Year: 1873

=" Beg your pardon, miss; there arc
several English towns of thirty
thousand inhabitants each and we
never think of ourselves as being ont
of-thc-way, but rather feel sorry for
those who live so far off," returned
the other, bending his tall figure
earnestly forward.


Rosa lcaued her pretty head towards
him i'll u contiding attitude of in.
terest, and laughed: "Oh, so Won are
the people, and wisdom is going to
die with you !" said she. But
what do you do out there in the heart
of the universe ?"


"We dig gold for one thing. and
raise sheep for anothcr-m;llions and
millions of them from thirty to forty
vessels are constantly plying to Eng
land with the tallow and pressed
WOOL"


"What do you do with all that
mutton asked Rosa, looking idly at
the light in her ring, and then as idly
ut the light in the speakers eyes.


awe use what we car" was tho
reply; "and sometimes, am sorry to
say, we bury the fcsh-not usually;
but sometimes an order will come to
one farmer for thousand sheep, if
you please and all he can do is to clip
off the wool, get out the fat, and bury
the carcasses."


"What pity the meat can't be
sent to the hungry poor at home !
Why don't somebody condense it as
they do the beef in Tcxas!" | said
in my practical way.


In good time dare say somebody
will; but we can't do everything at
once" replied the New Zcalander,
looking with sudden interest at the
game of shullle-board being played
beside US.


just then along came the ships sur
geon, blonde youth in uniform with
with his hair parted in the middle.


"Miss Armour" said he, " the gun
Is to be fired at the bow; will you
come and see il done 2"


Miss Armour started up at once,
turning the same half-confiding glance
and ready smile upon him she had
been giving us.


L am going to leave my rug with
you; l shall como back" said she,
beaming over her shoulder upon me
as she took the surgeons arm and
went away.


The New Zealander looked after
her, tried to console himself by draw
ing his wrap in another fold across his
knees, did not succeed, and finally got
up and went away. OF course it was
not worth his while to make himself
agreeble to a middle-agod woman in
hood and waterproof. So sat, and
looked at the likeness of lake among
the sunset clouds, and tried TO decide
whether | had better take oatmeal
cruel or biscuit-tea for my supper;
wondering the while, half uncon-
sciously, about the old chord in my
memory that was alway being struck
by certain musical ring in the NV
Zealander's voice.


After an hour or so the gun was
fired; and presently Miss Armour
came back, with the disorder Of the
strong sea-wind in her, and its fresh
ness in her pretty pink checks.


ave come as said," she mur-
mered, dropping at my feet again, and
smiling up, as though she had got
where she best loved TO be-just such
a smile as she would have given TO the
stokers down in the enginc-room, or
to the ships cat. But it was lovely to
look upon while it lasted; and We
middle.aged people have learned to
warm ourselves in any chance ray of
sunlight, without stopping to consider
whether il is likely to be perpetual.


This time the bit of sunshine did not
stay long; for there came up an artist
with his sketch-book; and when Miss
Armour had sufficiently admired his
graphic pcncillings OF the captain and
the quartor-master, and the sea-sick
occupant Of an upper berth, it was
time to throw the log; and so he
bore her OF, 10 find out by her own
eyes whether we were actually going
at the rate of thirteen knots or only
twelve and a half,


That was how the days went. Tho
passengers read and paced the deck,
played games and guessed riddles, and
were always hungry; the pilot stood
steady and firm at the wheel; the sail
ors ran up and down about the rigging
like overgrown spiders, and were for
ever securing and scrubbing, tying
and untying, drawing up and letting
down. Thus at last we had come
safely almost to our desired haven.
With fair sailing, we were only one
day out from port; and, fond as wo
had GROWN to bp of zach ofhar wa