IB1PS SSSM* 
itself for t!ie first time with the inexplicable 
look in her eyes. lie got up and walked to 
the Aviudew, biting his lip savagely, as he 
looked out on tic garden, touched with the 
frosty hand of attumn. 
It was dark before he thought of it, when 
the old lady brought in a lamp, saying, “ 1 
hope you are not impatient; I can’t think 
what delays them; 1 have been watching 
now for two hours.” 
She did not wail, for his answer, but bus¬ 
tled out again. lie went back to the fire 
and sat down, abstractedly cowering his face 
with his hands, until he heard a voice which, 
though it had lost the accompaniment and 
the jar. lie kne w. 
“ Who is it, mother?” 
“I don’t know, dear; but he has been 
waiting since four o’clock, and if lie Las been 
half as uneasy us I, he will be glad to see 
you at once.” 
There was a momentary delay and another 
voice, “ I will take care of the things, Mart," 
and then- 
He rose to meet her, but stood still. lie 
bad never seen licr except in the obscurity 
of the half-liglitcd car;—would she look the 
same ? 
*• Mr. Gray! Pardon my surprise.” 
She was reaching out her band to him, 
and he took ft, recovering his voice at the 
touch. 
‘‘I trust Miss Deforest will not condemn 
me till she hears my defense." 
11 Miss Deforest is not on the bench to¬ 
night, and proposes to give you welcome 
unquestioned, at least till after tea.” 
“ You arc very kind.” It was an embar¬ 
rassing answer to her, but lie could think of 
nothing else to say. 
She turned the talk into common inquiries 
as to his journey, until a lady some years her 
senior, and with an entirely different expres¬ 
sion of face, appeared at the door and an¬ 
nounced tea. 
9 " This is my sister, Mr. Guay ; Lizzie, 
Mr. Gray of Chicago, 1 think.” The sister 
gave him an anxious look, and led the way 
to the tabic. It is possible that Mr. Gray 
would have dined with the same relish on 
cold potatoes that he had for the delicacies 
Mrs. J)e Forest had provided. However, 
he was conscious of being in an atmosphere 
of Home and love that he lmd never breathed 
before, and that was intoxicating. 
Coming back into the parlor, he ventured 
a look at Mary, as she stood nervously ad¬ 
justing the lamp. She was prettier Ilian be 
had thought, and showed her distinctive look 
of pride and intellect with less assumption, 
but her eyes wore the same mystery. Was 
it the picture and the letter? He judged so. 
If there was any such tiling, she was the 
woman to make a charnel - house of her 
heart and never falter. 1 
She was endeavoring, with evident per- 1 
ploxity, to lead the talk into an easy chan- ' 
nol, when he interrupted. 
“ If you will please hear my apology ” 
“ Certainly, if you feel obliged to make t 
dubious chance it would get back to you. I 
never knew of the exchange till long after I 
got homo, and couldn’t tell anything about 
it then. That is the ostensible account of 
my part in the matter. There is another 
story about it. Perhaps you will guess it 
was a surprise when I found your name.” 
As she did not speak, ho went on— 
“ I am afraid you will find the dress 
mussed, 1 was so clumsy in folding, and—I 
broke a seal that ought to have been sacred, 
in my zeal to find some clue. I am sorry to 
have done it.” 
A pained expression flitted over her face, 
but she conquered it in a moment. 
“ 1 thunk you for all the trouble you tools* 
And now will you please excuse mo while 1 
tell the wonder ?” 
lie bowed, and she was gone. 
It was almost a cry that escaped him as 
she shut the door; but when she returned, 
his face Avas quite calm. He advanced, hat 
in hand, and said, “ In making my adieu 
Avill you give me the satisfaction of knowing 
that Miss De Forest thinks I was right in 
telling her to talk instead of sleep that night?" 
He had meant the tone to be gay. Per¬ 
haps it was not his fault if she found it 
other than he intended. 
“ I hope you arc not going, Mr. Gray.” 
“ I have no further excuse for remaining, 
I think.” 
CIIAIilT Y. very dear, no matter who they were, or how 
„ - old ami repulsive. His breakneck pace, liow- 
A V E E Y P BEIT Y S T 0 E Y . ever, guided into a hIoav Araik as he rode up 
"And now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity, ^ ,e beyond, and it was then that liis 
these three; but the greatest of these is 1 election gave rise to the scriptural quotation 
Charity ” which heads this story. 
It is a hopeful sign in a young man when * bat evening, just at sunset, Charity 
his meditations on heavenly virtues are so Abbott went leisurely down the meadow 
deep and earnest as to cause him, almost A atb across ,rorn llcr pretty home to the 
unconsciously, to repeat aloud to himself tumble cottage of the Wells family. The 
, passages of Holy Writ, as did Dr. Norton, 
riding slowly homo in liis sulky, one clear 
June afternoon, the above quoted verse. But 
when we confide to you that lie had just 
come from well-to-do Farmer Abbott’s,whose 
three blooming daughters were severally 
named Faith, Hope, and Charity, it may 
reasonably he doubted whether the handsome 
young doctor’s meditations were as much on 
heavenly virtues as on earthly. 
It Avas rather a pretty tableau that he 
interrupted when he stepped into the 
Abbott's cozy sitting-room that afternoon 
and somehow' its memory haunted him still. 
The wheels of his light sulky made no noise 
as they rolled over the grassy lawn in front 
of the house, and with all the freedom of an 
intimate acquaintance he sprang lightly to 
the steps, then in through the open door 
without knocking, and Avas in their midst 
before they knew him to be anywhere near. 
grass waved and surged about in the evening 
breeze, a sea of billowy green, gemmed with 
tall, nodding buttercups. The delicious 
breath from the crimson clover on the hill¬ 
side came wafted to her like purest incense, 
and a little further on, n faint, delicate odor 
from the lowlands, told of strawberries ripen¬ 
ing to luscious sweetness down among the 
rank grass and weeds. The bobolinks nodded 
their saucy black caps at her as they followed 
along in friendly proximity, trilling forth, 
meanwhile, their unintelligible jargon, rich 
and clear in its silvery sweetness; and thus 
attended she traversed slowly the long mead¬ 
ow path, drinking in at. every step the 
beauties of earth and sky and cloud. Down 
the little hill which hid her home from view, 
then through a huge gate which opened a 
little AA r ay Avitli its creaking sweep, letting 
through her agile form, then around the 
concealment. Yesterday’s blushes, when he 
caught her exhibiting her ucav gaiters, Avcro 
as white as roses to peonies compared with 
the burning red which suffused her checks 
and forehead, and even crimsoned her sliell- 
lihe oars, 1 hat lie should think her so caro¬ 
tid and penurious ns to save her new gaiters 
at the expense of' her feet—her confusion 
Avas overwhelming. What thoughts passed 
through his mind we w ill not pretend to say, 
but it is certain lie then and there discovered 
that lie Avas fully in love with the girl before 
him, whom Hitherto he had thought lie only 
half loved. So careful, and withal so modest 
a girl as her flushes betokened her to be, 
could but make a prudent, faithful wife. 
The impulse of the moment came OA’cr him, 
aud lie yielded to it, so that when at last 
they met, and ho took her hand to say 
“ good morning,” he looked frankly into 
her clear eyes and said instead, in a quiet 
way, “ Charity Abbot, will you he my Avife ?” 
Charity’s answer is not on record, but wo 
are told that not many months after she 
bought for hefaelf a pair of snowy satin 
slippers, and that her feet were shod Avith 
them as she stood dressed in pure white by 
Dr. Norton’s side in her father’s large parlor, 
while the gray-haired minister said to them 
some very solemn words—from all of Avhich 
corner of a field of rye, already standing W( . infer that her answer at that embarrass 
her lip, 
“ Indeed, sir, I think it was you who 
hoped we Avere not strangers, and now, if 
you have no pressing business, I Avould like 
to devote myself to my iViend’s entertain¬ 
ment this evening—that is, unless he decides 
that J am not equal to the task." 
Slie could not know what these simple 
words were to him, but she comprehended 
that something had touched him when he 
sat down, too silent to make it an easy 
matter to carry her hospitable intent into 
practice. • 
Tlio morning had worn to almost noon 
when he darkened the doorway, Avas exhibit¬ 
ing them for tbc opinion of her mother aud 
sisters. So she stood in the middle of the 
room, her dress raised just far enough to sIioav 
the trim boots, a littlo strip ofsnoAvy stocking, 
and, above all, tho faintest suspicion ofdimity 
ruffling. Doavii went tho dress, however, 
Avhen she suddenly saw her trio of spectators 
changed to a quartette, and up, up to the very 
verge of her brown hair, mounted the rosy 
blushes; but the burst of laughter from hor 
mother and sisters at her discomfiture, re¬ 
stored tier composure. 
“ T’d like to know your opinion of my new 
lave dined with the same relish on before John Gray had the courage to face ,)00t ®’ Dr ' Nort0n? ” 8:1 kl the liltl ° P ll6S . 
tutocs that ho had for the delicacies tliO leave-taking. At last lie stood up ready B . iluc,Iy ‘ waI,tin £ 11 P to J,im t determined to 
s Forest had provided. However, t 0 go. “ Miss De Forest !”— she answered lac ; e il ,jravcly out » a,Kl thrusting forward one 
him with u look—“I am going East, for a 
few Avoeks. You called me your friend last 
night; if I should come here on my return 
could you give me a friend’s welcome!”’ 
She stood mute under tho question of his 
eyes—" because if you could, you don’t know 
what it would be to me.” 
Catching her breath, and lotting it quiver 
into a smile, she said, “ 1 will try.” 
CHAPTER VI. 
It Avas tho eve of Christinas that he came 
on his return visit. Mary avus dressed to 
go out, and when lie begged her'not to 
change her plans, she flashed upon him an 
indignant reproof that made him smile. She 
dainty foot. 
“Hum, well," said the doctor, Avitli as 
much gravity as though lie Avere pronouncing 
on a case of malignant, typhus, “ let us sec. 
Cloth, but that’s no objection if you always 
remember your rubbers in the damp. Heel 
lather too high ; if I were a cobbler I’d take 
a half inch off thatbut perhaps you’ll stand 
it if you’ve, been used > to that stort of tiling. 
Don’t pinch anywhere do they? Consump¬ 
tion soled ? No, as 1 live, good, honest, half 
inch solc6! I think they’ll do, Miss Charity.” 
“What is your consultation fee?" said 
Charily, gravely pulling out a neat port- 
momiaie. 
“ Five dollars in so important a case as 
pensive music which chimed pleasantly Avitli —_ 
her thoughts, so attuned to nature’s harmony, Ttte St. Louis Evening Post has thus told 
and slie lingered in tho charming grove a °f one brief courtship, which may interest 
little, pleased with everything, even the soft, our lady readers: 
brown carpet which the fallen loaves made Many avIII undoubtedly remember Jacob 
under her feet. Regarding it then, and not Strawn, Avho lived in Jacksonville, Illinois, 
till then, she noticed that she had on her about twenty-five or thirty years ago. Ja- 
uoav gaiters. Provoking! The morning cob died one of the very wealthiest men in 
dew would nearly spoil their beauty, but it the State of which he had been a resident. 
Avas not worth Avliile to go clear back again ; He Avas a hog and cattle dealer, and has been 
so, resolving to make tho best of it, she known to have in his possession as many as 
passed on out of the bars and down a littlo 30,000 head of cattle at one time. Well, 
piece of dusty road to the brown little house Jacob lived to lie thirty years of age, and, 
which a vos her destination. up to that time, never had occasion to unite 
The solt, clear summer night passed slowly himself to one of Eve’s fair daughters, lie 
away, the patient watcher moving quietly was a practical sort of man, and never 
about, doing all that sympathy could prompt dreamed that such a thing as marriage was 
for tlio poor old woman now so nearly be- possible while a person Avas possessed of 
yond the roach of her gentle ministrations, even moderate means. However, at that ago 
With a touch as though tho invalid were ho Avas rich, and one day the conviction 
a dear friend, she chafed the aged limbs, very naturally forced itself upon liis mind 
smoothed back the snowy hair from the 
Avriukled face, and bathed the aching head. 
Unwearied Avere her attentions, and much 
were they needed by tlio worn sufferer, until 
toward morning they took effect, and she 
sank away into a quiet, peaceful sleep. Still 
Charity sat by the bedside, driving away 
that lie should procure some one of the op¬ 
posite sex to enjoy his riches with him. 
Now, be it known, Jacob wag not a patri¬ 
cian. Democracy was with him a sacred 
principle, and notwithstanding the circum¬ 
stance that he Avas immensely Avcalthy. and 
that, the greater number of families residing 
with iter fan the villainous mosquitoes that near him Avcro poor, so far as his feelings 
wore the dress that had evaded him, t hat this,” replied the doctor, Subsiding into a cosy 
“ I am most grateful to you for intimating 
that I might have come unprepared, but, as 
I have one, it may as well be offered." 
She moved her hand uneasily at the sug¬ 
gestion that she had taken his visit for some¬ 
thing he did not Avish her to understand, as 
he got up and brought the satchel from the 
chair Avhere she had before observed it, and, 
turning tho name towards her, was proceed¬ 
ing to say something, when, Avit.li the utmost 
astonishment in tier face, she broke out with, 
“ Where did you find it?” 
He smiled. It was so delicious to ha\’e 
thrown her off her guard and seen her eyes 
in all that wonder. “ In my room at Chi¬ 
cago.” 
“But hoAY ”- She checked herself with 
a blush. “ ‘ Thereby hangs a tale,’ I see; 
Avill you be so good as to relieve my curi¬ 
osity?” 
“ Open it first,” ho said, pointing to tho 
key. Stic did so, and lie indicated the note 
Avitli his finger. She read: 
" AVitl Miss De Forest allow mo to return her 
property, with sinoero thanks for tho use of it 
so Jong? Respectfully, John Gray.” 
“ I do not understand,” she said, looking 
up again. 
“ Look at tho date. When I found the 
nunc I sent this by express immediately, 
without writing to announce it, thinking, 
perhaps, that a meager note would provoke a 
letter of inquiry Avhich avouUI demand an 
answer, and so a correspondence be began 
without misgivings on your part; there 
would be none on mine you understood, 1 
think.” 
If she heard this last, slie did not heed it, 
saying, “ I see, it has lain in the office.” 
"Coming to your village yesterday and 
making inquiries, I found it, and have ven¬ 
tured to bring it to you. It is my turn to 
question now—Avhere did you lose it?” 
“ In Syracuse, in the ticket-office. I had 
turned away from it just a minute, and it 
was gone. You must have left yours; did 
you ever get, it ?” 
“ It avus of no consequence; it was a lucky 
exchange for me, only I dare say, you have 
troubled about it, not knowing by what 
slipped out of liis hands and would not be 
brought to reason. It wax more his than 
hers, and it made him sick to soc her wear 
it. Would efte escape him so ? These weeks 
lie had studied from what data he had the 
problem of the word " Lethe ” as she had 
used it. Sometimes, if one were to judge 
from liis haggard looks, it had cost him 
wakeful anxiety. But he had made a re¬ 
solve before he came hack, and now the 
dress and her dignity seemed to dure him to 
execute it. This feeling Avore away, and he 
forgot everything else in the absorbing in¬ 
terest. of their conversation, Avhen she drew 
her handkerchief out of her pocket, and 
with it a scrap of paper—the envelope lie 
had torn open Avith the word “ Lethe” on it. 
lie caught it as it fell, and crushed it in 
his hand. She saw the act and the look, 
and Avas almost prepared for his question, 
“ Will you tell me?” 
She only let, her head drop, and was silent. 
He Avont on with a kind of desperate ener¬ 
gy. “ This man—what was he to you before 
you wrote that word?” 
“ All the world* she said, sloAvly. 
“ And Avhen you AATOte it?” 
“More—ho blotted out, both earth and 
and heaven.” 
“ Oh, my God! what is lie now?” 
rocking chair, “ but don’t pay me the money; 
I’ll take this chair for a few moments, and a 
glass of water, and call it even ;” so Charity 
went for the a vat or. When she came in with 
it lie Avas just making known liis errand. 
“ I’ve been to see old Mrs. Wells. She is 
very low, won’t last much longer; but the 
family are all worn out, and I agreed to send 
a watch for to-night. So I called to see if 
oue of you ladies wouldn't go.” 
“I can’t I’m sure,” said Mrs. Abbott, 
promptly. " I haven’t been able to watch 
for years; but one of the girls could go.” 
“ I shouldn’t like to go into such a place,” 
said Faitli, " they are so poor, and everything 
seems so disagreeable thereand her hand¬ 
some face expressed such lofty disdain that 
for a moment Dr. Norton felt quite ashamed 
that he had ever made such a suggestion to 
one so gracefully fastidious. 
“I should be really afraid to go,” and 
Hope raised her soft blue eyes timidly to him. 
“ What if the poor creature should die in the 
night ?’’ Hope Abbott looked just what she 
Avas, a gentle, confiding girl, and wo must 
pardon our young hero if the thought did 
pass through liis head, Avhat a pleasure it 
Avould be to cherish and protect one so lovely 
all his life. 
“ I’ll go.” said Charity, quietly, “ I’m not 
persisted in annoying her charge, and at tho 
same time creating with it fresh currents of 
air for the comfort of the sufferer, avIiosc 
lungs Avere wellnigh wasted away. 
At sunrise the family was up, and Charity 
was released from her post, glad to go forth 
in the fresh morning air, after her wearisome 
night. 
The fresh rays of the morning sun shone 
full in Dr. Norton’s lace, rousing him from a 
night of unusually quiet and undisturbed 
sleep. To visit old Mrs. Wells was liis first 
thought, and he made a hasty toilet and 
started out. A sudden determination seized 
him to go across tlio fields on foot, instead of 
taking Ids horse to go around by the road, 
Avhich was twice as far. The morning Avas 
so invigorating that he felt as if the walk 
would be a decided benefit, so bo struck into 
tbc path across tho pasture, which, at the 
rye field, came into the path Charily trav¬ 
ersed the night before, and Avulkecl briskly on. 
went, or oven liis actions, never did he make 
a manitestation of egotism or self-pride. 
Outside of Jacksonville, a couple of miles, 
perhaps, there lived quite a respectable fam¬ 
ily. This family employed a servant girl. 
The maturity Avliieh the lapse of eighteen 
years produced was apparent in her face 
and form. Like the great majority of coun¬ 
try girls, she looked as though sho Avas ever 
gazing upon roses, and those roses were 
reflecting their beauty in her cheeks. 
Graceful aud neat in the extreme and pos¬ 
sessing a very fair share of Intelligence, this 
servant girl Avas a match for whomsoever 
might take her unto himself. Jacob suav 
this flower and determined to possess it. To 
transplant it into his own house, to have it 
to comfort and cheer, was the grand object 
to Avhich he directed liis thoughts. lie loved 
Avithout ever having spoken to the idol of 
his day thoughts and dreams. Romanco 
was something of which Jacob bad probably 
Mindful of the well-being of her new gait- never heard, and so making love wit h him 
She clasped her hands with an imploring afraid, :uul if tile place is disagreeable I can 
gesture. 
“ What is he uoav ?” 
“ Dust and ashes.” 
In the long pause that succeeded, she 
heard him struggling with his quick breath. 
At last- 
“ There is only one thing could give me a 
right to ask these cruel questions; do you 
know Avliat it is?” 
She raised her head till her marvelous eyes 
rested full on his face,— 
“ I hope I do.” 
" Mary I- 
endure it for one night. Even if the poor 
creature should die, I can oall the family.” 
" Yes, certainly,” said the outer Dr. Norton, 
ers, Charity picked her Avay carefully along 
the road, Avctting them in the dewy grass 
when she tried to avoid the dust, and cover¬ 
ing them with dirt when she tried to avoid 
the deAV by talcing tho middle of tho mad. 
Once in the shadow of tho pines, she paused 
to look at them in disgust, when a brilliant 
thought struck her. Why not. doff shoes 
and go barefoot? It was so warm and pleas¬ 
ant, and the path smooth and soft. There 
was ho danger of meeting any one, aud she 
could slip in unobserved by the back door at 
home, so that even her watchful mother need 
not know it. To plan was to execute with 
this active young lady, and seating herself 
on a fallen tree trunk by the path she quick¬ 
ly bared her feet, rolled the snowy stockings 
while the inner man avus commenting:— into a snug ball which she put into her acteran 
11 Most sensible of the three sisters 1 Behold pocket, light knotted together the strings to Avitli av 
true Charity !” " I’m very glad to have her gaitem so she might hang them over her his lian 
found a suitable watcher for the night, and arm, then rose and Avent bravely onward, rode up 
also much obliged to you, Miss Charity,” said congratulating herself on her brilliant idea! whip, ai 
he, us he took his leave a few moments after, Alas for the frailty of human calculations! “ Tr ii 
. . he, as he took his leave a few moments after. Alas for the frailty of human calculations! 
> he raised her head till her marvelous eyes “ The family will tell you all about the modi* Out of Ihe pine wood, along by the edge of 
sted lull on his lace,— cines aud drinks, and I shall be over myself the thrifty rye, and there Avas Dr. Norton 
1 hope I do. in the morning unless I hear of her death himself, just coming around the corner, 
Mary I previously. Keep up good courage, and take within ten yards of meeting her, palpably 
One day he told her the other story of the good care of yourself. Good-day.” And with and undisgulsodly barefoot as she was, with 
If, ® ‘ , , !l wave ot his hand to the Avholo family lie her skirts caught up to avoid the dew, and 
i* iin.n i .....h ft « « . . . ... v ° * 
satcbel - . , . a wave of I'W hand to the whole family lie 
What was it, said he, that made me Avliirlcd away in a cloud of dust, the noble, 
love your dress, aud that led me, of all the prepossessing young doctor, whom half the 
love your dress, and that led me, of all tho 
people on that crowded train, to sit with you, 
and then to talk, and then to get your name, 
and then ”- 
“I think it avos God, John.” 
girls were breaking their hearts for, but Avho, 
as they indignantly averred, seemed to have 
not the least bit of a heart to give anybody 
except his patients, to whom he made himselt 
1 her new gaiters carefully strung across her 
arm. 
It Avas a trying moment for Charity Ab¬ 
bott, and all sorts of wild thoughts careered 
through her mind at once, though she still 
kept on her way, since it Avas too late for 
was like buying a steer—a mere matter ot 
business. One day be rode to the door of 
the residence of the fair maid, alighted from 
his horse, and knocked with the butt end of 
his whip. The lady of the houso answered 
his summons, and immediately upon her 
making licr appearance, Jacob asked for the 
servant girl. 
The servant girl came. Said Jacob“ I 
want a wife, and I’ve picked you out as tho 
most proper person for that position that I 
can possibly find. I’ve never spoken to you 
before, lmt then that makes no difference. 
I’ll give you one week to consider.” 
The girl blushed aud avus duinb-founded. 
Jacob mounted liis horse and rode away. 
Tiie girl inquired into Mr. Strawn’s char¬ 
acter and standing, aud avos advised by those 
with whom she lived to accept the offer of 
liis hand. Punctually, ft week after, Jacob 
rode up to the door, knocked again with his 
whip, and asked: 
“ Is it no or yes?” 
Blushingly, and while tears traced each 
other down her rosy cheeks, she answered, 
in a low tone, but quite distinctly: 
" Yes.” 
“ Well,” says Jacob, “ let’s sec; this is 
Monday ; Ave’ll get married the day after to¬ 
morrow, Wednesday. Here’s some money 
to buy a wedding outfit,” and lie threw her 
a purse containing a thousand dollars. The 
couple did get married on Wednesday, and 
no happier pair, during their lifetime, Avasto 
be met Avith in the State of Illinois. 
