Year: 1873

at the outset, Mrs. HutcnlnS nan taken up
the notion that her dodgers were relatives.
Miss Lascelles did not correct an error
which was so very convenient to her pur-
pose, since, under strange name, she would
escape good deal of the watching and gos-
sip which, in her own proper person, she
would have had to encounter. SO jimmy
and Kitty were privately drilled into their
new relationship by "Aunt Nina" who
was known to the neighborhoOd as Miss
Neeny Pratt, and, taken at the valuation OF
her cotton gowns and gypsy straw. attract
ed no notice more burdensome than an ad-
miring glance from some young farmer
whom she passed in her daily rambles
with the children. The villagers, indeed,
opined that Miss Neeny was little fanciful
which was their way Of calling her I" odd y
but, the verdict once pronounced, troub-
led themselves no more about the matter,
for fancifulness, in all its varieties, is not as
| high misdemeanor in country as in city
eyes.


But, accustomed to homage, change,
amusement, of course she speedily found
this monotonous life frightful bore? On
the contrary, she did not even find it mo-
notonous, for every day brought her some
novelty from milking and butter and bread
making to sketching, rowing, climbing. ber-
rying, there was scarcely possibility OF
the country which she left untried. And
watching Jimmy's puny muscles harden,
and little Kitty's white cheeks take a color
like the wild rose in the hedge brers, she
actually found more interesting daily oc-
cupation than noting the progress of art-
alton or undressing Mrs. A at the
hops. Very strange taste, no doubt, but
tlstes never are to be accounted for.


But if Miss Lascelles enjoyed herself,
what shall be said of the two poor young
things that like good fairy, she had car
ried away from squalor and privation? Tru-
| ly, to them this was another world, in its
utter unlikeness to any thing they had ever
known. Though not out of childhood, they
had never yet been children, and Miss Las
celles saw with delight the transformation
coming over them, as they rolled on the
grass, tumbled down the hill-sides, scratch
ed themselves among brambles, screamed
laughed, and whooped like wild Ingines,"
as Mrs. Hutchins said, and, in a manner,
got tipsy on mountain air and unlimited SUM-
light. Undoubtedly for the time being
they were little animals like the puppy and
the kitten they played with, Miss Iascelles
aiding and abettlng, in the belief that by
taking care of the body now she was doing
the best service to the soul by -and-by.


One of the children's favorite occupations
was driving the cows home at night, and
then standing by to see them milked, per-
formance which lost none of its interest
from the bowl apiece of warm new milk
with which it ended. The milk, real coun-
try milk, with no smack of the pump handle,
was perhaps, greater marvel than even the
cows to these benighted little cts, and they
swallowed it literally open-mouthed. A
pretty sight it was, this milking time so
thought a chance conner who had strayed
down the lane by the backyard, and stopped
to look over the bars at the scene inside
Miss Neeny's blue draperies falling as
gracefully from the milking as ever they had
done from the music stool, her black hair
crisping into picturesque lights and shades
against the sleek side of the white cow, who
stood chewing the cud her large mild eyes
meditatively fixed on Kitty perched on an
overturned wheelbarrow, and steadfastly re-
turning the gaze with her great blue Eng
lish eyes, while Jimmy, divided between ad-
miration and kind OF fascinated fear, how
cred around Farmer Colby's big chestnut
horse, that its owner had left tied to post
while he drove bargains in butter and cheese
in Mrs. Hutchins's dairy, aud that champed
and paved and otherwise testified impa-
tience at the delay. The sun, just disap-
pearing behind the hills, as il to make sure
that all was as it should be before retiring
for the night, shot forth last keen blink
that searched out CLEAN of gold in the
moss under the gable and a tiny crimson how-
er in the grass, while the chestnut's coat
shown as if vanished, and the shadow of
the old cherry tree heightened till it seem
ed to be growing out of sight.


The stranger, whose knapsack on the
shoulder and stout stick in hand, to say
nothing of dusty gray garments, bespoke
him pedestrian tourist, after looking on for
minute unperceived, put his hand on the
bar and called to Jimmy. But Jimmy
whose nerves had not yet hardened to a
country boys stolidity, jumped back at the
sudden sound, unfortunately at the precise
moment when the chestnut launched out at
fly that was buzzing about him. The fly
with contemptuous b-r-r, sailed off un-
touched, but poor wingless Jimmy lay his
length on the ground.


At Kitty's scream Nina looked round
but before any body could move, the young
man was over the bars and had the insensi.
BILE boy in his arms. He was a surgeon, he
said. and anxiously awaited his report ol
the boys injuries. They proved less seri
Gus than she had feared-a slight concus
sion OF the brain and broken leg, broken
so cleanly, as the young surgeon with pro-
fessional enthusiasm declared alter setting
it. that it might almost be trusted to hea
of ITSELF


| Nevertheless DR.. Hilton, as he gave his
name, did not trust it to itself. Perhaps
he felt that as he had indirectly been the
cause of Jimmy's battering, the least he
could do was to leave him as sound as be
had found him. So the knapsack was un.
strapped, and, with its owner, remained in.
definitely under Mrs. Hutchins' gambrel
roof. Never surely was patient better tend
ed than Jimmy Pratt. The young man told
him stories and invented games for his
amusement, taught him, to the boys intense
pride and delight, to play on a creaky old
I fiddle that had spent its best days in the
service of the deceased Hutchins, brought
him news of all the small happenings of the
farm and the village, till he was well enough
to be moved, after which, in all favorable
weather, the daily FAMILIES were resumed
Jimmy riding IN great style and comfort or
DR.. Hlton's back. The neighborhood. with
keen country instinct in love matters, once
more opiDed that all this meant that the
young doctor was maxim up to Miss Nee
L L n
at fault. In fact, as Jimmy grew better hi;