Year: 1873


partner in the firm, which was a pros
porous one. But despite all his good
fortune, Ross Dunbar was not happy.
His mother and his little Flora had
gone to their long home, and he was ut
terIy alone, without kith or kin in the
wide world


Sitting alone one morning with the
roar of the March wind in his ears his
thoughts were running back to the days
of his boyhOod, to his mothers humble
home. How vivid the past seemed and
how dear and sacred despite its priva-
tions and sorrow His eyes grew dim
and his heart swelIed All were gone
over the wide waters of time and
change.


a tender smile softened his sad face
as he recalled that stormy night when
he sat sobbing on the steps of Mr.. FOn-
tenay's mansion and little Pansie, the
remembrance of her sweet face, as he
saw it through the snow wreaths that
night haunted him certainly. In all
the fifteen years never for one hour had
he forgotten her But she was gone
lost to him forever.


His revery was broken by the en-
trance of a customer, a lady closely
cloaked and veiIed. The approached
the counter with a Jewel case in her
hand


g Would you buy these ," she asked
simply, in a clear sweet voice than stir
red the young mans heart as no other
woman's voice had power to do.


He took the casket and Enclosed it
and spread out its contents. A watch,
elegant and costly, a diamond ring, two
rubies and an emerald necklace. Ross
Durbar barely sur pressed a cry of sur
prise as his eyes fell upon it. He turn
ed it over with eager, trembling fingers
and there on the clasp was the name
that lived in his heart for so many long
years, Little Pansie.'


g You wish to sell them all, =" he ask
ed. striving to steady his voice and the
wild throbbing of his heart.


The lady hesitated an instant, then
she put out a slender hand and drew
the emeraIds towards her.


81 dislike to part with this, " she said;
it was fathers gift-and-but no mat
ter, take them all; must have the
money"


In her eagerness she had thrown
aside her ve4, revealing a lilly face lit
by Iustrous sapphire eyes. Ross Dun
bar stood silent a moment, every nerve
in his manly frame thrilling with su-
preme delight. He had found her at
last, the one idol Of his life.


"They are very fine gems, he said
after a moment, " and 1 am willing to
give you a fair price-suppose We say
one thousand dollars, viii that do 2"


The girl flashed a dazzling glance Of
surprise from beneath her heavy veil.


4" So much as that ?" she said tremu-
Iously. You are very kind, sir. 0
you cannot know how much this money
viii help me.


The young man made a polite reply
and proceeded to put aside the jewels
to draw a check for the money. The
March winds were still clustering with
out and the girl shivered an5 drew her
wrapper closer as she started out.


" Won't you let me run down to the
bank for you? ?" said the jeweler catch
lug up his hat.


''You can play shoplady the while;
it won't be but a minute or two"


But am troubling you so.


g Not bit; just take It's warm seat,
please, you'll not be likely to have any
customers. And seating her beside
his desk, he took the check and hurried
out.


Pansie Fontenay threw back her veil
and leaned her head upon her hand; a
puzzled reflective look upon her sweet,
sad face.


"Where have [ seen this face ?" she
asked herself Overland over again. tits
so familiar, who in the world can it be?''
His return broke in upon her medita-
ton, and after receiving her money she
hurried away to her humble lodging.


The following afternoon was even
more clustering and stormy the wind
roared and the sleet beat and tinlzled
against the windows of the little room
in which Pansie and her father sat.
Severe misfortune and reverse had re-
duced them to poverty, and the old
man being an invalid, ali the care fell
upon Pansie's slender shoulders. She
sat with her sewing, while her father
read aloud from a new book which she
had bought for him with some of the
money received for her Jewels. Her
sweet face was wan and sad. and her
future stretched before her sad, hope
less and gloomy.


There was a ring at the door and a
servant brought up a package for Miss
Fontenay. An exquisite bunch of pan
sizes, fragrant and goIden-hearted, done
up in tissue paper, and attaohed to them
a card, bearing the simple words:
g Ross Dunbar has not forgotten little
Pansie."


Pansie sat amazed for a moment and
their rich bloom darted up to her white
cheeks.


90, father, she cried, 4 knew him
Il knew him 0, We have found Ross
at last %


An instant later Ross was in the room,
clasping her futtering hands in his, and
into her blue eyes with a glance look
that brought the rosy hue to her face.
And a few weeks later, when the blus-
tering winds were over, and the blue
birds sang in their hedges, aud the
golden-hearted pansies blOomed on the