58 
JAN. 22 
It is not often I make such a moan,” Cecil said 
after a pause, raising herself from the ground, and 
pushing back her hair wearily from her brow. 
“ Forgive me, dear 1” 
“Dear Cecil,” said Mattie, gently, “you are so 
brave and patient, it makes ns love you all the 
more, and grieve all the more, that you should 
let yourself hope at all. 
“ When my hope—if hope you can call It—dies, 
I shall die tool Oh! Mattie, how strong I must 
be! Do you remember how ill I was in the Spring, 
aud how 1 recovered ? Nothing seems to kill me,' 
she went on wearily, with a little sorrowful smile. 
" Other women would die under the trouble—un¬ 
der halt the trouble which I have borne, and 
live 1” 
“We cannot spare you, darling,” murmured 
Mattie, softly. “ What would Uncle Henry do 
without you? You are the light of his eyes, 
Cecil 1” 
“ Poor dear uncle 1 Such a dim light now!” she 
said, smiling, and took up her book again and be¬ 
gan to read. 
There was some minutes’ silence, then Cecil 
looked up with a smile. 
CHAPTER XXXV. 
“You are fond of poetry, Mattie,”said Cecil. 
“ Shall I read you something I found in this book 
of poetical selections Edgar brought you the other 
day ?” 
“If It will not tire you, dear,” said Mattie, 
gently. 
•* It Is called • Returned• Missing,”’ said Cecil. 
“ And underneath, in parentheses, are the words, 
•Five years after.”' 
“ Do you think you had better read them ?” said 
Mattie, looking a little alarmed at the title. “ They 
may upset you, Cecil, dear.” 
Cecil shook her head. 
** I should like to read them to you, dear,” she 
said, and without more ado she began, In her soft, 
pathetic voice, two stanzas of which were as fol¬ 
lows—: 
“ Yes. I was sad aud anxious, 
But now, dear I am Kay: 
I know til it It is wisent 
To put all hope away. 
Thank heav’n that I have done so, 
And nan be calm to-day! 
* * • * * It * « 
“ Not that I dream or fancy 
You know all .hat is past; 
Earth has no hope to Kive me, 
And yet—time flies so fast 
That all but the impossible 
Might bo brought back at last !" 
“ All but the impossible I" said Cecil, softly. “ Is 
that Impossible, Maitl67” 
There was a silence, broken at last by tbe en¬ 
trance of a servant, who came to jeplenlsh the Are 
and to Inform Mattie that Mr. Eleston was In the 
drawing-room, and wished to see her or Miss 
Lester. 
Cecil looked up eagerly. 
“Ask him to come up here, Jenkins,” she said, 
quickly. “Mattie, don’t send baby away—Ernest 
will like to see It.” 
Ernest entered the room with some embarrass¬ 
ment ; It was the first time he and Cecil had met 
since that stormy Interview occasioned by tbe 
breaking off of their engagement, and he looked a 
little pale and nervous as he shook hands wuh 
Mattie fli st, and then turned to Cecil, who 
gave him her hand with a little smile, which 
Ernest ocfuid not return, he was so shocked and 
startled by ber altered appearance. 
“ You nave been ill,” he said, helplessly. “ You 
have been very 111 ?" 
“ Yes, I have been ill,” sbe said, smiling. •• But 
I am belter now; much better—almost quite well 
—and I am very glad to see you. When did you 
return ?” 
“Onlythis week; I heard you were In town, 
and’’—looking at her deprecatlngly—“ I thought 
I might come." 
“jr. was very good of you to come,” she said, 
gently. “ We have heard of you sometimes lndl- 
rccily. she added, with a smile, and Ernest col¬ 
ored slightly under his sunburn, and turning to 
Mattie said someihlcg complimentary about ibe 
baby; and while the young mother smiled and 
answered, Cecil sat dreamily looking Into the Are 
“Have you brought no newB?” she said, ab¬ 
ruptly. “ No, of course you could not, I forgot. 
Will jou have some tea, Ernest ?” 
“I am going to take baby to his nurse,” said 
Mattie, rising. “1 will tell them to bring some 
Cecil. Ernest likes afternoon tea, I remember of 
old." 
M attle went away. Ernest having closed the door 
looked down at the wan face of the woman who 
was to have been his wife. 
“ Why do you look at me so sorrowfully ?” she 
said, emlllng, " Do you think 1 look very ill ? Do 
you think l am going to die?” 
“ Cecil,” he exclaimed, In a voice of pain; then 
conquering his agitation, he sat down beside her. 
“ w hat has been the matter with you? Have 
you had advice?” he said, a little huskily. 
“Advice! what for? I have not been 111 for 
some time now,” she answered. 
“Not been 111—not 111 I Good Heavens, Cecil, 
look at your hand.” 
“Do you think that Illness alone could make 
It so thin ?’’ she said, sadly. “ Did you ever hear 
of a great trouble killing one ? Oh, I hope—I hope 
—I pray that my trouble will kill me.” 
“ Cecil!’’ he exclaimed. 
“ Do you remember that last time we met ?” she 
said. “ 1 told you then that I had given away my 
heart to a man who cared little for the gift. But 
I loved him, and he la dead.” 
•* Dead 1” he repeated. “ Poor Cecil I Poor 
child 1 ” 
“ I only tell you this, that you should not worry 
yourself or me with suggestions about my health,” 
she said, hastily; “we will not talk any more 
about It, Tell me about yourself; you returned 
home this week, you say ? Have the Tyrrell’s re¬ 
turned ?” 
“ No, but they return shortly,” he said, hastily. 
“ Cecil, have you forgiven me for my brutal con¬ 
duct to you when-” 
“ Nay, you were quite right,” she said, gently, 
“ I deserved every word of reproach you gave me, 
Ernest. But we will not talk of that now,” she 
tvent on. “ You have quite forgiven me, Ernest, 
have you not ?” 
" It was I who needed forgiveness,” he said, 
brokenly. “ I was never worthy of you, but I loved 
you, Cedi, you know that?” 
“Yes,” she said, sadly. “But all that Is over, 
you know. I want to hear all about yourself and 
-aDd Lottie.” 
The handsome, sunburnt face flushed slightly. 
“ About myself,” he answered, with a slight de¬ 
gree of embarrassment (tt Is not a very pleasant 
thing to tell one woman to whom you were once 
betrothed, of your engagement to another,) "there 
Is but. little to tell. I bave been traveling about 
you know. At first i was very miserable, Cecil, 
but by-and-by I got over It.” 
“ Well,” she said, smiling. 
“ Well, then I fell in with the Tyrrells, and the 
General gave me permission to Join their party 
and—It was very pleasant.” he concluded, lamely. 
“Very pleasant,” said Cecil, with her soft, sad 
smile. “ la that all ?” 
“ Not quite,” he answered, coloring and smiling, 
“ Well, Lottie and 1 Baw a good deal of each other, 
and-’’ 
“ And you made up your minds you could never 
see too much of each other ?” said Cecil. “ Er¬ 
nest, l am so glad. She is one of the sweetest, 
truest girls I ever knew. You are a very fortunate 
man to have won her.” 
Ernest's face flushed, and he required but little 
encouragement to become eloquent on the subject 
of his new happt ness. 
“Do you remember last year at this time, when 
we were at Mrs. Brayburn’s?” he said eagerly; 
“you thought Lottie had a fancy for Dr. Carewe; 
but. she says she always cared for me even then. 
By-tbe-way, what a shocking thing that dreadful 
death of his was.” 
“Yes,” said Cecil, calmly, although her very 
lips paled at the careless mention of his name ; 
and before Ernest could speak again, Mattie en¬ 
tered the room. 
(Conclusion next week.) 
-- 
THE EYE-OPENEB. 
Now for the names of the “parties” outside 
New York City, to whom the Post Office refuses 
to deliver letters or money orders on account of the 
more than doubtful honesty of their mode of con¬ 
ducting business—and first for tbe New England 
sharpers:—Boston shelters L. A. Kendall; alias 
L. A. Ashman; alias Bay state Organ Co.; alias 
Eastern Gun Works; alias Enterprise Publishing 
Co.; alias Home Delight Co.; alias nub Manufac¬ 
turing Co.; alias Hub Watch Co.; alias Inventors' 
and Manufacturers’ Association; alias Japanese 
CurlOBlly Co.; alias New England Scientific Works- 
alias New England Manufacturing Co.; alias Paris 
Art Co.; alias Parisian Photograph Co.; alias 
People’s Paper Publishing Co; alias The Wel¬ 
come Guest. Kendall, you Bee, has a multitude 
of li ons In the Are with which to burn bla patrons. 
Tbe Paris Novelty Co. has dens at Boston, Mass., 
Rockland, Mass., and Chicago, III. Another Arm 
with many aliases, and hailing from the 
same three cities, is E. Ellsworth Slocumb; 
alias Agents’ Union; alias American Book Co.; 
alias E. G. Crameo ; alias Eels A Co ; alias Royal 
Plano Co; alias D, I*. Eels & Co.; alias Solar Watch 
Co.; alias solar Manufacturing Co; alias D. p. 
Suydam ; alias P. W. williams & Co. After this 
many nami d concern here are a fewothers, whose 
spider-webs are set in other parts of Yankee- 
land:—Edgar W. Jones, Ashland, Mass., and 
south Framingham. Mass.; alias Harry j. Little¬ 
ton A Co.; alias Union Purchasing Agency; alias 
Union Publishing Co.; alias Magnetic Watch Co. 
Union Publishing Co., Ashland Mass; I nlon 
Publishing Agency, South Framingham, Mass,; 
Harry J. Littleton A Co., Ashland, Mass., and 
South Framingham. Mass.; Magnetic Watch Co., 
Ashland, Mass. Ashland. Mass., seemB pretty 
well stocked with doubtful eharacters-eb ? a 
couple more are left for other places, such as 
Hugh McKay, alias Hugh McKay & Co., of St. Ste¬ 
phens, New Brunswick, and Calais, Me., and the 
Magnetic Watch Co., South Framingham, Mass. 
Other parts of the country will be heard from next 
week. 
♦ ♦♦ — 
MAGAZINES FOR JANUARY. 
St. Nicholas,— Contents—Frontispiece, “ Fire¬ 
light Phantoms;” The Wrong Promise, illustrated, 
•• George entertains the babyOne of his Names, 
verses; Going Home for the Holidays; The Chil¬ 
dren's Fan Brigade, illustrated, “Playful,” “Ma¬ 
jestic wave,” “ Position for bows.” “ Fans spread,” 
“Inviting;” Out of Style, verses, Illustrated; 
Stories of Art and Artists; Handel, poem, Illus¬ 
trated; How the Aristocrats Sailed Away; The 
First Tooth; Fire-light Phantoms, poem, Illustra¬ 
ted by tfle Frontispiece; In Nature's Wonderland, 
Chapters II. aud HI, illustrations by H. Faber, 
“ Mrs. Yegua takes leave of her enemies,” “ Break¬ 
ing a grizzlyThe Thtng-a-ma Jig, Illustration, 
“ The Thing-a ma-jig“ The Klug of France and 
Four Thousand Men;” Every Boy His Own ice 
Boat; New Year’s Day, verses, illustrated, “A 
Happy New Year to your* Phaeton Rogers, Chap¬ 
ters III, and IV.; Nedawi, An Indian Story from 
realllfe, Illustrated; Brier-Rose, poem, Illustrat¬ 
ed; A Snow Battle; A Dear Little Girl of Nan¬ 
tucket, .Jingle, Illustrated; New Year’s Calls, Il¬ 
lustrated ; Mystery In a Mansion, Chapters V. and 
VI.; For Very Little Folk, The Fast Goat Line; 
Jack-ln-the-Puli it; The Letter-Box; The Kiddle- 
Box. 
This, the first of the new year’s numbers, Is pre¬ 
sented In equally as attractive, If not an improved 
form. The Illustrations are stories in themselves, 
Increased In Interest by able descriptions. 
The American Naturalists.— Contents: Tbe 
ADdent Glaziers of tbe Rocky mountains; Tbe 
Discovery of Iron Implements In an Ancient Mine 
In North Carolina; On the Fertilization of Cala- 
mlntha nepeta; Comparative Neurology ; Botaniz¬ 
ing on the Colorado Desert; The Method of Dis¬ 
tinguishing Species of Populus and Juglans by the 
young naked branches; An address to t he Fossil 
Bones In a Private Museum; Editor’s tables; Re¬ 
cent Literature; General Notes; Zoology; Ento¬ 
mology ; Anibropolgy; Geology and Palromontol- 
ogy; Geography and Travels; Microscopy; Scien¬ 
tific news; Proceedings of Scientific Societies; 
Selected Articles in Scientific Serials 
The Dibcovkry of ikon implements in an an¬ 
cient Mine in North Carolina.— In Western 
North Carolina are found maDy evidences of pre¬ 
historic mlnlug operations, such as open cuts, 
tunnels, shafts and dumps. The latter are cov¬ 
ered with a forest growth of several hundred years 
and In the excavations has accumulated the de¬ 
bris or centuries. 
About, ten years ago a new Industry was Inaug¬ 
urated in the state, that of mica mining, and 
strange to say the best and most profitable mines 
have been those located upon the sites of the "old 
diggings.” In clearing out the ancient works very 
few Implements have been found which throw 
light upon the original miners. The opinion, now 
generally held, is. that they belonged to the 
Mound-builders, whose mounds are also found, but 
sparingly. In the river baslus. That this Is, for 
the most part, correct, I think has been clearly 
shown by Pror. Kerr in his Report on t he Geology 
of North Carolina for 1875. Ho there slates that 
he learned In a conversation with Col. Whittlesey, 
and subsequently from numerous publications on 
the subject of the mounds of the Northwest, that 
mica was of common occurrence In the tumult of 
t he Mound builders, among the utensils and orna¬ 
ments which such rude people are In the habit of 
Inhuming with their dead owners. And upon fur¬ 
ther inquiry, he ascertained that cut forms, sim¬ 
ilar to those found In the mounds were occasion¬ 
ally discovered among the rubbish and reruse 
heaps about and In the old pits .—hYeaertck IF, 
Simonas, in Jm. Naturalist. 
|or ® outfit. 
CONLUCTED BY MISS RAY CLARK. 
THE FAMILY RECORD-AN INCIDENT OF 
ENUMERATION. 
Lippinoott'b Magazine.— Contents: Glgt’3: A 
Cosmopolitan Art School; Titian’s Venus; An Old 
New England seaport; Lilith, a Story; The Wan¬ 
derer's Bell, a Poem; out-door Life on the Rhine; 
Opposites; The Called Meeting, a Story; Madame 
De8tael;The Occultatlon or a Honey-moon, a 
Story; Race In Brazil; My Mining Investment; 
Which la Best ? our Monthly Gossip; Literature 
of the Day. 
This number opens a new series at a reduced 
price, and presents itself In an artistically de¬ 
signed cover that pleases the eye. This favorable 
Impression Is more than confirmed by an exam¬ 
ination of tbe contents, which are generally light 
and of a thoroughly popular character, while 
marked by a literary excellence or a high order. 
The Illustrations, too. are carefully executed, the 
new arrangement of the editorial matter cannot 
fall to prove attractive, and altogether the number 
is promising. 
Dkmork8t*s Maoazink —Contents: Marie An¬ 
toinette (portrait in oil); Bubbles (steel engrav¬ 
ing); Valentine In Oil; seed-time and narvest 
Tapestry; Marie Antoinette ; Women of History 
—Madam Roland ; The Higher Education of wo-; 
men. H. F. K. Some Account or Its Progress in 
Europe and America; Talks with Girls; Small 
Causes vs. Great Events; Economy ; A Revolution; 
An Easy Place; A Valentine; Heartsease; The 
Bbb of Love; Two Photographs—A Story of St. 
Valentine’s Day; Song; Sam s Stratagem ; I Love 
You; Josle's Grandmother; Mr. llayford’s Beau- 
Bake ; Kith and w In; A Valuable Gift; My House¬ 
keeping Class; About Horns-Items; Correspond¬ 
ents’ Class; Tbe Spelling Reform; Advice to 
Girls; Answer to Rebus; Influence of Associates ; 
The Rich Mouse; Window Shade In Mosalo- Knit¬ 
ted Lice—Scrap Basket—Knitted Fringe—Mono¬ 
gram, N. G.— What Women are Doing; Hobbles— 
Bubbles-Decorative Art In tbe Household—Miss 
Alcotts New Story; What We Live For-state 
Reformatories for Women-Modern Improvements 
In Business Houses-Ktth and Kin; Current Topics; 
Scientific Items; Kitchen; Answers to Corres¬ 
pondents; Review of New Books, etc.; Good Words 
—Life Insurance—A Literary Thief—Diamonds of 
Thought; spice Box. 
The combination of fashion and literary matter, 
together with the many Illustrations, make this a 
popular and attractive periodical. 
Bplectio Magazine.— Contents: Steel Engrav¬ 
ing—“ Marguerite,” alter the painting by Ber¬ 
trand; The Sabbath, An Address; Lady Hester 
Stanhope, the “ Queen of LebanonSome 
Strangely Fulfilled Dreams; Animal Instinct In 
Its Relation to the Mind of Man (the Unity of Na¬ 
ture, No. III.); Social Life among the Ancient 
Greeks; A Letter from Newport; Decorative Deco¬ 
rations; Fiction—Fair and Foul, IV ; Trevelyan’s 
“Early History of Charles James Fox;” Recent 
Science; Through Siberia by Way ot the Amur 
&ud the Ussuri; Life and Death, three Bonnets; 
The Mystery of the Pezazl, a Sketch from Ceylon; 
Plain Speaking, I, a Little Music; The Bugle, from 
the French or Paul Dolourede; The Natural His¬ 
tory of Dress; The Wages of Literature; Three 
Wishes-; Literary Notices; Foreign Literary 
Notes i Sclenoe aDd Art; MlBcellany. 
The frontispiece is a great addition to this Issue. 
The selections are good and the general produc¬ 
tion equal to former issues. 
F.DGERTON. 
“ Tins notched stick, suspended here 
Beside thegreut hall door, 
Hides many a quaint and curious page 
Of uuwrit family loro: 
It holds the record of our lives, 
Each notch a story tells. 
And in its mystic marks and signs 
Our family history dwells. 
“ ’Twas not as now, when we were young. 
Our schools were precious few. 
And also very far between— 
Our county numbered two— 
And fifteen miles In winter time. 
Was rather far to go: 
Remembering that the Winters then 
Were not devoid of snow. 
“ And so the schooling we obtained, 
(Myself and husband Dick,) 
Consisted all in marks nnd signs 
And notches on a stick. 
I blush not here to own this fact, 
Theblnine,if blame there be. 
Must all attach to circumstauce, 
And not to Dick aud me. 
“ This preface on the end, we notched 
Just sixty years ago, 
Where we had built our little hut 
And moved in, through the snow; 
The worldly wealth we then poBsesssed, 
I’ll not essay to hide, 
Consisted in a yoke of steers, 
A log-chain, axe and slide, 
" But we were young and hopeful, and 
Esteemed our prospects fair. 
The richness of our mutual love 
Relieving every care; 
We dwelt within a little world 
All sacredly our own. 
Basking In anil lea and Jokuny.cak* 
Living on love and pone. 
“ ThlB notch, denotes the day and date 
When little Dick was born. 
The first of June, in twenty-nine,— 
Just fifty years this morn, 
Poor boy ! he was not with ub long, 
His sands of life were few 1 
For bore w e notched him off again 
In April, forty-two. 
“ With doubtful, trembliug hand, I made 
This ugly notch myself, 
When OaiBy married wild Jack Jones, 
Aud moved off to herself; 
I had no confidence in Jack. 
He’d lived a reckless life, 
’Twas only under my protest 
That he obtained his wife. 
“ But Daisy brought about a change. 
As good wife ever can, 
And Jack has long since settled down 
And proved himself a man; 
They own five hundred acres of 
The very host of land, 
And have a genteel balance left 
Of ready push OIJ hand. 
“ Our cash account, we’ve always kept 
Upon this separate stick— 
I make no entries here myself, 
But leave It all to Dick. 
Each notch a thousand represents. 
In all. Just sixty-four. 
And should the crops prove fair this year, 
We’ll add about five more. 
“ We've always kept our business square, 
And straighter than a string, 
Have fairly dealt with all the world 
And owe no man a thing. 
We’ve labored honestly and well, 
For every oeut we've got, 
And old age finds ue happy aud 
Contented with our lot.” 
CONCERNING SELF-RELIANCE IN GIRL8 
MART WAGER-FISHER. 
Dean Stanley told a good story recently. He 
said a minister ot one of the younger branches of 
the Church was calling the attention ot a member 
of the Established Church of Scotland to some of 
the great abuBCB In that venerable Church, to 
which the Scotch minister replied: " When your 
chimney has smoked as lODg as ours, perhaps it 
will have as much soot In It I” 
For Fathers and Jlothers to Read. 
I think I may say, that, as a girl, being mother- 
orphaned at a tender age, and from the force of 
other circumstances. I was more self reliant, or 
grew to be more so, than are the majority ot girls. 
But when my father died—I was then past twenty 
—I felt as it the earth were swept out from under 
my feet. I had been liberally educated, had been 
made familiar with many things, but J knew al¬ 
most nothing or business. 1 believe I did not 
know how to make use of a check or draft without 
being told. I knew nothing or the management 
ot property, or ot property laws. I nad an Idea 
that, the business of a lawyer was lo “ fleece” his 
client, and so I trusted my pecuniary welfare as 
a great many women do with relatives. In short, 
I was, after a fashion, my own lawyer. There’s an 
old adage which I Illustrated finely. “When a 
man Is his own lawyer, he has a fool for a client." 
(As 1 have rnamed a lawyer. It Is reasonable to ln- 
ler that my opinion of the guild has changed since 
I was a girl.”) I suppose J learned something 
from my Ignorance aud folly, for It is a strange 
experience Horn which one does not reap some 
benefit. But why should comen, from generailon 
to generation go on garnering the bitter fruits of 
similar tolly and ignorance? Wby should a girl, 
any more thau a boy, when orphaned; orawlte, 
any more than a husband when widowed, be help¬ 
less and unarmed against the misfortunes, and 
suffer as they so frequently do from the biuntirul 
“advice” and “kindness'and “management” of 
male relatives? Simply because they are trained 
In Ignorance of certain things that they should 
well know, and pre-eminently because they have 
not been taught habits of seir-rellanoe. 1 have 
known a few men, and I have reason to belteve 
that there are many such, who buy every article 
needed lor the family, even to corsets, calicoes, 
stockings and winter cloakings and the “women 
folks” have become so accustomed to being “ pro- 
