Year: 1876

\ little headstrOng piece, pretty little
headstrong piece, every old woman in the
neshborhood called Bessie Allan; and
when she and George Knight, her mate in
most of her frolics and adventures, were
together. any thing, the same authorities
declared, might be expected. Neverthe
less. ali the neighborhood were Bessie
Alan's friends; they all loved the little
bright head, the dimple mischief of the
rosy face the glistening of the brown eyes,
with their long, bright, halfcurled lashes
that knew 80 we'll the demure trick of
yelling the lustre underneath them at the
auspciOus moment, and making the face
too tempting Tor any thing but forgiveness
and kisses.


She was seventeen, and though all the
neighborhood might in some way be called
her lover. vet she had never had that single
and individual lover who belongs to young
girls dreams, for with all her gay spirit
there was a certain shyness-almost like
that Of the little wildwood animals, which
allure you and then escape you-and no
admirer had ever approached the lovely,
frolcsome, piquant thing near enough to
become lover. That is to say, until this
present epoch, of which we are about to
speak, and then one day the new minister.
Young. heart-wholc, handsome, and believed
by some of the old women of whom men.
ton has been made, and some Of the young
ones too, to be nothing less than an angel
in disguise, for if such things had happened
once, they reasoned, then they might
happen agan-just as he rose in the pulpit
saw Mistress Bessie come walking into the
church. and it was all over with him.


As for Bessie, she sat very still betweeI
her father and mother i'll church, ano
forgot all about her roguish glances hithe
and yon. all about this body's ribbons anC
that body's hat, and heard the preaching
and the praying with a new light in he
eyes and a new comprehension i'll he
mind; joined in the singing of the hymn
with her whole soul and voice like
Bird; and perfectly agreed for the tim
being with the old women and the yOuni





but more likely to be spirit in morta
guise han any mere graduate Of theology
But if this young gentleman had no
been seifconsciOus Of Bessie's presence II
church, he became very CO nscious of it il
her fathers house Not Immediately, to b
sure, for the awe in which she had bee
half spell bound, did not wear off at once
But when she found that the minste
liked plenty Of gravy, when she had helpe
him twice to dumplngs, when she ha
discovered that he had good heart
heather appetite, then the mischief i'll hC
began to get the upper hand. and almo
before she knew what she was about, I'll
eyelashes were doing their wOnted execl
ton.


A child indeed she was, he confesse'
but then an utterly lovely one. Not pr
cisely the material for a minister's viii
according to old.fashioned theories, bl
then he had abandoned old-fashione
theories in that respect. His wife was
belong::tO him, not the parish, and in tin
she would be everything the fondest paris
could wish. And as far as anything mol
that could be urged, there was but OF
answer-he loved her. A month ago
had never seen her; now, life would be
hard struggle to the grave without her.


month ago he had never seen her, yet
was sure he had only been journeying
ward her, and he was as determined
make her his own, and as confident that
should do so, as if he had seen it write
in the book of fate. When Mr. Beckwi
determined on thing, he was in the hal
Of accomplishment it.


1t actually seemed to all the neighbC
hood, at about that time, as though Bes'
Allan were beside herself with exuberan
and the mere delight of youth and heal
aud sunshine. The sewing circles and (
prayei-meetings were only SO many plas
Tor her wiles and witcheries-possess
With glee at the one, coquettish lit
Puritan at the other under all her glan'