Year: 1872

cold white feathers, which were blown
about so thickly that one could hardly
see across the garden.


SO Lionel gave up all thought of the
mantle for that day, and, springing out of
bed, he kissed his sister good-morning,
and set to work to make things warm and
pleasant for her indoors. When he had
kindled anotherroaring fire on the hearth,
he put on his talest boots and his warm
est coat, and plunged boldly forth into
the cold white snOw-storm He gathered
together all the sticks of wood he could
find in the neighboring forest, brought
them in great armfuls to the house, and
piled them up under the shed, until there
was enough to last for many days to come.
Then he took the spade and shoveled
pathways all around the house, and out to
the barn, for Rose to walk on, so that
when the evening came round again,
everything about the cottage was quite
comfortable and cheerful, and Rose de-
clared she was almost as happy as before
the winter began. And again that night
the children sat hand in hand before the
blazing, cracking fire; and as it fell grad
ually into glowing embers they fancied,
from time to time, they caught the glim-
mer of their mothers smile. At last,
when the fire had died out, and Rose was
sleeping quietly, Lionel stepped on tiptoe
to his mothers room, opened the door,
and looked in at the dusky mantle hang
ing on the chair.


Perhaps" he whispered to himself,
81 may be allowed to wear it to. morrow"
But even as he spoke he heard Rose turn
uneasily in her bed, and thought she muir
INJURED something in her sleep. So he
closed the door with half sigh, because
he felt that he must wait yet longer ere the
time should come.


The snow lasted a long, long while, un-
til the children almost believed that the
summer had been a dream, and there new
er had been anything else than ice and
snow. The sky was almost always COW
cred with heavy gray clouds, which hid
the sun; but in time the children grew
fond even of the clouds, they looked
down upon them so softly and teuderly,
and piled themselves into such strange,
fantastic shapes And once in while,
when the day closed and the sun sank be-
low the ocean, the clouds would gather
round him. all dressed in magnificent
robes of gold, crimson, and purple, and
stand waiting in solemn and superb array
until he had disappeared, and the gorgeous
vestments vanished with him. At such
times Lionels mind would revert, he
knew not why, to the enchanted mantle
in his mothers room, and he wondered
whether it would be transformed into
splendid colors like the gloomy clouds.
And sometimes he marveled that the sun
should make those very clouds that strovc
to obscure his beauty the means CT max
ing that beauty more grand and magnif-
cent than it could otherwise have been.
Then he would ask himself whether he
should be able so to glorify the magic
mantle when the time for him to wear it
arrived. And often it would seem to him
he could no longer wait, he so longed to
cover himself with the dark folds, and
feel again the drowsy influence of the
spell, and look once more upon his moth
er's face. But whenever the longing was
most irresistible the voice of his sister
Rose would come to him, and something
in his heart would whisper that his duty
was yet unaccomplished, and the myste
riOus mantle must still remain hanging
on his mothers chair.


So the days went by, and the months,
and gradually the years. and still the
children lived together in the cottage
In Their outward guise, to be sure, they
were children no longer, for Lionel was
tall and strong and stately, with deep,
tender eyes, and grave, determined lips
and Rose was lovely, and graceful, with
sweet, contiding eyes and soft brown hair
But all this was outside there was moth
ing old about their hearts, and in each
others eyes they were children still
Rose always looked up to and trusted in
her brother, as in the summer days so
long ago and Lionel protected and cared
for his little sister Just as lovingly and
tenderly as when they were first left alone
together. And because the time had
never once come, in all these years,
when he could say, Now all is done for
her that can do, and there is nothing to
prevent my giving myself up to the spell
of the enchanted MANTLE" therefore it
still remained undisturbed in his mothers
room, and many years had passed since
he had even opened the door to look at it.
But once in while there would be
whisper iu his heart, "'fhe time is COM
ing, Lionel wait and be patientm 1t
seemed to him like his mothers voice,
and he would enter with renewed hope
and courage upon another day-and year.


Still the time went on and on and now
the winter, which had seemed so endless,
began gradually to pass away. The
winds grew warmer and gentler; the
heavy clouds broke up and tioated about
in Titanic forms; the sun came forth
again, more glorious than of yore, and
soon all the snow had vanished except
that little of the purest and whitest al.
ways rested on the heads of the boy
Lionel and his sister Rose, as a memento
of the long winter they had spent togeth-
er in the cottage. AS the summer came
on, the evenings grew longer and more
beautiful, and the children, instead of sit
ting indoors by the fire, spent much of
their time in the porch of the cottage,
looking out to sea Every evening there
was a wonderful sunset, each more per-
feet than the last every evening, also,
appeared the vision of the golden path,
extending from the island shore to the ut
most brink of the sea; and when the sun
sank down and rested moment, ali glow
ing, on the waters edge, the children
would gaze and wonder whether they
should not now see their mothers face
looking out at them.


At last, one evening, there had been the
most glorious sunset of all. The lOVeliest
clouds in the heavens had collected to-
gether to see it, and each reflected and
multiplied the splendOr. The sea was
calm, and painted the wondrous picture
on its bosom so marvelously well that it
was hard to decide whether the reality or
the copy were the better. The souls of
the children were filed with joy and love,
and for long time they had been sitting
beside each other, silent, but hand in
hand, as ever


So long did the silence last that finally
Lionel reused himself from his reverie
and pressed his sisters hand When she
did not return the pressure or move, he
thought she must be asleep, and spoke to
her gently, fearing to waken her too sud
denly. But she slept on, and did not an
swer him. Then he looked in her face;
it was all rosy and gloritied with the part
ing splendor of the sun, and in the shift
ing light sweet and happy smile seemed
to hover like dream about her mouth,
A great and solemn awe fell upon Lionel's
heart, for he knew that the beautiful and
reverend figure in the chair was nothing
but the image of the sister he had loved
so long and faithfully. But turning his
head, he gazed at the brightness across
the sea; and in the midst of it he saw his
mothers face, and beside it another,


,fhioh ,uou Roea,s only far fairar opI