Year: 1873

MISS PLUMTREE'6 MAGIC LANTERN.


There certainly was something very Pc
culiar about Miss Perugia Plumtree every
one observed it, and it became more and
more striking as time went on. 1t was not
that you could not tell what she might do
or say under painful circumstances-,hat
would have left her very commonplace
indeed. The very peculiarity was that at
those times you might be sure of her al
ways doing and saying the very same
thing. Miss Plumtree was not of those
gentle souls in whom the lookers-on can
discern no need of disc pline, and yet to
whom attiiction mysteriously takes the
form of a trip-hammer. sure to fall at reg
ular intervals and with relentless weight.
Or perhaps, to Miss Plumtree, it came
rather like some grim guardian of the
night, patrolling at stated intervals with
the stern flat, "lights out" and so throw
ing all her peaceful arrangements into sud-
den eclipse. But no sooner did some new
grief or some fresh reverse swoop all her
former joys under its dreary shadow, than
Miss Plumtree Immediately produced from
under her meek little heart sort of psy-
Geological magic lantern, illuminated it
with one Of the most beautiful of smiles.
and suddenly view of something new
and delightful, that nobody else had ever
| thought of, was thrown upon the great
darkness, brilliant and magnified mani
fold


! 1t was with one of those illuminating
smiles, enough to make rainbow of the
fear she was wiping at the moment, that
she turned upon the friends who left her
on the threshold of her echoing house, after
the last sad ceremonies had been rendered
to the last remaining member of the fam
ily


I'm sure | don't know what l ever
should have DONE" she said, 'if it had not
been for the old house falling it my lot
So kindly ordered! don't konw how |
could have borne it to 60 anywhere else !"
| And with this quiet transfer of her affec-
| tions, Miss Plumtree set herself briskly
about the care of their new object. until
she seemed to make it shine brighter and
for occupation with all the cares that come
where there is no man about the house:
and as for loneliness, there was no chance
for that, while there were so many travel
ing clergymen 10 be '.put up,n and neigh
bors going away and anting to leave the
children IA few days. and distant relatives
needing home u little while.


So Miss Plumtree's days glded swiftly
and happily by-very happily she thought
and she used to have little season of
thinking about it every evening, as the
twilight gathered, sitting alone in her own
room, with her face pressed close against
the window that looked out upon the
lawn. Some maiden sisters. left with
such store of silver and household valua-
bles as Miss Plumtree would have shrunk
with horror from a room on the first floor,
with door opening directly out upon the
gladolous bed, but it was beautiful to
Miss Plumtree, since an accident she had
met with. few years before, though it
had left her rs good as new in all other
respects, had made going up and down
stairs Il troublesome affair.


II don't know what should have done
if it hadn't been for this room lying just
So" she said one evening, rs the hour
came and she drew her little arm chair to
the window and took her seat; and then
from thinking about the room, she felt
slowly into n reverie, until as the gladio-
lous bed grew more and more indistinct
outside, the ghosts of times and things
that had been stepped slowly out of the
twilight of the past, and ranged them
selves one by one before her. How hap
py they had AN been together. she and
her father and Jack! How proud she
was of Jack, and how satisfied that the
will left everything to him, with the un-
derstanding that he was always to take
care Of her, as her father had. And then
Jack began to go wrong, the neighbors
said, and when her father threatened to
disnherit him, he got possession of the
will and ran away. She did not know
what she should have done then, if it had
not been for her father. So kindly Or
dered that they We're left to each other .
There might have been one more, one
handsomer and dearer even than Jack,
but her father, so kind to her and so hard
to others, had driven him away too; had
believed something false OF him. and
sworn that never so long as he lived should
he see his daughters face with his consent.
So he had gone away too, not like Jack,


in passion, but sorrowful enough, and
Miss Plumtree did not suppose he would
ever come back. And now even her
father was taken, but she had the home
with plenty of means to keep it up, and
cousin Periwinkle spending the winter
with her-that had all been arranged


(except cousin Perwinkle) by the new


will made after poor dear Jack ran away
and she thought-very likely by next
summer-hark What football was that
on the dry grass. and what form moving
stealthily over theslawn in the starlight


Miss Plumtree pressed her face, closer


to the pane-the figure passed out OF sight,


then turned and came slowly down the
path again. She sprapg to the door ana


opened it. =, d.. ,,o eo


was gone and there was no answer. In


another moment she had mounted the
stairs without thinking whether it was
long or not, and stood in the passage-way
that divided cousin Periwinkle room from
the square chamber, with II pair OF the best
linen sheets in her hand. Dear cousin
Periwinkle," she exclaimed. as well as
she could, with the great humping at her
heart, Jack has come home! Don't tell
me am mistaken! l should know him if
| only saw his shadow! He would not
come when called him, but that was on
ly one of his odd ways. So am jsst to
get his room ready. without saying any
Thing to the servants, for l know he'll
be coming pretty soon, to say he forgiyes
| for ayerythinu and will laf M