Year: 1871

From The Galaxy.

 PETERS AND LURES.

 He leaned upon the gate and peered through the hanging masses of vine ten. drils that curtained the little porch that faced him, paused a moment, and then opening the gate quickly, in another mo: ment stood upon the doorstep of the cot

 tage. His step was heard and it's summons answered almost at once by 8 young wo' man, who glided quietly from within and took his offered hand. One thinks, and thinks justly for the most part, that to see the greeting of man aud woman vixen they are unrestrained by convention or the consciousness of the presence of others, is to know what they are to one another; al

 least those of us who pretend to quick per. captions and keen deductions, guess the

 heart from the greeting. But there are men, and women too, whose natures are innately reticent of expression, and to

 whom the instinct of self control and con. cealment of emotion is as fundamental and essential as the blind impulse of the bird that waits for darkness and night to spread it's wings, or the flower that closes with the first peep of days obnoxious eyes. In such natures every impulse is subordinated to f-possession; rather than break the sa. cred seal set upon the vessel wherein their souls lie stifing aud compressed, they will

 live forever like the genii shut within tue narrow bounds Of silence and secresy. The man who took Amy Fortescue's hand on that lovely June morning of which l am telling you was cast in this mould. And SO he met her as he might have done had they been brother and sister, or even pleasant aequaintances; met her alone on an early summers morning, in the soft. oalny southern air, and yet DO tone or look showed that he was her lover, more than that, her accepted lover. So it was.

 Amy, he said. "can you walk with me? I want to talk with you. have 8 letter from the North; it came this morn ing"

 ''I will go with you at once, Ralph; just let me get my hat" And she ran lightly up stairs and returned in moment. |" Now I am ready" she said; and taking his arm, they crossed the garden and wan. dered off under the live oaks. .4.5

 Amy Fortescue was the daily governess of Mrs. Rewards children, and the little cottage in which she lived alone, was but a stones throw from the great house where the Rewards lived. Hither she had come but three months before, and here she had met Ralph Holcombe, who was the resi- dent tutor of the two Heyward lads. and had been for two years past. He had turn ed to her eagerly at first because she was from the North, where alone he conld breathe freely and be his real self. For his natu. was absolutely devoid of single chord that could vibrate in harmony with the South. Even the physical inanimate nature gave him no pleasure; the very air heavy with iesmine and magnolia op- pressed him with every breath. The odors and colors cloyed on his senses without feeding them. He had no imagination to be touched, no germ of undeveloped tropi- the North not only by birth, breeding, cul. tivation, and conviction, but his fibre, his blood, his spirit were of the North in the broadest and deepest sense. So when this young girl had come into his life, she seemed spring suddenly bursting forth in desert, and he longed to drink deep of it's waters; surely they would be cold and pure and fresh as if they trickled down. ward from one of his beloved giant snow Then he loved her. He did not spend himself for her or on her. He did not melt and flow and blend with her soul. He stood upright, unbending, and constrained her to come to him. He had no doubt that for her it was best-he knew he could trust himself his love was better, surer, sounder thing than any burst of tropical fire. of Southern heat lightning. He could safely say to woman: "Lean on my heart-lay thy sweet hands in mine and trust to me-" for he knew himself, and that he was strong enough and true enough to be leaned on and trusted in; and she had felt tbe power of his almost sublime egotism (for egotism is a power, and, in some shapes, the great working power of this world). and the sway of his will, and more than that, the need of his protection. So when he asked her to share his fortunes and his life, she said yes, and was glad to say it. Nor had she regretted it, for he had added much to her life and altered nothing that she cared for. She had dreamed of Love; and in her dreams Love was conquerer, subsister, glorious presence that came on the wings of the wind and made all things new, a new heaven and new earth. She had dreamed of an essence which, poured into her hearts springs, should trouble it's waters; and she had even vivid though vague sense of storm not to be dreaded, tenn pest of elements which made her heart throb wildly but not with fear. She had dreamed of scene whose light would make even the plumage of these brilliant birds, the hues of these radient flowers more in. tense and deeper in color-lend subtler sense power to the magnolia blooms until they should make her soul ache with their intoxicating odor. But these were only dreams, and when she had g lover, and they did not come as realities, when his looks, touches. and words never seemed to have been born in that ideal world. she said to herself, "It was a dream of a dream; life is not like that; that is poetry, and all that man or woman gets is in themselves or for themselves. Ralph had made life easier to her in many ways. It was such rest to have tho drudgery of her brain-work quietly lifted off her mind; such relief to have some one to turn to when her poor little head got misty over books; and he was 50 strong and wise and calm. Every one approved, every one sym. pathized; it was one of the engagements that SO satisfy every superficial require ment as to meet with support and satisfac. tion on all sides. Mrs. Heyward thought il an excellent thing on both sides; "and then, my dear, she would say, :" he is So sensible, so considerate, never keeps you up late talking, or lets yon take cold look. ing at the moon. just as good as hus. band. And, indeed. Mrs. Hayward's sat-