1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



41 



tne letters received by post 



"I will not trouble you today, sir, " said 

 my employer kindly "Amuse yourself ua 

 you will I am engaged." 



There was no help for it, and I reluc 

 tantly left the room. I shot an imploring 

 glance at Ju'ie, which she pretended not 

 to see. Was it possible that she, so young 

 and lovely, ' -vA promised herself to this 

 old gray bearU? 



Ah, that was a wretched day! How I 

 reproached myself for my lack of prompt- 

 ness and courage! It is true I was poor, 

 but Julie had loved me once. Of that I 

 felt sure. And now I had lost this adora- 

 ble creature. 



A day or so afterward I found Mr. 

 X. 's valet packing his master's valise. 



"Are you going on a journey, then?" I 

 asked. 



"No, not 1, but the master depart" to- 

 morrow and for some time." 

 "Where is he going?" 

 "It is a fGcret. That is all he lets us 

 know But I suspect," he added mysteri 

 ously, "that it is to be an elopement." 



At this moment the astronomer entered, 

 dressed for traveling. 



"A carriage, quick, Guglielmol I am 

 late. ' ■ 



"Ah!" said the valet. ''You are going 

 today, then!" 



He hurried away, but returned quickly 

 in a hired cab Mr. X. entered the vehicle 

 ana gave his instructions to the coachman. 

 I resolved to follow him. If this was to 

 be an elopement, I would prevent it — that 

 is, if Julie was the woman in the case. 



The carriage went on at a great pace. 

 That demon of a Guglielmo had by 

 chance found an excellent horse, but I ran 

 madly after it. We were on the road to 

 the depot. Yes, it was evidently to be an 

 elopement, for Mr. X. alighted at the 

 great gate, and hastily entering went to- 

 ward the hall of outlet and began to search 

 among the passengers. I well knew for 

 whom Though panting and disheveled, 

 I had not lost sight of him for one mo- 

 ment I hardly knew what I should do to 

 prevent tills catastrophe, this overthrow of 

 all my hopes, but prevent it in some way 

 I would, if I died for it. 



"Hasten, monsieur. The train ia about 

 to depart, " said the guard. 



"You have not seen by chance a young 

 lady, a brunette?" asked Mr. X. 



"Of brunette young ladies there are 

 more than 60 in the train, and the most of 

 them wore a rosebud!" replied the man, 

 laughing 



"Yes, yes," replied the astronomer. 

 "But none of thera is the one of whom I 

 apeak " 



"All aboard! All aboard!" 



Quirklv 1 bona lit a second class ticket 



and iiurri.a lowai-d the train My em- 

 ployer had ruluctantJy entered a compart- 

 ment of the first class, irritated at not see- 

 ing her he sought With one foot on the 

 step 1 hesitated 



"After all," I had said to myself, 

 "what shall 1 accomplish by following 

 him? It may be that Julie will not keep 

 her appoiiiti_ient She may have repented, 

 but remaining in town I shall" — 



I was interrupted in these reflections by 

 a hand being placed upon my shoulder. I 

 turned. There stood Julie, smiling and 

 bewitching, .i a summer toilet that did 

 not cost 5 francs, but which was enchant- 

 ing. She bore a parasol of bright color, 

 not large enr igh to give much shade, but 

 suited to her tiuy hand. 



"You!" I exclaimed. "Youl" 

 "No one else," she replied. "Are you 

 displeased?" 



At this moment the whistle of departure 

 sounded, and there was a movement of the 

 heavy train F'rom the window of the car 

 the astronomer, who had seen us, made a 

 despairing gesture. 



"Stop — stop!" he cried. Then, with a 

 telegraphic movement, impossible to de- 

 scribe, he added: "Sir, you are a rascall 

 Go! I discharge you!" 



Julie laughed merrily, showing her 

 pearly little teeth. 



"Oh, Julie," 1 stammered in a trans- 

 port, "I love you!" 



"Ah, ah!" she said. "So I have aroused 

 you, laggard?" 



Passing her arm through mine, she 

 turned with ine, while the train lost itself 

 In the distance 



We returned quickly to Paris, and the 

 next day were surprised to receive a letter 

 from Mr. X., in which he kindly recom- 

 mended me to a friend and sent me 100 

 francs for the 15 due to me. He expressed 

 much sorrow at being obliged to part with 

 me on account of my sad lack of principle. 

 It was thus that the illustrious astron- 

 omer lost the transit of Venus, and see 

 what happened to him! After a life of 

 study he died a very old man without re- 

 seiving any national recognition. 



As for me, that would be but to relate 

 the whole story over again. My life his- 

 tory begins and ends with Julie. — Bow 

 Bells. 



HER MIRROR. 



A Japanese Story of Its Influence on a 



iMotl'.erles.s Girl. 



At Y M. C. A. hall Yeataso Okauo, 

 a Jap'^'.net.e, told tie following story to 

 a large audience: 



"Once upon a time there lived in a 

 little hamli t in Japan a young couple. 

 They had one ehikl— a beautitul Jittle 



