Year: 1871

without waiting for the time appointed far her
answer But that gentleman sp )iled it bv his
own over confidence.


For when he called, after Jennie had de.
ternilhed on THIS course, he found her so full
OF Kindness that he hardly knew how to he.
have with moderation. And so he faIl 70 a.
terlng her, and fattering himself at the same
time that he knew the ins and outs Of = Girls
heart, and he cOmplimented her on the MANY
offers she had received. '''''"'


And tell you what, he proceeded


there are plenty of others who would lay their
heauS at your feet, if they were only YOUR
equals. There that young parson, Gilbert,
thlhE tney call hlm who is visiting his moth
er IN the unpainted and threadbare looking
house that stands behind this one I've ar,
tually seen that fellow in his rusty, musty
coat stop and look after you on the street. and
every night when go home he is sitting At
the window that looks over this wav me
poor tool Is IN love with you. Only think of
1t! And chuckle to myself when l see him,
ana say, Don't you wish you could reach SO
high? declare its funny


In that one speech Colonel Pearson dashed
his chances to pieces He could not account
for the sudden return of winter in j 'nnie Wnr-
ton manner. And all his sunshine was pow
erieSs to dlspel It, or to bring back the least
apnroacf of Spring.


Poor Jennie You can imagine. doctor
how she paced the floor all that night Sbn
began to understand something of the courage
OF Henry Gilbert 5 heart, and something Of the
mahllness OF his motives. All night long she
watched the hight burning in the room in the
widow house !; and all night long she debated
the matter until her head ached She could
| reach but one conclusion: Henry was to leave
the day att r Tomorrow. If any communica-
ton should be opened between them. she must
begin It, 1t was as if she had seen him drift
ing away forever, and must throw him rome
think even such a wOmans rights man AS
yourself would hardly justify her, however, in
t. K ng any step of the kind"


: certainly should, > said the doctor.


" But she could not find way-she had no
rope to throw. Again the colonel, meaning to
do anything else but that, opened the way
At the breaktast-table the next morning she
received from him magnificent valentine. All
at once She saw her method. 1t was St. Val
entlne day. The rope was in her hand Ex-
cuslng herself from breakfast she FASTENED to
her room.


" 10 send valentine to the faithful lover
was the uppermost thought But how? She
dare not write her name, for after all she might
offend his prcjudiceS or his pride by so direct
an approach. She went to fumbling a drawer
for stationary. She drew out a little pine boat
that Henry had whitfield for her many years
before. He had named it Hope, but the
| combined wisdom of the little boy and rirl
could not succeed in spelling the name correct
ly. And here was the little boat that he had
given her, saying often atterward that it was
the boat that they were going to sail in some
day. The mSSpelt name had been the sub
lect of many laugh between them. Now
but | mustn't lie sentimental


" 1t did not take Jennie long to draw an
| exact likeness of the little craft. And that
there might be no mistake about it, she spell
Ell the name as it was on the side of the boat


HOap. There was not another word in the
valentine. Sealing it up, she hurried ont with
It and dropped it in the postofhce. No mer-
chant sending all his fortune to sea in one frail
bark ever watched the departure and trembled
Tor the result OF the venture as she did Spain
did not pray half SO ardently when the invinci-
Bile Armada sailed. 1t was unuttered PRAYER
an unutterable prayer. For heart and hope
We're the lading of the little picture boat that
sall d out that day, with no other wind but
her wishes in its sails


She sat down at her window until she saw
Henry lbert pass the next street corner on
his morning walk to the postOffice Three
minutes after he went home evidently in
great state of excitement, with her valentine
open in his hand. After awhile he went back
again toward the postofice, and returned He
had taken a reply


Jennie again sought the Office. There
were people all round with those hideous things
they call comic valentines open in their hands
Aud they actually seemed to think them funny
She had reply. 1t did not take her long TO
lind her room and to open it. There was an
other picture of a boat, but the name on its
side read Despair. And these words were
added: Your boat is the pleasantest, but
understanding there was no vacant place upon
! 1t, have been obliged to take passage in this
/ Slowly the meaning forced itself upon her
Henry had fears that she whom he thought
engaged was cOquetting with him. | think.
doctor, you will hardly justify her in proceed
Ing further with the correspondence"
Why not? Hasn't woman as much
right to make herself undersOod in such mat
ter as a man? And when the social advanta-
ges are on her side the burden of making the
advances often falls upon her Many women
do 1t indirectly and are not censured." p"
! Well, you know / IN conservative, doctor
but M glad you re consistent. She did send
another valentine. | am afraid she strained
this igue of speech about the boat But
when everything in the world depends on one
metaphor, it will not do to be tastidious Jen-
ME drew again the little boat with the misspet
name. And this time added five words The
masters ace is vacautp


And quite late in :he afternoon the reply
was left at the door am an applicant for
the vacant place, if you will take that of mas
! ter : mate y -


Good, cried the doctor "l always advo-
Gated giving women every liberty in these mat
tiers"


" But will stump you yet, DOCTOR" said
Hubert. "That evening Cough was to lecture
in the village, and my friend went, not to hear
Cough but to see Miss Jennie Morton at a
distance. Somehow, in the stupefaction of re-
vived hope, he had not thought of going to the
house to see her yet. He had postponed his
| do nd had thraun xuov he eo,,,nIo,
Knowing how much opposition he would have
to contend with, he thought, if he thought at
all, that he must proceed with caution. But
some time after the lecture began he discover
ed the Morton family without Jennie Slow.
ly it dawned upon him. She was at home
waiting for him. He was near the front of
the church in which the lecture was held, and