Year: 1873

en-. The leaves of the old-fashioned
dinner table had been let down, and
the table itself, covered with a bright
oiled cloth, set back against the wall


The crumbs had been carefully brushed
with turkey wing from the neat home
made carpet, and Annie's workstand
was drawn up in front of the ample
and blazing firr of hickory logs which
cracked cheerily in the old-fashioned
Fireplace.


A bountifally piled tray of red
checked apples and plate full of
cracked walnuts We're on it, in close
proximity to Annie's coquettish work.
basket made of pine cones by her own
def little hands, and daintily lined
with blue silk.


On one side of the fire p lace sat
Mrs. Moore fat, fair, more than forty,
and at peace with all the world. She
sat swaying backwards and forwards
at intervals in her low rocking chair,
knitting as she rocked, and refreshing
herself now and then with mouthful
from half-eaten apple which lay with
In easy reach just upon the corner of
the table; or touching in caressing
manner with the tip of her foot a sleek,
lazy looking grey cat that lay purring
and blinking on the hearth rug before
| her.


Annie sat on the other side of the
table deity drawing her needle in and
out of long piece of white cambria,
and with her head as busy rs her hands
with contriving some clever way of in
cidentallv mentioning the visit. which
she was now momentarily expecting,
TO her mother, without exciting the
suspicion of its being pre-arranged
affair. She would have given good
deal to have been able TO say in an Off
hand manner that she wouldn't wonder
II Mr.. Winthrop were TO drop in, as he
was in the habit of calling occasional
ly on Saturday evening at about this
time. Bat she recolected with a
twinge of conscience how hard she
had tried to persuade thee old lady to
accompany her husband on the prom
ised visit to Aunt Ruth's in spite of
her iOrewarnlngs of 4 coming of "ncu-
raIgY, which had intimidated her from
veuturlng out into the damp night air;
and also how she had plead headache
as an excuse for not going herself.
She knew that her mother was quite
sharp enough To draw her own infer
enccs from these two facts, and the adj
/ ditIonal one of her being dressed with
more than usual care to spend an even
ing at home


Il shall not dare to tell her now :"
she said to herself. Shed he sure t.
think that | wanted to get her out of
the way, 50 that might have David
/ all to myself" 50 like a wise little
/ puss, she was silent.


\ Ill venture my word on it, YOU would
not have wondered at our hashinl
/ young farmers desperate cuthrallmcnt
! If You could have seen Annie Moore as
/ she sat sewing bv the fire that frosty
night in November. She had, just be-
| fore supper, INDUCED in what a West
crn girl would call 4 fixing up" \
neat-iitting dark chintz dress, looking
+. as fresh as when it had first come out
Of the village store, dainty white
/ linen collar and cuffs, and coquetish
| frllled apron OF white muslin, and
/ blue neck-ribbon tied into cunning
bow, were the chief items Of Annie's
toilette. But she looked as sweet and
[ pretty as if hours had been spent in
4 donning satin, lace and jewels. Her
rich, wavy. golden brown hair was car
ried in shining folds away from her
warm red cheek, and caught up in the
meshes of 4 silken net at the back.


Eight o'clock and past Worthy
Mrs. Moore was dosing over her knit
ting. Her shadow on the opposite
wall bobbed ABOUT in grotesque min
| icry as she nodded to and fro-now
\ crushing the volumin0us white satin
bows on the spruce cap against the
! back of her chair, now almost falling
| forward, while her fat hands ut length
dropped listlessIy in her lap, and her
ball of yarn rolled down upon the
hearth. Puss espying it WAS soon
| busy in unwlnding and converting IL
into all sorts of Gordian knots.
/ All ut once came double rap at the
door-an audacious double rap-whch
said Let me in" so loudly and i'm
| patiently, and in such self assured
manner, that Annie, rendered nervous
by suspense, started up with little
scream and set her foot on Madame
Puss's tail, who in turn gave vent still
more loudly to her amazement and
displeasure.


All these three combined, or rather
rapid successive noises, aroused Mrs.
Moore, and she started wildly into an
erect posture, rubbing her eyes, setting
her cap border, and exclaiming:


'Bless my soul, Annie! What was
all that! Somebody at the door!
What time is it anyhow, and who can
it be? So late as this, too"'


at not very late, mother. Only a
little after eight. I'll go and see who
it is," said Annie, demurely, at the
same time taking the one candle from
the table.


No! Here, Annie, you wind up my
ball and bru sh up the hearth while l
90 to the door. Drat that cat p


For the old lady's feet were all the
while struggling in the perplexing
meshes of the unravelled warn.


In her hurry Mrs. Moore forgot to
take the candle with her and as she
stepped into the small, unlighted front
entry, she unwittingly closed behind
her, the door of the room she had just
left. Almost at the same moment she
put her hand on the handle of the outer
door, and opening it, she suddenly
found herself in the ardent embrace of
a pair of stout arms. A whiskered
face was brought into close proximity
with her own, and before she could
fully realize her position, she received