Year: 1876

81 HERE was the snuggest sort of fire in
the parlor Of the farm house of farmer
Jones, who lived many miles away from the
city. The light of the sperm candles on the
center table burned dimly, and Hetty was im>
bedded in luxurious rocking chair, reading
about the doings of some noble courtier and
his gaIlantrY to beautiful lady.


Hetty Jones was eighteen. Pert and pretty,
golden curly hair, large blue eyes, little dim
pied hands, and head filled with romantic
ideas


Her great and only fear was that she would
never get a husband. This was from two
facts First, she was too pert, saucy, dig
nlhed and Csome people said) conceited, and
that's why the young men were shy and gave
her wide berth then. again, she had been
to boarding school, and had assumed SO MANY
city airs thnt the farmers sons in her neigh
borhood felt SO much out of place in her so>
=razaEt=tIIJ u=sruE,sE5=
her company.


Hence it was that the young men were shy.
AT the quiet country church on Sunday tn ey
scarcely bowed, some smiled and u few VEN
tured word or two.


Hetty the best dressed young lady at
all the meetings. She hated those horrid
conceitcd city young men. They wore, at
best, set of coxcombs, society butterflies,
and too fond Of wines, late suppers and no
sleep. She never told many people of this.
More folks might have imagined it, had they
but considered the fact that she preferred
country life and manners, and had not visited
the city but once in six months neither had
she many callers, and no person had ever
ventured to say that Hetty had beau, or that
she corresPonded with anybody but ladies'.


Still the young mon in the valley dared
not venture too nigh In spite of tho many
invitations extended, they did not trust them
selves under the fire of her busy, chattering
tongue. They knew she was rich, handsome,
lady-hkc, thorough scholar, and plenty of
them had seen her at work in the hay field,
at tho wash tub, in the dairy, and at sewing,
and then Hetty was accomplished in houses
hold affairs.


Ever since she was ton years Of sge she had
loved Harry Holmes, living on an adjacent
farm. They never corresponded, notwth-
standing the fact they had been fast friends
before she went to school. Her three years
Of seminary life turned her heart somewhat,
and she forgot all about writing to any one
And when she came home the first time, she
was SO Frenchfied that she hardly knew her
old friends


Harry Holmes had grown up to be hand
some, athletic young man. He was a tower of
strength in the neighborhoOd, and an idol of
all the girls. Even he was shy, however, of
| Hetty, his dear friend since childhood lie
was four years her senior. He had frequently
called on her, hut only for very short tune.
In fact, ho was the only visitor at Pine Hill
! farm.


On the night in question, Hotty sat read
| ing and wondering whether Harry Holmes
would get back from the city in time to call
! He had been away three months, aud had
| promised to come to her on the night Of his
return. Not promised to call exactly, but
promised to bring several articles she had
asked him to purchase for her, and that she
wanted as soon he got home. That young
man wouldn't have missed that engagement
for half the world, but nobody knew it but
himself Hetty Jones could never have
dreamed Of it. lie urged his horse up hill
and down, and when the sun faded il the
twilight and the shadows deepeDed into dark.
ness, he reached home that very night.


One hour afterwards he was knocking at the
! front door of the Jones farm house. Two
minutes afterwards Hetty was inspecting the
articles purchased, and for while the Parlor
table looked like peddler's pack.


'Beautiful!' she exclaimed. sI could
not have made better selections myseIfw


A half hour later the visitor wanted to
leave, but was prevailed upon to remain.


why do you always hurry away from me?"
she asked, deeply in earnest alt does seem
as if you had forgotten that we were once
good friends, Mr. Holmes"


.''Yes, once! Then you never called me
mister; and you were different person then.
Now we are very different !" was the young
man g reply, as he drew his chair closer to
the fire. and farther away from the cherry
checked girl.


A Thousand old fapcies fitted through her
brain at the time. She knew she deeply
loved him, and yet she was not understood.
Probably the boyish love of years ago had de-
parted from the strong man in front of her,