Year: 1876

Mllly, VINO nao become great PeI u Iho
young mans during his convalescence. Eyes,
do" added Lucia, persuasively; I'VE shall
miss you So" Amy alone said nothing She
bent diligently over piece of work, her fair
young cheek wearing brighter flush than
usual. In her innocent heart, scarcely more
than the heart of child, new thoughts, new
fancies had begun to stir. There was fund of
latent romance in her nature, and it had
awakened to crown this little idyl of her life
with tender charm. In her eyes, Arthur
was hero, a knight-errant of the olden stamp.
The mission on which he had come seemed
noble and sacred one to her, and all the graces
of mind and person with which he was invest
ed, combined to brighten the halo of poetical
interest and sentiment which her fancy threw
around him. Arthur, who, to do him justice,
was wonderfully free from conceit, had no idea
whatever of the estimation in which he was
held and Amy's perfect modesty, and the
gentle dignity and simplicity of her manner,
were safeguards against his discovery of her
secret admiration. Indeed, so far was he from
suspecting it, that he actually fancied her the
most Indifferent to him of them all.


His ankle fairly we'll, Arthur's active spir.
it awakened once more within him, and be be-
gan to spend his days on horseback again,
though still making the missionarys house
his headquarters, for the present. He had
found so many difficulties in the way of the
enterprise which he had undertaken, that the
high hopes with which he had left home had
long since vanished from his mind. He be-
gan to think that he had been foolisbly san
guine in his expectations, now that he fully
realized the impracticability of their fulfill
ment. In his last letter to his uncle he had
said, II fear must return to you like bad
penny-without profit. I have exerted my.
self, in vain, to accomplish the object of my
quest, and am more vexed and disappointed
at my failure than I can express" TO this
letter he had not yet received reply. But
from the general tone of Mr.. Chase's commu.
nications to him, be inferred that he too, had
ceased to cherish any hopeful anticipations,
and that the final disappointment would not,
therefore, fall very keenly upon him.


In regard to the time of his return to the
East, the young man still wavered. He did
not feel that there was any pressing necessity
for it, since his uncle now enjoyed good health
and had Charlotte for his companion, and this
wild western life of travel and adventure had
acquired fascination for him from which he
was not anxious to escape. There was some
thing exhilarating in the freedom of it, which
he knew he should miss greatly when once
more confined to the conventional round Of
social existence in his native city, and he
was more than halfinclined to indulge him.
self for some weeks or months longer, before
relinquishing the liberty in which he found
such charm. So he fingered on from day
to day, still deferring any positive resolve
while his kind friends, who really enjoyed his
companionship, continued to urge bis stay.
His frank disposition, and genial, sunshiny
temper, always made him favorite wherever
he was we'll known, and the more unreserved
his intercourse with the Carletons became,
the more 10th they found themselves to let
him 20. Mrs. Carleton felt an especial at
tachment to him, from the fact of his strong
resemblance to young and favorite brother
of hers, who had died soon after she had part
ed from him on leaving home; and then ne
was like little bit of the world from which
they had been cut off 80 long, fresh, pleas
aot infusion into their quiet atmosphere.
The girls delighted to listen to his sketches at
home, and Lucia, more than once, sighed re-
gretfully, "Oh I wish papa had never come
away to be missionary and live in this lonely
placer


"should you like to 60 to New York 2"
Arthur asked her.


"Ah shouldn't I ? or to Baltimore, or any
large city. would rather 60 to Baltimore,
because our relations are there. We may all
60 some day-papa says So"


"Papa would not leave his work here" said
Amy. ..


"Well, we could 60 and stay with grand.
mamma, couldn't we2'


II should never leave papa and mamma"
said Amy with gentle decision; and little
Milly adding an emphatic "nor l." Lucia
found herself in the minority, and said no
more.


One fine morning Arthur took his gun and
sailed out, this time on foot, to see if he could
find any game in the neighboring woods. He
was sturdy walker, and, exhilarated by the
bracing air, went on his way with such rapid
strides that he traversed some miles ofground
without being at all aware of the distance he
had gone. ..


He shot few birds, but was unsuccessful
in finding any larger prey and feeling lit
tie tired at length, he sat down to rest beneath
wide spreading tree, on the outskirts of the
wood and near belt of hills that stretched
away in broken line to join the grand chain
of the lofty Sierras. Leaning on bis elbow,
he took survey of the scenery around him,
with lazy enjoyment of its beauty. The
grandeur of towering cliffs, the in6nitude of
the vast sweep of prairie-land beyond, the
glowing richness of the forestgrowth, no lon
ger possessed that charm Of novelty for his
accustomed eyes; but it was impossible for him
not to admire and appreciate them all. Ar
thur was no artist, but he had the soul of
one, and he longed now for an artist-hand to
portray the landscape upon which his gaze
rested but failing in that, he fell to compos-