Year: 1873

OAs yOoS uAoWCACu AOA, Uue II
you will excuse me, Aunt Annie, I
would rather not say anything about
her just yet; for if-if anything should
happen, it wouldn't be pleasant to
either party, you know"


With which yelled allusion to his pos
sible rejection, Tom took his hat and
left the room.


Our household was rather queerly
put together. There was no particular
reason why I should have been of it at
all; for I was not really related to Tom,
nor even to mother" as I called her,
though I am sure we were as dear to
one another as any mother and daughter
could he. She was the second wife of
my father, who, like most ministers,
had been richer in grace than in goods,
and had left us at his death with very
little to live on. Then it was that Tom
Dean had come forward and insisted on
giving a home to his aunt and to me,
whom he had scarcely seen q dozen
times in his life before. That was ex-
actly like Tom" queer Tom Dean,"
as his friends were fond of saying,
"who never did anything like any body
else." I suppose, in spite of his clear
head for business, there was no denying
he was whimsical; but am sure, when
I think of his unfailing generosity and
delicacy, Ican't help wishing there were
few more such whimsical people in
the world. Naturally, at the time I
am speaking of my opinion had not
been asked; all had to do was to 60
where mother went; and, while she
gave her energies to housekeeping, give
mine to growing up, which by this
time had pretty we'll accomplished.
But perhaps for that very reason-for
one sees with different eyes at twelve
and eighteen-my position in the house
had already begun to seem unsatisfac-
tory to me; and the mornings words
put it in a clearer light, since it had
been used us an argument against Toms
marrying. I knew that mother had
spoken honestly, believing that such
step would not he for his happiness;
but was not he the best Judge of that?
I knew him, if reflection should bring
him round to her opinion, to be per-
fectly capable of quietly sacrificing his
own wishes for my sake, who had not
the shadow of q claim on him; so it
must be my part to prevent his own
kindness being turned against him now.
Still, it was not SO easy to see how I
was to provide for myself in case it
should become advisable. What could
I do? Draw and sing and play toler-
ably, but not in manner to compete
with the hosts that would be in the
field against me. Literature? I. had
read so many stories whose heroines,
with a turn of the pen, dashed into
fame and wealth. That would be very
nice, only-I was not in the least little
bit literary; had never even kept
journal, which is saying a good deal
for girl in her teens. The "fine
arts," then, being out of the question
for me, what remained? There was
some clerkship, or place in some family,
and-and there was Will BROMLEY!


That may seem like going away from
the point, but it is not. I was matter
of fact, but I could see we'll enough
what was going on right under my
eyes, and I had pretty clear idea of
what was bringing Will to the house so
often as he had taken to coming lately.
There was q situation" then, that
would give me the home-life liked
best and felt myself best suited for
but would it answer in other respects?
I overcast the long seam I was sewing
twice over, I was so busy trying to
make up my mind whether liked Will
BROMLEY we'll enough to pass my whole
life with him; and even then had not
come to any decision, when I was called
down stairs to Lefty Walters.


Lefty was the prettiest, I think, of
all my friends, and certainly the liveli-
est. Tom called her the " tonic" and
used to laugh heartily at her bright
speeches. I suppose it was this made
mother fix on Lefty as his choice.
When I came into the sitting room
found kind Of cross-examination 60
ing on. 1t was amusing to anybody in
the secret, as I was, to watch mothers
artful way of continually bringing the
conversation round, as if by chance, to
bear on what she wanted to know. But
eli IL l.