Year: 1876

one, fearing Rose was alone, and not
having dared herself to come to her be-
fore; and she staid to tea, and wanted a
game of cribbage in the evening; and
when Roger came back from escort duty
to old Mrs. Vance, Rose Just lifted the
candle fame between her face and his,
and saying goodnight, hurriedly, was
away to her slumbers.


Roger went to his, that is to say to
his room. Sleep he could not. His
thoughts we're whirling at such a rate
with his emotions that he was wider
awake than ever before. He stepped
out on the old broken balcony of his
window and watched the slow wheeling
of the consultations, and heard the tiny
cracking sound OF leaves and raindrops
and pebbles in the garden, of some night
bird, maybe, tapping the bough, or else
the dead vine branch beating on win
dow pane, and he thought how hard and
bitter thing was life, and half cursed
it; and then the vision of Rose would
steal before him-the sweet, smiling
face, the dimpled velvet cheek, the shin
ing eye, gentle motion, gentle spirit
and he said to himself that it was
enough for any one to live in the same
world with such thing as she.


But at length it occurred to him that
this was enough of star gazing. If he
were ever to be man fit to win her,
even if unable, he must cease his day
dreams and work, and to work he must
sleep. He returned to his room, and all
at once, as if something stung him at
every pore, he staggered back. What
strange odor was this2 what strange at
mosphere after the cool night fragrance9
The room was full of a thick pungent
cloud-it was the smoke of burning.
"Firel firel fre!" he heshouted, and sprung
through the door for Roses room, only
to be met by such strong, turbid mass
of moving darkness and noisomeness
and suffocation as to stagger back again
single moment before it. But almost
Immediately he was bounding through
it, throwing open the doors be-
tween, and all at once, as he opened the
third one, great binding glare fell
from above, and there was the monstrous
horror of fame, towering and soaring
like an evil spirit that wiped matter from
existence.


But Roger did not pause to think
what it was like; he only thought that
it was sweeping through an upper floor,
that in moment the floor must fall,
that he must reach Roses room. The
house had been struck by lightning in
the storm, and the smoldering spark
had been making headway in the lonely
upper rooms all the delicious summer
evening, all the time that he had been
leaning on his balcony drinking the
balmy air, all the time that Rose had
been folded in her sweet slumber, all
the time he had been hearing that tiny
crackle, and thinking it was the rain
dripping from the leaves upon the walk.
Another moment and over it's dull roar
came a cry: "Oh, Roger Roger q!
Oh, my dearest my dearest where
are you Do you know it" And
Rose, with a cloak thrown over her,
burst through her door, and was caught
in his arms as he leaped down the
stairs at one vault and bore her out into
safety.


They had barely reached the gate
when the roof fell in, and though the
neighbors came thronging round, and
the engines were presently at play, they
stood there with the rest, and saw 1t
was of no use, and the blaze of the home
of their childhood and their youth was
ascending like a smoke of sacrifice.
Rose stood folded in the arms of Roger,
hiding her eyes from the dreadful sight,
as child might stand beside the grave
of mother while it is filled. Let il
go without tears, darling-let it go, y
Roger whispered. I" 1t is a kindly
flame. The old house is still protect
ing us; it has lighted our way to each
other. Without it, we should still have
been cropping in the dark. Il should
never have dared win you; you would
never have known [ loved YOU"


"You are coming right home witt
me, children" said Mrs. Vance, "til
we can turn round and see what to be
done. Is the house insured? where's
your papers 2"


"They are gone," said Rose, "witl
everything else. We are utterly -penni
less |"


1t was just fortnight after that
when Roger entered Mrs. Vauce's house
one night, Rose ran and clapped bi
of paper before his eyes so closely tina
he could see nothing. When he stepped
back she was holding it over his lips
and then half bashfully tiptoeing up ant
kissing him through it. "Do you Sc,
what it is2" she said. cit is a checl
for twenty five hundred dollars from tn,
insurance company, who have taken th,
circumstances into account. 1t is th,
insurance on the buildings, and tn


lands are still left. The old house i
taking care of us yet, Roger. Tw,
J thousand for your business, and tn
rest" she whispered, shyly, and blush
ing like rose indeed, "to furnish th