1895. 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



281 



«Po you KNOW HER. 



Iftl: ■. 



V,,; - ., 

 Thou. ; . 



You c:.. 



ly one should ask you 

 icA-iiiR on the sly, 

 • A-L-r dare to tell her 

 . ^— I know not why, 

 ,..];,' detonnine 



Bj' tin ;^, lances of my eye. 



If you k . jw the sweetest maiden 



In th; v.idest world today, 

 T?ho \i-M V. .t an affectation 



As she wailca along your way. 

 Do not hesitate a minute — 



She'a tne lady of my lay. 



In the di tant delta country 

 There's a soil germed of the heat. 



And the sagar cane in springtime 

 Forms a jjicture all replete. 



And 'tis there my love was nurtured, 

 "Where the maiden grew so sweet. 



I've a fancy that the rosebud, 



Thovigii it blooms but one brief hour. 

 Dearer is to many mortals 



Than the most enduring power, 

 But the merely sweetest maiden 

 Is a fur more precious dower. 

 -W, H. Ballou in New Orleans Times-Demo* 

 crat. 



A TEST OF LOVE, 



"I assure you, mother, that I do not 

 want to marry j'et, " said Antoinette to 

 Mme. Odiot. "I am so happy with your- 

 self, but should I enjoy the same happi- 

 ness, the sajiie peace and the same content- 

 ment when I change your fireside for an- 

 other? I doubt it ! No, no, I have plenty 

 of time yet, I am only 18 years of age. 

 While I am much honored by the attentions 

 of M. le Bavon de Merillac I repeat that 

 I must refuse him." 



"My dear child," replied Mme. Odiot, 

 "you should reflect that one of these days 

 you will lo.-;e me. I have been suffering 

 for a long tiiiie, and very little would suf- 

 fice to carry ine off. You will tlien find 

 yourself wivliuut support, since your dear 

 father is gone, and a Imsband is the nat- 

 ural support of a young girl when she has 

 lost her i^arciits. Baron Merillac is a very 

 estimable young man. You will probably 

 never get sucJi another offer. He is enor- 

 mously rich, and he has a title and is the 

 only son of parents who will adore and 

 worsliip you as if you were their own child. 

 It would surely be madness to persist in a 

 refusal that has no basis. The baron is a 

 handsome cavalier, and his manners are 

 of the best. What more can you wish?" 



"Then you know him?" asked Antoi- 

 nette, with surprise. 



"Without doubt." 



"Yet I have never seen him here," per- 



3istl".! . - . . 



"Ivo. 1..' : never been liere. but I havo 

 met Lini t . , ■.. 1 1 iuiss at the house of J.^ me. 

 le 8avei'nv, . ..v;re you would never accom- 

 pany me, under the pretext that she dis- 

 pleased you, and it was Mme. de Saverny 

 who spoke ro me of the baron as a man 

 who would i.e suitable for you, froui every 

 point of view." 



"I shall like Mme. de Saverny still lesg 

 now," excliunicd the girl. "What busi- 

 ness is it of hers? If she is so anxious to 

 get M. de Merillac married, let her take 

 him her.sell. She is a widow." 



"You are foolish, ma bonne cherie. M. 

 de Merillac is 25 years old and Mme. de 

 Saverny is 50. She might be his mother. 

 But you should not get angry. One would 

 almost think that you had some other 

 reason than the one you give so vehement- 

 ly for refur^iu'i' M. de Merillac." 



"Some oilier reason, " stammered An- 

 toinette, lowering her eyes, while a pretty 

 little flu=h came into her cheeks. 



Mme. Oiiiot watched her smilingly, and 

 several minutes passed in silence. 



Antoinette took up her sewing again, 

 and being a^";i:'e no doubt that her moth- 

 er's eyes were iixed upon her presently rosti 

 and went over to the piano. Mme. Odiot 

 stopped her as she went. 



"We will settle the matter once for all," 

 she said, "never to return to it. The rea- 

 son you refuse M. de Merillac is because 

 you don't want to marry. Is it not?" 



"Mais oui, maman, " said Antoinette in 

 a voice that nevertheless lacked the ring 

 of sincerity. 



"So that no matter who else may coma 

 to me to a.sk your hand I may tell him no 

 and send him about his business?" 



"Oh ! I diun't say that — perhaps later — 

 when I am older — if the — if I liked him," 

 stammered the young girl, much embar- 

 rassed. 



" So be it ! Wo will talk of something 

 else. I'or instance, mj' dear nephew Gas- 

 ton has now Ijccu with us for three weeka 

 and has nearly finished his picture. He 

 has been very busy making some sketches 

 in the woods ffir another one he has in 

 view. I think he is with your uncle at 

 this moiiient. Let ns go across and see 

 him — I mean my brother. He has not 

 been very well of late." 



"Oh, no, nieiher; my uncle is quite 

 well again," said Antoinette quickly. 



"Ah, you have some news about him?" 



Antoinette bit her lips. Her answer had 

 slipped out too quickly. 



"The gardener told me," she added 

 naively. 



Mme. Odiot pretended not to notice her 

 daughter's embarrassment. 



"Will you CI line with me? I am going 

 at once. As he is your guardian I ought 



