IS\>', 



THE AMERICAN BEE KEEPER. 



311 



THE CONTEMPORARY SUITOR. 



Time was that Strephon, when he found 



A Chloe 1o his mind, 

 Sought not how Dun reported her, 

 Nor la:;!;-ed while time distorted her, 

 But rushed right in and coxirted her 



As nature had designed. 



It's different now. My Lucy, there, 

 How tlsdly would I woo, 



But shapes of s--.eh monstrosity 



Confront with such feiocity 

 1 My iu.pecuniosity— 

 ^ What is a man to do? 



Strephon and Chloe had a hut, 



And, though about the door 

 The wolf i:_ight raise his serenade, 

 No latter clay r.:cnagerie bayed 

 Its warning grim to man and maid, 



"Wed not if ye are poor!" 



; I But I— what monsters must I face 



When I for Lucy sue ; 

 , What landlords roaring for their rent, 

 What troops of duns by grocers sent, 

 And shapes of want and discontent 

 Calamitous to viewl 



Stay, Lucy, stay! I'm bold and stout. 



I'll rout the grisly crew. 

 Be constant, love, and hope and wait, 

 And by the time you're thirty-eight 

 I may perhaps have conquered fate, 

 And wiien I've won the right to mate. 

 If you're not too much out of date, 

 I'll surely mate with you! 

 — E. S. Martin in Editor's Drawer of Harper's 

 Magazine. 



"WHO MAKETH ALL." 



The scholar sat in his study before 

 his v?ritiug table, but he did not write. 

 He leaned Jiis elbow cu the table and 

 his head on bis hand, and he was think- 

 ing of Phyllis far away in JRal Pindi 

 \vith her husband. The table was piled 

 V?ith books — several stood open inviting- 

 ly—and a fair white sheet of paper lay 

 on his blotting pad — but he did not 

 write. 



Presently Jakes opened the door and 

 said: "There's a young woman, sir, 

 asking to see you. Shall I say you are 

 engaged?" 



"A young woman, Jakes?" queried 

 the scholar. "What sort of a young 

 woman, and from whence?" 



"Well, sir, " and Jakes closed the door 

 behind him, "I do think she's from the 

 circus as is on the village green." 



"From the circus!" repeated the 

 scholar. "What can she want?" 



"She won't give no name nor ye-t no 

 message, sir. Shall 1 eav that vnn'ra 



enpagtd, fji?" 



Jakes (Ci.i=i(;crcd it the "l:rirl:t rf 

 improfLce" ll.ut a Lr?!^y Ircuj lu. i ir- 

 cus feiioi.id (.uie a?k t j see hi.s n.^s-t.r 

 ai:d loi red tu .'end her alout her Luri- 

 uej^s. F,i e (cin- s, iu("cfd,fcr such t:s 

 she to Le asikiiig Icr gLutitmeu, as bold 

 as brass. 



The scholar pondered, then he srid 

 half to Lii:jsfll: "t-i.yJiis v.onid i.^o 

 me to sre Lei — .'^he was always kiLd. 

 Jakes, you can thnw her in.' 



Jakes dei:aited, much distleas'^fl, and 

 prescLtiy u&ueitd a young vvoa.an iijio 

 the rccm aud shut the door after her 

 carelulJy £ xd in a lasl.icu that said as 

 plainly us possible, "Well, I wash u:y 

 hands of ll.is Iccil.ardy nrccetdiijg. " 



The youn;.; \\cman advanced into the 

 midale of tLe room and then stoc;l 

 awkwardly and said nothing. She was 

 a tall, tli^ht girl, attirtd in a varitty 

 of garujeiits, startling in hue and hav- 

 ing appaitutiv Lo counicticu with one 

 anctLii. Her hair\\as brushed about 

 her forehead and stuck out iu a series 

 of lai£e "rolls" behii.d. The hair was 

 crowned Ly a hat of portentous size 

 adorned by several rather dejected look- 

 ing feaihers. But under the furze brush 

 of hair the face was oval and almc^ t 

 beautiful iu its regularity of feature 

 and pure color. 



The sehcJar rose and bowed, then 

 with old fathicned courtesy he set a 

 chair for her and, havij:g iLeeu Ler seat- 

 ed, iLinmurcd fcomething shyJy as "to 

 what he was iuuebted for the pleasure 

 of tiiis visit. " 



The girl stared at him with wide 

 blue eyes, then said abruptly: "I say! 

 You're a kno\\in cid cove, aren't your" 



The schoiar stared a little at this de- 

 scription of hiuiself and waved his 

 haLe.s in a deprecating way. The girl 

 went en: "I've 'eaid in the village as 

 you aie always a-stutiyin eld beoks and 

 kuov. s all scits ef healheni.^h liugo. 

 Now, (.0 you kuov,- how to make a love 

 poshii;?' 



The scholar gazed at her in speechless 

 astcn sbnieut. Then he grasieei the ( i ge 

 of his writing table for support ai.d 

 starLK.ered, "Do I understamj you to 

 ask n:e if I know anything about love 

 philters?" 



"Ye.s, that's 1 '. e ticket, '" said the girl 

 geui^iiiv. ""'1 \. a^t a Icve i os..iu to civo' 



