Year: 1870

him be ever so awkward and disagree.


able"


That's good news, said Steven.
1--WE half a mind to tell you a story,


said mother, meditatively.


''With all my heart; the eggs can
wait


''You know what rough husk my


brother Shubael wears to all the world
but you may never know the warm hear


that he hides under it. He was always
ike that from boy. but he used to suf
fer from the most intolerabIe bashful-
ness. He was in fame if a girl looked
at him if she spoke, his tongue Glove
to the roof of his mouth. / never pited
anybody so much in my life. It seemed
to Inc that he only needed to begin to
pay attention las the phrase Isl to some
nice girl in particular to find out that
there is very little in any woman to make
a man afraid of her.


81 lay in wait for ShubaeIs opinions,
TIL l discovered that he had faint liking
for a girl who was every whit as bashfll
| as himself. 1t was impossible for either
to go half way. l was foolish enough
to take the girl into my plot, which dazed
what wits she had whenever ShubaeI
went near her, and all the more be-
cause she really preferred him to any
one else.


II worked his courage up to the stick
4 ing point of asking her to let him go
home with her one dark night from
quilting, ana was describing my sue
cess to your father, as we were taking
the longest way home, when Shubael
passed US alone, walking very fast.


81 knew my plan had fallen through
when I caught sight of his whimsical
face had invented the mildest of
formulas for him to use, and he declared
that he marched up to her like a martyr
to the stake and repeated It without the
least mistake. And what do you think
she said?


No, l thank you; I've got rubbers.'


"Then Shubael fed, and never drew
breath till he was safe at home.


He laughed till the tears ran down
his face, at himself and her, but from
that day to this he has let all women
severely alone. IF she had had her wits
about her that one night, he might have
made her happy all her life, instead of
both growing more rugged and stiff
necked till they die. They had their
chance and lost it. -


did she never have another ?" asked
Steven, with manly curiosity.


mot to my knowledge She has lived
alone, with only cat for company, with
so little business of her own that she
must perforce mind other peoples, and
they don't like it. -


you must make one exception to
your rule, mother. It is impossible that |
any one should have ever held out the
ghost of a chance to Miss Althea. She !
was an old maid in her cradle


My dear Sylvie, It was Althea Pratt, |
and no other, whose unluclxy rubbers |
made your Uncle Shubael an old bach |
elor- Her cheeks were as pink, and her |
tongue no sharper than yours, in those |
old times when we were girls together" /


Come, Steven, take the eggs and go |
your way, and don't entice me to be |
telling love-stories at this time in the



Mother went into the pantry, and that
same little puff of wind, or one like unto
it, shut her in.


felt Stevens eyes like hot sunlight
on my face, but his voice was steady as
possible.


81 think l remember asking YOU a
question half an hour ago, Sylvie."


And have you forgotten my answer p


It would have been an immense relief
just then to have twisted the corner of
my apron, but 1 meant to be composed
and ladylike, if 1 had perisbed in the
attempt; SO | kept my hands clasped on
the table, and held hard.


''You cannot have meant that we
have no wooing. saw long ago that
you possessed every quality that / de-
sire in wife =


The boIdness of this speech-so cold,
so nimpassioned-wa more than |
could endure.


''You should look longer still before
you leap. There may be many others
who have every quality that you desire
in wife. Olivia Primrose is the very
pattern of a farmers helpmate. I may
have a streak of sentiment that would
not do credit to the choice of a Frazier"


had meant to be sarcastic in the ex-
treme, and Steven only threw back his
head and laughed.


81 don't take your words to heart, Syl-
vie, because the trail of Miss Althea is
over them all. She has been telling
you that proposed to Miss Primrose, |.
and she rejected me. Purposing to give
her life wholly to the making of butter"


81 know better. Olivia would never
refuse you.





you think other women would be willing
to take me, with the Frazar farm thrown
in, you cannot altogether have cast me
out of your own synagogue.


My lips began to tremble. I could
not command them long to speak the
words which came in a torrent


The garish daylight, my calico gown,
and Steven thick boots-alI these COM
mon things niPped any romance there
might be about the subject of our talk,
and wove spell of silence about me
If he had so much as offered to touch
my hand, or even my dress, 1 could.
perhaps, have probed his seeming care
lessness, and, by some lucky circumIo-
cution, OWNED whether he was choos-
ing me for housekeeper, as the Fra
zars chose their wives, or as that other
part of himself, without which his life
would ever be lame and incomplete.


The clock ticked a great many times
as l sat motionless under his eyes, in
wardly torn with yearnings for that one
word of love which never came.


''You have nothing to say to me, Just
now p he asked at last


/ shook my head. He made one step
forward, and it seemed to me he half
put out his arms, then turned suddenly
on MS neei, ana went away.


you'd better stop here to tea on your
way home, called my mother, from the
pantry window. but she got no answer
that was audible to me.


What did care for the Frazar farm,
or doing better than my sisters What
I hungered and thirsted for was love in
such measure as should bring Steven to
my side, and make him blind to the ex-
istence of all other women, though
were the veriest incapable that ever a
man bound like a millstone about his
neck. I would have taken him. lust as
cheerfully, and worked for him all my
days, if he had been a helpless cripple.
He knew that loved him he must Of
ten have read the dreadful fact in every
line of my face, when he had given me
one of his unexpected up-looks.


Steven and had fallen into danger
Gus habit of WATCHING each other 1Te,1y |