Year: 1875

ry making up butter, surrounded by tier
above tier of shining pans, whence pro-
ceeded breath as fresh and fragrant as
if the ghosts of departed king cups and
clover still haunted the spot, and work
ing before window where morning-glo-
ries rung their colored bells in the balmy
air. She was as pleasant sight as any
eye need wish to see upon summers
day.


The merry child had bloomed into a
sprightly girl, rich in rustic health and
beauty. All practical virtues were hers.
and while they wore so comely shape,
they possessed a grace that hid the lack
of those finer attributes which give to
womanhOOd its highest charm. The
present was all in all to Ruth. Its
homely duties were her world, its petty
griefs and joys her life, and her ambi-
tion was bounded by her desire to show
her mates the finest yarn, the sweetest
butter, the gayest cardinal and the hand
somest sweetheart in the town. An es-
sentially domestic character. CHEEKY as
the blaze upon the hearth, contented as
the kettle singing there, and so affec-
tionate. discreet and diligent that she
was the model damsel of the town, the
comfort of Uncle Daniels age, the pride
of Aunt Becky's heart, the joy of Mats
life and the desire of his eyes.


Unlike as ever, the pair were still fast
friends. Nay, more, for the past year
had been imperceptibly transforming
that mild sentiment into a much warm
er one by the magic of beauty, youth
and time. Year after year Nat had pa
tIently toiled on, for gratitude controlled
ambition and Ruth's presence made his
life endurable. But Nature was strong
er than duty or love, and as the boy RI
pened into the man he looked wistfully
beyond the narrow present into the great
future, which allures such as he with
vague, sweet prophesies, hard to be re-
sisted. Silently the struggle went on,
steadily the Unborn longing strengthen
ed, and slowly the resolution was fixed
to put his one gift to the test and learn
if it was vain delusion or lovely pos
sibility. Each year proved to himself
and those about him that their world
was not his world, their life his life /;
for, like Anderson's young swan, the
barnyard was no home to him, and when
the other fowls cackled, Kissed and
scolded he could only put his head un-
der his wing and sigh for the time when
he should join "the beautiful white
birds among the rushes of the stream
that flowed through the poets garden,
where the sun shone and the little chill
dren played"


| Ruth knew his dreams and desires
but, as she could not understand them,
she tried to cure them by every inno-
cent art in her power, and nursed him
through many fit of the heart-sickness
of hope deferred as patiently as she
would have done through any less oc.
cult disease that flesh is heir to. She
was thinking of him as she worked that
day, and wishing she could mould his
life as easily as she could the yellow
Jumps before her, stamping them with
her own mark, and setting them away
for her own use. She felt that some
change was about to befall Nat, for she
had listened to the murmur of voices as
the old man and the young sat talking
far into the night. What the result
had been was as yet unknown; for I'm.
Gle Daniel was unusually taciturn that
morning and Nat had been shut up il
his room since breakfast, though spring


work waited for him all about the farm


An unwonted sobriety sat on Ruth's


usually cheerful face, and she wa:
not singing as she worked, but listening


intently for well-known step to de


scend the creaking stairs. Presently i
came, paused a moment in the big kit


chen, where Aunt Becky was flying


about like a domestic whirlwind, anc
Ruth heard Nat ask for her with rine
in his voice that made her heart begir
to futter


"She's in the dairy But for land
sake where are you a-going, boy, de
clare fort, you look SO fine and chink
scursely knew yer" answered the ole


lady, pausing in her work to stare at th'
, astonishing spectacle of Nat in his Sun
, day best upon week day.


'.I'm going to seek my fortune, Aunt
Won't you wish me luck 2 replied Nat
, cheerily.


, Aunt Becky had a prOverb for ever
; occasion, and could not lose this oppOr


tunity for enriching the malcontent witt
r few suited to his case.


= "Yes, child, the best of luck; but it
my opinion that if we get spindle anc
/ distaff ready, the Lord will send tn
= fax" without our goin' to look fort
; Every road has its puddle, and he tina
a prieth INTO a cloud may get struck b.
: lightnin.' God bless you, my dear, AM
!. remember that handful of good life
a wuth q bushel of learning


..T ill ,oa,aro and also haar in min,