Year: 1870

]
and dependency marks us for her own,
then we see, then we realize the world of
bliss which was ours; then we feel the
soft chords of q past affection thrilling
deeply within our breast; then we would
give almost our hopes in eternity for one
moment of that happiness, for one fond
realization of the aetualities of the past,
which now can only fit across in dreams
or engloom the mind with the contrast of
what has been and what is


That was weird but gorgeous scene
which opened upon the eyes of such of
! the picnickers as awoke early enough to
see the gray Of dawn invade the darkness
of the castellated Canyon of Beautiful
Echoes. Mrs. Chickley was of the merry
party that had arrived the day before from
Hymanyille. She had left Chick, her
other half. at home to take care Of
the house and to attend to his manifold
official duties. The women folk had all
snuggled in under one tent, and although
they had gossiped till very late hour,
yet the biting atmosphere of the morn
ing. and that prompt iosponse of wake
fulness to the excitement of novel scenes,
had reused her before the sun.


The driver had even got up earlier than
Mrs. Chickley had awakened, and was
away in the hills hunting up the stock.
There was a fine camp fire near the tent,
and Mrs. Chickley could not resist the
temptation of surprising the rest by steal
ing out of bed and going with her clothes
to the genial fire to dress. She squatted
before the blazing logs, and felt world
of comfort in warming herself before that
heat-imparting fire. She was soon Joined
by another lady and another, and thus,
in harmless deshabille. they spent many
a minute in delicious small talk. All at
once, male voice reached them from
the mems tent, crying:


Ladies', look onti There s a man
coming


There was ridiculous scattering and
hasty donning of dresses. Sure enough,
there was a man coming; it was the
driver, John, leisurely approaching the
camp with his mules.


When breakfast was prepared and
spread upon the sward, Mrs. Chickley,
as she was pouring out the coffee, said:


Some people are meani Now, if /
was man, and saw lady dressing be-
fore a nice fire of n cold morning, and |
accidentally came that way, would only
consider it gentlemanly to go the other
way


John felt that be was the man hinted
at, and not the man that had turned the
other way. He simpered out something
about not having seen them.


'Oh, yes; that s well enough. You
did nj look, and You would mt look,
when we were not watching for you.
Oh, no.


John yentured TO ask how they knew
he WAS coming, when they did MT see
him.


Poor Mrs. Chickley is always putting
her foot in it, Why, said she, Mr.,
Smithson saw you coming, and he hol-
lered 10 us.


This was too bad, and John could mt
hold in.


If that is the case, ladies, would
like to know how Mr.. Smithson knew
you were not dressed in lookatable
shapei'


This was poser. Smithson had with
out doubt boen playing 'possum in his
tent, and whilst he had no compunc-
tions of delicacy about looking at the la
dies in deshabille, his natural selfish
ness made him forget himself, and halo





ticipate in his fortune.


Mrs. Chickley, however, is philoso-
pher, and laughed off the little adventure
in frequent hearty pleasantries, many of
which were pointed against the mis-
creant Smithson. But with all her full
ness of heart and sylvan enjoyment,
Mrs. Chickley was not entirely happy.
Chick was not there TO share il with her.
Chick was hard at work; Chick--poor
Chickl-was cooking his solitary meal,
or washing his solitary dish! Then one
thought gave rise 10 another, and-who
would believe it, Mrs. Chickley ac-
tually thought herself into state of
jealousy. Why had MT Chick come with
her? lie could find time if he had liked.
He found plenty Of time to go to other
places-to the lodge and sich, why
could MT he find time to come with her?


Now, 1t is truth in metaphysics
that the strongest minds can, by think
ing backwards and forwards in the same
groove, bring themselves to believe al
most anything; and Mrs. Chickley ac-
tually brought herself to believe that
poor, innocent Chick had refused TO
come with the party for ulterior pur-
poses, of character she feared to name
even 10 herself.


The change in Mrs. Chickley's manner
and appearance did not pass the search
ing eye of Smithson unnoticed. He
did MT know exactly what was going on
under Mrs. Chicks lowering brow but
from her frequent throwings out, and
from her sharp, pointed manner of de-
claring she could not imagine why Chick
did nj come, he thought the green-eyed
monster had something TO do with it.
If this were the case, it was his oppor-
tunity to get even on the rough-edged
filings she had hurled at him for lying
awake while she and the other ladies
were dressing themselves in the line of
his vision. He, therefore, lost no op-
portunity to fan the jealous flame.


Smithson had q sly way of limiting at
things which, when one came to Sc
riously consider it. was pregnant with
grave meaning. He wonld twit Mrs.
Chickley with being the best of women
to leave poor Chick to himself. Chick
had important business, and he could
attend TO it much more efficiently alone
than if Mrs. Chickley were present. He
did not know exactly what the bust
ness was; but il was evidently very inn
portant and of great secresy.


Now, il there was one thing more than
another Mrs. Chickley prided herself
on, it was in keeping secrets Nobody
should keep secrets from her for fear
that she would tell them-much less
should her husband, who knew her as no
other man knew her, and who had often
told her she was the most retieent, rela-
BILE woman in the world-(she did not
say that he usually added, sotto voce:
when asleep


But picnics, any more than other
things that are nice and enjoyable, can
not always last Mrs. Chicks suspi-
cions had grown on her so seriously that
the time of departure for Hymanville
was made earlier than was Mt first in
I tnnIaI