Year: 1871

what dishevelled appearance; but like q
| true Nantucket woman, she was perfectly
self possessed and polite, and accepted my
confused statement with entire composure,
put Handy Andy on its shelf, and handed
me my twenty in the envelop in which
she had placed it, expressing kind wish
to meet me again another summer.


1t is religious belief with the island
era, that whosoever v sits Nantucket once
will surely return sgain, and must say it
is weIl-fOunded belief. There Is a spell
in that baimy sir, like that Of the sweet
waters of the fountain of Trevi at Rome,
10 lure back the traveller, and whosoever
eats of the chowder Of Siasconset will
long to eat it again.


When l got back to the hotel the clerk
met me. "The crier's been after you"
said he; "come to say that the Atheneum
won't charge anything for room and lights,
as there was no exhibition and told him
that he mustn't charge but dollar for his
work; so if you'll leave it with me, he'll
be satisfied"


think | enjoyed my last breakfast ct
the Ocean House even more than any pre-
vious one, and that is saying a good deal.
had time, too, to stop and Ie1eem my
watch, with thanks to the good watch
maker, on my way to the boat. The bill
got back from Fred was unquestioned /;
it was one of our Boston bank notes, and
certainly came out of my pocket book,
however it got there. The counterfeit
was safe In the envelope, just as received
it.


As stepped aboard the steamer I saw
Miss Minnie and at her side Molock, that
is, Mr.. c., who lost no time IL making
the GmeRde. 81 leave Miss P" he
said, in your care. did think of going
across with her, but a stern sense of jus
tice, which is the prevailing trait of my
character, compels me to leave the field
wholly to you. l owe you q tste-a-tets in
place of that which stole yesterday"


"Don't believe one word he says" was
Minnie's, mean Miss P--'s retort; ''he
is dying to be off to Sancoty Head sketch
ing, and only came down to see me of,
because made him come and apologize
to you for his trick"


"She put me up to it." the victim be-
gan, when the last bell sounded, and he
was obliged 10 hurry ashore in the midst
of his audacious fib, and l was left to en-
joy one of the pleasantest journeys ever
made.


Of course Miss P asked me what put
it into my head to give reading, and l
told her the whole story, and got sym
pathy enough and fun enough out of it to
pay me twice over. When it was all
finished she said, "One thing don't un-
derstand, how you had tloo twenties, when
you only thought you had one"


al am sure l don't either. 1t is clear
that the one 1 gave Fred last night was
the same l laid away for reserve fund !;
where the other came from cannot
imagine"


"Let me look at it," said she, and took
it out of the envelope and gave it to her.
She turned it over once or twice, and
presently showed me a mark on one
corner. "This is lesson to me not to be
so careless again. might have injured
you very seriously for life" she said. "Do
you remember the day it rained, and you
went over to the shell-shop to get me the
basket l bought there; you paid two dol
lars for it, and l handed you the money
when YOU returned. ! remember think
ing how polite it was ofyou that you took
the bill without even looking at it, and
put it in your porte BsO7indte at once. This
is the bill. Ijust noticed the two, and
not the cipher. 1 got it at Benton's in
Washington Street the day before left;
was told it was bad at Hovey's, and then
l marked it, so as not to pass it away,
meaning to ask father to return it. for
got all about it, and having only fives in
my purse, except this, gave it for two"


The reader can skip the sequel if desir-
Gus to do so. l think it worth telling. l
was kindly asked by Miss P to call
upon her while she remained Miss P,
and on her return from her summer trav-
els was reminded of my promise by a note
specifying the evening. Somebody was
there with a velvet coat and mustache
that was finer than ever; but really, as
Miss Ellen P, younger sister to Miss
Minnie, was so good as to entertain me,
did not find the artist in the way. As
we walked down Park Street together at
the close of the evening he asked me to
come to his studio the next day at twelve.


managed to get off from the store; it
was dull time, and did so. met some
ladies' at the studio, Mrs. P, Miss
P, and Miss Ellen. They had come
to see a picture which was upon the easel,
Just finished. 1t was view OF the South
Shore at Nantucket. There was one fig
ure in it, a young man in graceful atti-
tude gazing upon the surf. l think the
figure was little flattered, though Miss
P said not; but she saw things
through very rosy atmosphere that day.
What struck me most was, that note adj
dressed to me lay on top of the frame, and
this was desired by the ladies to read
aloud. II was IS follows:


sMr woodbridge will confer q real favor upon
the artist by accepting this little memento OF enc
OF the happiest days in the life of the donors,
which is offered a slight reparation for the in
conveniences brought upon Mr.. Woodbridge by
sitting for his portrait. With the best wishes OF
his friends, u: c.,


"MISNIE P"


al never had the pleasure of hearing
Mr.. Woodbridge read aloud before" said
Miss P, very demurely. al have un-
derstood that he is quite an amateur"


l have heard the picture highly praised
by competent judges. hope to see it
hanging on my parlor wall some day, and
l may add that my chances of having
parlor and of calling Mrs. C, nee
p, sister-in-lsw, have considerably in
creased since became junior partner in
the house of P Brothers & Co., Bos-
ton, Mass.-ARGntie Monthly.