Year: 1877

A lonely country road, with the night
closing upon it; the sun set and the sky
black, and white streaks where he had
been; the color gone from all the earth
even from the many-tinted naples and
sumacs that an hour before had famed
i'll their October brilliancy; the air frosty
and fresh-iust the night to go bowling
swiftly home in light wagon over a
well llgraded road, with the prospect of a
bright fire and hot supper at the end of
the journey.


Mrs Cuthbert wished that her hus-
band would come .'bowling GO home, y
as she lighted the lamp and placed it in the
center of the pretty tea-table, so daintily
set forth with her wedding glass and
silver; the supper would not be fit to eat
If he were much later, and Mrs Cuthbert
was too conscientious housewife not to
feel alarmed at the idea of her good
things being spoiled, but, like the even
tempered little woman she was, she only
put an extra stick ON the wood fire crack
ling on the hearth, and settled down in
her favorite armchair, with her sewing
to keep her hands busy, while her ears
were on the alert for her husbands step,
or cry from the baby up stairs.


She was quite alone, it being one of
those periods that SO often befall Amer
lean housekeepers, when the "help" has
taken it into her head to depart without
waiting for successor to be appointed


The fire snapped and blazed, the clock
ticked on, and all was quiet. But, if
Mrs. Cuthbert had CHANGED to look up.
she might have seen face pressed close
against the window-pane-an ugly face
with a rough beard and tangled hair, a
broken nose that looked most unprepos-
sessing fiattened on the glass, and eyes
that cleaned greedily at the silver on the
table-but she did not, and ali was
quiet.


The clock struck Z, and Mrs. Cuthbert
started, surprised and distressed. She
forgot about the supper frizzling away
to nothing in the oven, and began to
worry about her husband-it was such a
lonely walk, if it was only two miles, and
she did wish he would come.


Footsteps on the front porch sent
her fears to the winds, and Split of
mischief took possession of her in
their stead the door was locked, and
she would make him wait few minutes
to pay him out for making her wait so
long.


She bent her head and pretended not
to notice, even when she heard the steps
descend from the porch and tramp over
the grass to the window.


The sash was violently thrown up, and
the ugly face that had been regarding
her short time before was thrust into
the room, and then a fierce voice de-
manded:


"Why don't yer come and open the
door for me %


Mrs. Cuthbert nodded her pretty head,
and, without turning round, answered,
saucily:


"No, sir, I don't mean to let you in
tonight.


The ugly face looked thunder-struck.
then frightened, and finally two grimy
paws clutched the window, shutting it
with crash that made the glasses quiv-
er, and the ugly face was gone.


"Oh, dear now he's angry-I always
do carry my fun too far" cried Mrs.
Cuthbert, springing from her chair and
rushing into the hall.


George George ~


She turned the lock.


"George,"


The porch was empty, but she caught
sight of a dark figure hurrying up the
path to the barn.


"Oh, you're not going to hide from
me in that way, sir,'' she called out,
running down the steps and on toward
the barn.


The dark figure was swallowed up in
the great black doorway before she
reached it.


"Oh, you great goose - she said,
standing on the threshold, ''don't you
suppose I can find you? You had bet
ter give yourself up at once.
Then she waited The dark figure
crouched still closer behind the old car
riage, and there was no answer.


4 shall find you, sir; L know every
| corner" she gave warning; then, with
arms stretched out before her, COM
menced the search. In and out among
the barrels and boxes she went in the ut
ter blackness, calling out merrily now
and then that she would find him and
punish him for giving her so much
! trouble. Once she almost touched the
shrinking figure but it held its breath,
and she passed on.


1t was weird game OF hide-and-seek,
the dark figure with the ugly face COVER
! ing among the wheels, listening with q
/ STRANGE kind Of S9xeoa fear ts1 the 1iohf