Year: 1872

quite unusual 10 MS race 4e uau oeon !"
ing to persuade Lance to marry him from the
first week of his return, and no Saturday
night passed without finding him in the kitch-
en- as regularly as it found Jack in the parlor; i;
but Lance could not make up her mind to
leave Miss Grace. "She had been Miss
Grace's maid sence dey was both chillens, and
she wanted to be married the day her misses
was," but Caesars persuasions proved too
strong for her resolution when Grace was out
of sight, and Mr.. Ellison was not able to per-
form his promise Of marrying her "wid dat
book wot had gold on it," for negro minis
ter performed the ceremony, and Lance be.
came Mrs. Caesar Singleton, like any common
darkey, after all her great plans


Old daddy Dick had become so helpless, it
took maum Hess nearly all the time to wait
on him and new cooks were so lazy, ineai-
cient, and often impudent, that Grace turned
the whole posse off and went to work herself
till they could do better than they had with
their late set.


Eight in the family makes plenty of work,
and Grace had no idle time; but retrench.
ment in all departments was so absolutely
necessary, there was less time given to mere
cooking, than when they had thought it i'm
possible to sit down to dinner without several
courses.


Whenever maum Hess could find time to be
in the kitchen, Grace took the opportunity to
make Ellen O visit and "brush the cobwebs
out of her brain" by alively conversation with
uncle Elison's darling Of wife,


"You've come for nothing but new lesson
in housekeeping you don't have enough Of it
at home," said Ellen gaily, on one such occa-
sion. "You wish to be prepared for the new
duties you will one day assume, so don't say
you are sorry I am so busy" ...


mo, I won't say it again, for see you
will soon be through with your task; but will
say you are jesting about new duties and all
that. Father has come to the conclusion it is
best to let Arthur off, and you know he was
my dernier resort" yet Grace blushed as she
said it.


"I don't know it; though do know your
father is at last willing you shall give up Ar
thur, as you have long ago done in reality.
A great change for the better is coming over
your father. He either realizes the situation
of our country and is determined to make the
best of it, or he has passed the crisis Of his dis
appointments and vexations, and the wine of
his nature is working itself clear instead of
turning to vinegar"


"What an idea! I never thought of it that
way; BUTT may be true. Father was not like
himself for long time; his disposition SEEM
ed completely changed, and he could not see
anything except through distorted medium.
It distressed mother beyond account, but she
never relaxed her gentle and powerful in1u-
ence over him, and now he begins to be his
old, sensible, good-hearted self once more"


"Your mother is one among thousand,
and if her influence had failed, it would have
been vain for any one else to have tried to
soften him."


"Do you know he has been down to see Jack,
and gives him the highest praise for what he
has done and is doing?" -.


eyes, heard of it; and now we have come
round to his name, let me show you how to
make nice dessert for two, or for three ifyou
will stay to help eat it."


But Grace caught up her hat, and either
required considerable persuasion or feared to
show her blushing face, it was so long before
she laid it aside and went to see Ellen make
her cream custards.


Jack had two homes now. Mr.. Ellison
wanted him to spend his Sundays there, and
his aunt Elliott said he must not desert her !;
so he stayed part of the time with one and
part with the other, always contriving, howev-
er, to be most where Grace was.


While Grace was making her visit in
Charleston, Mrs. Elliott discovered something
was the matter with Jack, and it did not take
her long to find what distressed him. She
would have laughed heartily, but his imagi-
nary trouble was so great she would not add
to it.


Without giving him any certain intimation
of Grace's feelings, she consoled him and sue
ceeded in convincing him that there was no
reason for looking on Tom Wright as rival {;
and so far as she was concerned, she was vii.
ling to become more than his god-mother.
Yet Jack could not screw his courage up to
the sticking point when with Grace and she,
as bashful as he, and with no spice Of coquet-
ry in her nature, could not help him. She
let events take their course without asking
herself


'sWhen bashful lover comes to WOO,


What shall poor maiden do?"


Not long after the choir meetings were re-
sumed-for they were neglected few weeks
Jack had a fresh twinge from the demon his
aunt Georgia had exercised so effectually for
a while.


The group at the chapel door were laugh
ing merrily, as he rode up, at something
which had just passed. Grace was shaking
her finger at Tom Wright, and he, with a
face like scarlet, was looking bashfully happy.
All turned to greet Jack, and then went in
without explaining the cause of their late
mirth.


Jack was mute that evening, but Toms
voice rose to his jealous ears louder than ever.
Grace grew more and more constrained, as
from time to time she caugh sight Of Jacks
lowering face, and when she struck wrong
note or so, could not correct it till Tom lean
en- over and put her music in better position
for the light to fall on it. This was fuel to
Jacks fire, and when the singing was over
he would have refused his uncle's urgent in
vitation to 20 home with him, if he had not