Year: 1873

behind, but not so firmly but thai
stray curls had managed to creep out
here and there to give themselves an
airing as the wind futtered around
her face and it was such a sweet
eomely face, withal, that Jack most
heartily envied the wind and crown
ing all, was tasteful bit of head
gear. such as is worn nowadays.


Jack stood under the pine tree
and lost his heart But he might
just as well have lost it to the will
o'-the-wisp, a sprite, or some fearful
deception, for what possibility was
there of his ever getting acquainted
with his suddenly put up divinity
much less of--well, Jack hadn't as
yet exactly defined it in his own
mind.


But nature is a matchmaker. A
rather broad statement, do you say
gentle reader? Does not the old
couplet,


'Theres divinity that shapes ends,


Rough-hew them will,"


apply to matchmaking as much as
to any other course of life? And do
you want any better authority?


Just then it began to rain. Jack
had his friends umbrella. 1t
would not do to let her get wet, SO
without word Jack opened the UNI
berella, striking over to where she
stood, and held it over her. He did
it in such an honest, earnest way,
she could not take offense. She
looked up into his face and smiled.
Jack smiled. She laughed a low.
ripping laugh, Jack a Historically
short one.


''It's too bad it rains," said she,
with the accent on the too bad, >
just as girls always speak.


II don't know" blundered Jack,
in reply.


She looked at him criously, and
said. 'Well, in a self-interrogatory
way, as though she might have said,
'What sort of an oddly are you?''
and then laughed again. :.


With that Jack also laughed, and
came to himself Then he began to
talk, and they got on grandly.


The rain not ceasing, Jack walked
home with her, for he found out that
she lived in town. When they ar
rived at the door, and she thanked
him for the use of the umbrella, or
rather the use OF himself and the
umbrella, Jack knew he ought to
go; but-every young man knows
how it is-he wasn't quite ready.


MY name," stammered he,' '.is
Jack-Jack Haviland.


''And mine is Clio Stanley


''And-and I'm studying law here
in town.


''And I am stopping here for the
summer with papa. I should be
happy to receive a call from you


Then Jack went home.


The next day Jack thought it all
over. The one moment lie calls
himself fool. the next chuckled
over the action and decided with all
the acum Of country Judge, toward
which posision he had aspirations,
that it was rather ''cute," and if cute
why he, as the perpetrator, must be
somewhat sharp. Now he was in
clined to feel sorry and ashamed
over it; then with an appeal to the
principal heather deity of his voca-
bulary, Jack expressed himself as
"deuced glad it happened. So he
went on in spirit alternating up and
down, like boy on a see-saw, provi-
ded the boy could ride both ends of
the see-saw at once, which suppose,
is an impossibility, but when even
ing came he went and called on the
young lady. She invited him to call
again. Jack did so. In fact, be
went several consecutive times.


Three years passed away. Jack
had studied diligently, and now for
six months had been practicing
lawyer, with every prospect of suc-
cess. All this time his devoted at
tentiOns had been paid to Clio; yet
in all that time not a word of love
had been passed between them. Jack
could not and would not ask her to
love him until he could offer her
something more tangible than pos
sibilities. But now that he had won
his first case and had attained a set
tied business, he felt the time to
determine his fate had come; yet
how could it be done? The very
thought distressed him. Could he
dare he ask her? Could she know
how much her answer would mean to
him? If she said ''yes'' what hap
piness, success; how much to live
for. IF she said no" he didn't
dare to think.


The more he thought over it, the
more he delayed-the harder it be-
came. At last he determined it
should be done.


Clio met him as usual with a
pleasant smile. Jack tried to smile,
but it ebbed off over his counte-