Year: 1875

MY AUNTS STORY.


"Oh, Aunt Pam, how shall I make
Jack little more dignified2 want to
be proud as well as fond of him. He's
too silly, too demonstrativo; how can
I cure him? Aunt Pam, advise mel"


Aunt Pamela looked at Belle irreso.
lutely for n moment, then beckoned to
Hannah to take the tea away.


"Iu tell you story, Bolle," she
said, :" if you'll listen to it. I'll tell you
how somebody you know came to be
cross, queer old MAZDA whimsical,
spiteful, lonely, desolate old woman"


81 don't know any such person, cried
Belle.


Yes, you do, child; you'll recognize
her portrait when it's drawn. But at
your age, dear, she was, think, passa-
bly, pretty and attractive; in fact. you
won't believe it, but this heroine of mine
was very like you when she was in the
heydny of youth"


Had she red hair, aunt, like mine 2"


eyes, and the brilliant complexion
and high temper that go with it. She
was only eighteen when she became the
defendant in q case where all the little
property she had in the world was at
stake. She was already an orphan, and
would have been a beggar had it not
been for the wonderful zeal and ability
of her legal adviser-Mr. Reginald
Vickers. Long before the case was de-
cided in her behalf she mad grown to
look forward to the necessary legal con-
sultations as the brightest moments of
her life, though not word of love had
passed between them. In truth, Belle,
the lady of our story, whom we will call
by my own old-fashioned name of Pa
mela, had warm heart under very cold
exterior, and although she knew how to
love we'll aud devotedly, could not shape
her sentiment to suit the somewhat ener-
getic aud passionate devotion of the
young barrister.


"' You are so cold, Pamela, he would
say; zone might as we'll have bit of
archaeology in the shape of one of the
mutilated Grecian goddesses for an idol
whisper ever so many pretty things in
your ear. and one would think they stop
ped at the tympanum, for not the faint
est blush tinges your marble cheek, and
the chiseled splendor of your profile re-
mains as if carved in stone


And all this time, Belle, every word
of his had been like IN electric shock of
bliss to her enraptured soul, and she
scarcely knew whether she was in para
disc or upon the earth.


When her engagement had reached
an epoch devoted to the bridal trous-
seau, she became very much the proper
ty of certain relatives and their chosen
seamstresses there was so much of try
ing on, of comparing and choosing, that
very little time was left for Reginald, of
which he complained most bitterly; and
when the convention adjourned to the
country to arrange further preliminaries
for the coming happiness, Reginald de-
clared he would follow her very soon.


1t was weather such as this, Belle,
In the month of May and the very
morning of her journey the luckless
Pamela offended Reginald by repulsihg
him in what she held an unbeftting lev
lty and familiarity. He had but twirled
her about the room two or three times,
caroling out in his gleeful way.


Pamela bale him somewhat haught-
lily to desist, which he did, with frown,
and went Immediately out of her pres
ence, nor did she see MIN again until he
bade her cold farewell at the window
OF the railway Car. So she went upon
her way almost broken-hearted, and had
no Joy in the vernal landscape, nor, in
deed, could she see field, or post, or fly-
ing bits of beauty for the tears that
dimmed her sight. She took herself to
task, and vowed that, come what would,
when Reginald should meet her again,
she would welcome him warmly, even
should he enter tho house by way of
somersault.


Nevertheless, she found herself hop
ing that his first visit among these sim
pie country folk would prove to them
that he was altogether a superior being,
not fashioned after the same clay as
themselves-picturing him as she had 80
often seen him when deep in legal con-
troversy, his high white brow bent into
frown, his eyes glowing with q secret
fire, words falling out of his mouth like
molten Goals upon the heads of his ad-
versaries; only some honest, faithful
hearts that loved her far beyond her
desert.


"Reginald reached the farm one
balmy evening, riding from the train in
convenient ox-cart, his travelling suit
of gray and broad straw hat, his flowing
neck-tie and the air of easy nonchalance
and careless simplicity about him,