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JUNE 42 
MOORE’S RURAL ^EW-YORKER. 
IN TWILIGHT. 
BY ALIQtTA. 
The rosy West lays a finger tip 
On the soft, gray robe of the Hast, 
Who reaches back a shadowy hand 
Like a tender and solemn priest. 
To touch the head of a joyous youth 
And point to his starry cross of truth. 
A robin calls in a happy tone t 
"Tls the glad free song of the Spring,— 
Kor Joy of the golden days again. 
And for joy of his own strong wing; 
And fancies fair in their mystic thrall 
My senses hold while the robins call. 
1 see bright days in their morning robes 
Of spider lace and pearls of dew, 
X hear, rung out from the blossom bells, 
The sweet old tunes that fairies know, 
I loss with globules of Summer rain 
On billowy seas of golden grain. 
I note the passing breexe with sweets 
And echoes of the Summer fraught, 
Thu mingled breath from Ibe garden blooms 
And spicy scent from woodlands caught, 
The trill of birds In their upward flight, 
The low, sweet words that arc love’s good-night. 
The robin calls in a pleading tone,— 
A sweet, tender cry (or its mate,— 
The fancies flit on shadowy wings. 
The twilight grows misty and late; 
I look afnr, and the joyous West 
In a sober, priestly robe is dressed, 
While the patient. Hast, with cross laid down 
Has won from heaven a starry crown. 
®ur ^org-S^l^r. 
‘’SETH AND I.” 
THE 13LACK SHEEP’S STORY. 
BY MARY D. BltlNE. 
[Concluded from page 370 last No.] 
Pupa met mo at the depot. I remember how 
bta dear face beamed all over with gladness to 
see his saucy little Krone again. With him was 
a young man somewhat about twenty-one or 
two years of age, whom he Introduced as “ Mr. 
Barnard, Jr., son of tuy old friend ; you have 
heard me speak of him probably, my dear ?” I 
knew Mr. Barnard, senior, was a valued busi¬ 
ness friend of papa’s and so I greeted the son 
cordially. “ Mr. Barnard has kindly offered to 
escort you t.o tho house, Ethie," continued my 
fathor, “as T huve an urgent business engage¬ 
ment at this hour. I am very much obliged to 
him, I’m sure, and I know you are In safe hands. 
Good-by, darling, until five o’clockand then 
papa went away and Mr. Ralph Barnard and 
I turned back into the waiting room. He left 
me there and went fora carriage, arid presently 
we were having a snug little tete-iV-lctc on the 
cushioned seats of a vehicle somewhat different 
to the style of grandma's old roekaway. 
I found tny escort a nice enough fellow for 
what is called “a regular flirtation,” but his 
eyes were too keen, and his lips too thin, tn 
please my ideas of good looks. Besides, lie 
seemed to think more of the cut of his coat, the 
est of his gloves or the curl or his mustache 
than seemed strictly oommon-seusic il. Alto¬ 
gether I didn’t fancy him particularly, and was 
very glad whon we drove to the familiar num¬ 
ber, “— Place.” Mabel and Doha were 
watching for me, and Doha ran herself to open 
the door. Hbo gave me a good ling, and then 
she turned to welcome Mr. Barnard, who had 
during my absence, made several calls at our 
house. M A BPw. Ignored me until she had shaken 
hands witli the gentleman, then sho patted me 
on the cheek and said patronizingly, “So you 
are homo at last, little sister. I hope you have 
not talked Mr. Barnard to death with that 
rattling little tongue of yours!” A quiet kiss 
followed this speech, and while returning the 
sisterly caress, I mentally resolved to make 
Mabel suffer for thus wounding my pride In 
the presence of a stranger. “ Rattling little 
tongue” Indeed! we would gee what It would 
rattle off for her benefit ore long. 
That evening we had company and of course 
I was questioned concerning my country visit. 
Now is iny time,” thought L, and straightway 
I gave most exaggerated accounts of every¬ 
thing. I told of my early rising that I might 
milk tho cows, and have a chance fora walk 
with grandma's hired man. I told about my 
scrubbing the stone floor of the kitchen—about 
peeling the unions for dinner, and sometimes 
coaxing the hired man to help rue wash the 
dishes. Sometimes I used to drive tho horses 
to water, I added, and oh I it was such fun to 
help plow ! To all of this random talk my sla¬ 
ters listened with horrified faces, unable to get 
In a word because I talked so fast. 1 knew I 
Wiis telling the naughtiest kind of (lbs, and dear 
old grand mamma would have wept ir she could 
have heard me describe my hard work at her 
peaceful home. Our visitor smiled pityingly 
and remarked, “I should hardly have imagined 
a visit, under such circumstances could be 
agreeable.” I laughed and enjoyed my slaters' 
dlscomflturc; but seeing papa look troubled 
and grave, I went, to his side and promised to 
be good ; thus my conscience, ill-used as it had 
been, was saved from further violence. 
My stay at home was short, for I coaxed papa 
to let me spend the summer with graudtna, and 
to my surprise my sisters did not object. I 
think they were rather relieved than otherwise, 
and so I soon hade them good-by again and 
went hack to the farm. I remember how all 
too short that summer scorned. Every week 
brought a new happiness to my life, and grad¬ 
ually my heart learned the ever-sweet lesson 
which matures even the wildest- and gayest of 
hearts. Seth had grown dearer to me than any 
one upon the earth, amt even dear papa was 
robbed of half the love duo him by this new 
feeling which took possession of me so entirely, 
f no longer cared for tho privilege of romping, 
and without knowing It, I grow so dignified 
that finally grandma, suspecting nothing, naked 
iTT was hoine-slck, or what could bfc the reason 
that her noisy, romping Ethii? had grown so 
demure and lady-like all of a sudden. 
“Ask Seth.’T answerod, thinking that at last 
a chance had come for tho truth to ho kuown. 
I had been so shy with my secret, and SKTn had 
so recently dared to show me his heart, that 
poor old grandma was entirely in the dark. My 
reply opened her eyes a little, and she loolcod 
at me earnestly. 
“‘Ask Ret n ?’ " she repeatod. “Oh, ah !- 
h’m— l see. Well, send my boy here to me, 
Ethi B, and you just run away a few moments.” 
ft was not long before 8BTU called, “Ethie, 
Ethiis! grandma wants you 3” and 1 went, be¬ 
fore her with blushes and a drooping head. 
“ Seth is hound to bother himself with you, 
Ethie," said grandma, laughing, “and I have 
no objection to making a legal grandchild of 
the boy, since you are probably as determined 
as ho in this matter. But while r consent, your 
father may not. and so there is tn bo no engage¬ 
ment until you hear from him, remember!” 
Then she kissed us both anil sent Seth on an 
errand, while 1 was set to sorting herbs. 
She wrote a fow lines to papa, and I wrote 
too, a pleading, coaxing letter, betraying my 
whole heart. Then wo waited for the answer, 
which came as follows: 
“ Come home, Ethki,, my child. This piece 
of folly on your part cannot lie listened to yet 
awhile. Von are too young. As for Mr. Brooks, 
I do not doubt him to he all one could desire 
since grandma loves him ; but, you must wait a 
year longer before I even consider him to be a 
lover. Coino home to ine. Your sisters are 
away-and papa is lonely, for his vacation is over 
and business is waiting.” 
I cried liken baby and then hid away with 
my red eyes ami nose until grandma had talked 
with Beth. The dear fellow! His dark eyes 
blazed a little, thou grow misty with the disap¬ 
pointment In hU heart—«o grandma told me 
afterwards ; but he said, “ It was only right to 
remember that Ethik’s father had tho first 
claim upon tier, and he would wait a dozen 
years ir necessary.” Then we took a long, last 
walk together, Hkth and I, aud promised all 
thai. each heart exacted from the other. 
In less than a week I was again at home. 
Papa did not quite like uiy subdued manner 
but r couldn’t throw off the longing Tor the’ 
summer’s happiness aud restful peace which 
made the form so dear a spot to me; and it was 
quite impossibly for me to ho my old frolic¬ 
some self again with the vision nf Hetu’h long¬ 
ing, dark eyes always before me, and the re¬ 
membrance of his parting words “ You will 
not put me away for a new lover, Ethie, be¬ 
cause l love you more than any one else ever 
can I”—fresh tn my mind. So I told pupa the 
truth, and coaxed and begged for his consent 
to an open engagement, but he was Arm in his 
first decision and I could do nothing more. 
Mabel and Dora returned In a week or two, 
aud September gave place to October. They 
curled their lips whon I told them my secret, 
and laughed at a “ child’s nonsensethen for¬ 
got about tny trouble In attending to their own 
off\urca du oqw—for ouch had secured an eli¬ 
gible vurU during the season's campaign, and 
there was to lie a double wedding before an¬ 
other year. Meanwhile papa began to come 
home from bis office with a grave face and an 
absent-minded air unusual to him. I noticed 
it Ilrst. because somehow I had always been 
nearer papa’s heart than my stylish slaters, and 
besides they were too busy with their respect¬ 
ive adorers to have eyes or ears Tor anything 
outside of love-making. 1 had no Idea Mabel 
possessed so much heart as to have fairly fallen 
in love, but she was really quite interesting in 
her new character, and played the role of “ be¬ 
trothed ” with delightful suooosb. Gradually 
things grew worse with papa. I saw that very 
plainly, and at last won from him the confes¬ 
sion that lie had been speculating freely, and 
lost, whon he bad expected profit. “ Don’t tell 
the girls," ho said, and 1 did not j but Ir, dis¬ 
tressed me beyond measure to see papa grow¬ 
ing thin and pale day by day, with striving to 
arrange matters with Ida creditors satisfactori¬ 
ly. Young Mr. Barnard called frequently at 
the houso, and finally I discovered his atten- 
