thing around me fixed
as nicely as | could ask for,n he re-
marked at length "but l grow loneier
every day. The fact is, Pve determined
to have il wife, if | can get the one |
want; but there's only one in all the
wide world. I'd be lonelier than am
now with any other"


"Why don't you speak to her, then ?'
said the widow, with halt chOked
feeling in her throat. ''She's a very
sensible girl, but | don't think it would
be right for me to try to influence heI.
believe Il woman has no right to marry
without loving"


Quick as lightning-very different
from Dams ordinarily calm, slow style
WAS his responsive query: ''Have you
always been of that opinion ? Have
you acted on it p.


The plump, soft hand on his arm was
jerked away in an instant, and Bar
bara's step-mOther was almost sobbing
with angry and wounded feeling, as she
stepped back from him, excIaiming,
Glow dare you! What have you to
do with that ? Ask Barbara for her
secrets, if you will. Mine are my own


Exactly" responded the steady
minded Dan, but his voice was shaking
now in spite of his self-contrOl. "You
have told me part of your secret, Marian
Hawkins, whether you meant to OF not.
| knew you could never have loved
him. Now l will tell you mine. You
are the one woman without whom
must forever be lonely. You have been
only too faithful to Barbara, or you
would have seen it before"


Rapid, earnest, passionate, grew the
.,trnnn1r r,nnnt. n.nn.lr h1 rnttnnol th1r,