BIRD IN THE MAPLE. 
In r fairy world I dwell, and one that I love well, 
A flood of Kroon leavo-. Kroon loaves all around me; 
And sometimes the summer blooms 
Fill my nest with such perfumes 
That I find in poet's dreams they've bound me. 
Who can wonder at my ann*. so Joyous, swee.t and long, 
Who can wonder that from morn till niKht I’m sinir- 
Inff? 
In praise of him who made my nest within the shade. 
In zephyrs’ odorous arras, my cradle swinging. 
Green leaves! grand leaves! who can know, who, mor- 
tal-liko below. 
Of the beauty, of the glory of my dwelling? 
In my forest grand and high, lifting to the rosy sky. 
More poetic than can hilt of bird be telling? 
Bard alone my Joy can guess, or the thrilling tender- 
ness, 
I feel for her, my little bride, my dearie, 
Or the bitter pain I feel, when a cruel boy would steal 
Her precious life and leave my home-nest dreary. 
O my little birdie’s nest, rocks upon tho zephyr's 
breast, 
Where, to love and dreams, the wavering shadows 
woo me; 
So dense in grateful shade, that a Bimbeam hither 
strayed 
Could scarcely throw its golden kisses to me. 
Surah Sumner Lewis in Home Journal. 
®|c 
STUPID STEVE. 
BY N. M. 
Tishbury was such a small place that the com¬ 
ing of a circus was an era In its history. Just as 
we date all events before or after the Christian 
era, so the people of this village dated everything 
that transpired 1o and from the last circus. 
Tho arrival of a stranger created Intense ex¬ 
citement, while a runaway or a ralr was an occur¬ 
rence never to be forgotten. If thore was any 
prospect for a wedding, the whole community 
was in a state of absolute frenzy until the affair 
came off, and every article of the bride’s ward¬ 
robe was discussed with as much interest as if 
the fate of the nation depended upon 
the number of yards she put into her - 
wedding-dress. IT' 
In fact these people lived in a world R 
all by themselves. They had a store ■ 
and a post-office, a tavern, a mill, and 
an Insignificant newspaper, which, In 
their eyes, far surpassed any literary 
production of the age. Twice every 
week the stage drove up to the tavern 
door, and whpn the driver alighted he 
was treated with as much respect and 
deference as would be duo the Presl- 
dent of tho United States. / 
Imagine the excitement that pre- 
vailed, one fine summer morning, 
when the stage drove up and there 
alighted a rather handsome, stylish 
young man, with a trunk the like or 
which had never been seen before Iu 
the region round about Tlshbury. It, 
so completely astonished the loungers. 
of the tavern that, for once, they for- 
got to pay their usual homage to t,lie 
driver. Hardly noticing the awe- 
struck manner of the landlord, the r Pj gH 
stranger said he Intended remaining a V, 
few weeks, and asked to be shown to Jna 
his room anti have Ills trunk brought l-Aj 
up Immediately. As soon as lie was 
safely out of sight there was a grand ftl) 
rush for the trunk. Upon It, they found JffljjfjlM 
the name of c, V. Kennedy, which 
discovery served to satisfy their curl- 
oslty somewhat. One man ex pres sett ivnaiR 
his belief that “he was one of them 
men that had writ a book, and they $ 'w'tI 
most always had a power of money; ” 
which statement contained neither 
truth, poetry, nor grammar. When 
his trunk was taken up-stalrs, ho was -v : 
discovered laying a note-book and 
several papers down on a table, while • \ 
beside them he had placed a pocket h^SvhI 
ink-stand. These things continued S-.kVvv i 
the opinion that he was an author. 
Before noon of that day every Inhab- 
ltant. or the village was aware that a ppMM j 
stranger lived, moved, and had his S'fwpl' 
bedogamong them; and every girl of Wfcii'tyvi 
the said village had privately deter. * 
mined to captivate him. 
Now. it so happened that, there was f' 
only one really pretty girl in the place. 
In romance, every town swarms with 
beautiful maidens; but, In reality, a HS&KM 
small place may consider itself fortun- vfeSjSrV 
ate if it has one or two really handsome 
young ladles. This young lady pos- 
sessed tho very common-place name ^ sUB 
of Kitty kune. She had been told gjtj Wjm 
about her pretty face times without f-' 
number; consequently she had an ex- 
oeedlngly good opinion of heiself. WmSfll 
To Kitty the arrival of this line- 
looking fellow was a Joyful occurrence, 
for, to tell the truth, she had long 
wanted a little flirtation of her own, 
such as she had read about In the few MBjHP 
magazines and oooks that had come fKflfflB 
In her way. This was a rare oppor- 
tunlty which she determlne,d should 
not be lost. 
The next Sunday Mr, Kennedy was at. church, 
the center of all eyes, the subject of all remarks, 
and received a great deal more attention t han the 
minister himself. 
After service, the superlntondant of the Sab¬ 
bath-school Invited him to come that afternoon, 
the elders and deacons all shook hands wit h Him’, 
and the minister said lie was glnd to see him our. 
This pleased Mr. Kennedy, for, like the most of 
us. he enjoyed appreciation. 
Tie went back to 1.1m tavern as fully resolved to 
captivate nil the girls as they were to ensnare 
him. And when both parties make such resolu¬ 
tions as these, then look out for fun. 
So the next few weeks were one unending 
round Of pic-nics, sowing-bees, quiltings, and all 
tho other amusements of n country village, the 
hero nr which enjoyed It Immensely. Then there 
were long walks by moonlight, and quantities of 
small talk and flattery that quite lurried the 
heads of those simple country girls and set their 
hearts to fluttering. 
When Kennedy found out, that he was supposed 
to be an aut hor, he took no pains to have them 
think otherwise, but. rather encouraged them In 
the delusion. So in a little while 11 was an es¬ 
tablished fact, that he was a man of letters 
It was soon seen, much to the disgust of tho 
other girls, that their hero rather preferred the 
company or Kitty Ki.tnk; and that highly-de¬ 
lighted young lady was not slow to show him that 
he was very agreeable r.o her. One night, as usual, 
these two walked slowly home, lingering long at 
the gate. W'lien at, last he turned away Kitty’s 
foolish head was filled with flattery, and her heart 
beat fast, as she thought what ho had Raid. As 
she stopped on the porch, she was startled to feel 
aheaiy hand upon her shoulder, but her fright 
turned Into annoyance as she perceived it was 
only Stupid Steve. She Immediately supposed ho 
had overheard their conversation at the gate dur¬ 
ing which Kennedy had said to heri consider 
inyscit quite honored In receiving the least atten¬ 
tion from you, as Madam Rumor has Informed 
mo that you have boon regarding with great, favor 
a beardless boy, who rejoices In the name of stu¬ 
pid Steve.’’ 
“ Ma(lam Rumor has spoken the truth to you In 
only one respect, Mr. Kennedy— that, Is In regard 
to tile fellow’s name; for such another blockhead 
I never saw. But he does well enough to flirt 
with and to make use of in various ways.” Such 
had been their words, and It is no wonder that 
Kittv felt her face burn as she remembered them. 
Steve’s real name was Theodore Stephen 
Fi.kmming ; but he had always been called ntkvk, 
and after a while the word Stupid had been pre¬ 
fixed, because he was even more bashful than the 
average country youth of eighteen. But he had 
the pluck in him for making a mau ; ror when his 
mother arul father died within three months of 
each oi her, leaving him all alone at seventeen, 
Instead of depending on Ills uncle, the only rela¬ 
tion he knew of. ho went right on with the farm 
and managed to make quite a snug little proilt,. 
Then In the long winter evenings ho did not go 
to the tavern, the common resort and general 
lounging place of nearly. It not quite all, the men 
and boys of Tlshbury. Hut Mm neighbors noticed 
that there was a light bnrnlr late in the utile 
brown house. They pronounced It some or Stupid 
Steve’s Silly notions. During those winter even- 
Ings ho bad accomplished more than tho neigh¬ 
bors had ever dreamed. Hard, wearisome, earn¬ 
est, st udy that trained his mind and served him a 
good purpose In after years. After that winter's 
work ho had longed for somet hing better than 
could be found In tho little village. He hoped to 
be able to enter college some day, but at present 
tried to content himself studying as touch as he 
could. So this was the person that laid his hand 
on Kitty’s shoulder and said, “ I don’t like that 
fellow, Kerry." 
’’And If you don’t, what earthly dllTeronce can 
that make to mo?” was the reply, 
“ It may make a. difference to you someday, for 
1 don’t believe he Is tho right, kind of a man. No 
one knows who he is, or where he came from.” 
Then with all the wisdom and experience of six- 
teen Kitty answered :-“So you, a mere country 
boy, have set, yourself up to Judge a gentleman 
and an author at that. I don’t see howltcau con¬ 
cern you, or what reason you have for talking this 
way to me.” 
“ My reason Is, that when T needed sympathy 
your mother was the only one who spoke & kind 
word to me, and when 1 did not know what to do 
or where to look for a homo, she said slio would 
cook and see to the house for me, so that t could 
go on with the farm. 1 won't forget, her kindness 
very soon, so I told you, although I disliked to 
very much, that you had better not nave any¬ 
thing to do with such a mysterious stranger ns 
this Kennedy.” 
little NURSE. 
“ You have evidently tried to do me a kindness 
but you win do ran a greater favor If, hereafter, 
you attend to your own affaire. You had better 
go back to your musty old books, until you learn 
to know a gentleman when you see him.” 
After that, Kitty was so scornful that Steve 
was miserable. He could have endured It; but 
since ho t ook his meals there, ho was compelled 
to meet her every day. At last Steve went to his 
uncle and laid the ease before him. 
’• Well, what are you going to do about It ?” 
Do? I'm going to do Just as she told me—go 
back to my musty old books. I'm not only going 
to do that, bin, 1 intend to go through college. I 
want help, and I thought yon would bo the best 
one to give me a lilt. Hire a man to attend my 
crops, and make what you can out of them; then 
In the fall, sell the rattle and keep the money to 
pay the taxis on tho land, but do not sell that.” 
Now It so happened that the old gentleman was 
Steve’s guardian, and when tho boysnld he want¬ 
ed help, ho naturally supposed he wanted money; 
but ho had not asked for a cent. But ho thought 
It would bo well to investigate the matter a little 
further. Accordingly, he asked Steve what he 
was going to do for money. 
" r ve laid up a little from lust year’s crops that 
will be enough to start mo; then I’ll work after 
school hours—saw wood, or do anything to get 
through.” 
“ see here, boy I" tho old man exclaimed, ” you¬ 
’ve tho right kind or grit, and If you don’t get 
through college, It won’t be my fault. People 
around here think T'rn poor; buL I’ve a snug sum 
In a safe place, that has boon jilting up interest, 
these many years. When you aro ready to st art, 
Just let me know." 
A few days after the above-mentioned occur¬ 
rence, flaming posters announced to the Inhabit¬ 
ants of Tlshbury and the region round about that 
t wo weeks from t hat date there would bo a grand 
circus, the moat mngnlfluent, tho most moral on 
the globe. Ministers or the Gospel always mado 
It a point to attend, while the Boards of Educa¬ 
tion urged, aud even compelled the toaehers of 
public schools lo dismiss tho children, In order 
that all the scholars might improvo tho only op¬ 
portunity they would over have of witnessing tho 
largest museum, menngorlo, and circus In the 
world. 
On the two .Sundays preceding tho show, the 
minister preached lengthy' sermons upon the sin¬ 
fulness of the time, trying to persuade 
- fhe people that this world was all a 
fleeting show, and a good, moral circus 
a delusion and a snare. But for all 
this the circus was well attended, 
i Probably not one of the good people of 
that town would have said they went 
to the circus of their own accord. 
g - woine one has remarked that people 
on '.v go to shows for the purpose of 
taking the children, and that It some¬ 
times requires as many as five or six 
able-bodied men and women to look 
after one child, who on ordinary ocoa- 
NMWv slons is left to take care of Itself. But 
■V,\\\ whoever heard of tlio child that did 
\V\‘ not, want to go to a circus, and who 
'‘a* yet discovered tho fond parent 
wVOyJ that would not Jump ai. i lie chance of 
wsV'vV gel ling such a good excuse for going 
SmYw hlmscir? As usual, the elephant was 
\ ,\V'' wondered at. the monkeys laugh- 
&'■) cd at, and the ponies admired. But 
aiAvvvA horror was unbounded when It was 
discovered that Mr. C. V. Kennedy, 
-ftfprz: the pet and darling of all Tlshbury, 
was the best bare-back rider of the 
whole troupe. Certain young ladies 
went, home to weep, and wail, and 
' j gnash their teeth; certain young gen- 
g tlemen determined to tease their sis¬ 
ters ; and certain parents resolved that 
heroartor they, themselves, would en¬ 
deavor to ascertain the character of 
their daughters’ associates. This was 
shock number one. Shock number 
two was the disappearance of Steve 
Fi.kmminu, and when t.he Tlshbury 
Herald asserted that he had run off 
with the show, it was generally be¬ 
lieved. After these events, Tlshbury 
1®| moved on In Us usual slow fashion, 
until twelve years had rollrd around. 
I Twelve years may make numerous 
and great changes, yet, this sleepy lit¬ 
tle town seemed us It ever was. The 
rnen gossiped about the tavern, and 
then went home to scold their wives 
because they gossiped In their kitch¬ 
ens, whereupon the dear creatures 
Imagined that they were above such 
tilings. The girls and boys of sixteen 
arid seventeen acted about as simply 
as only boys and girls or that age can 
act.. Kitty Kune had attended the 
weddings of all her girl friends, but, 
nothing daunted, she still weut with 
the young rolk just, as she used to do. 
Suddenly Tlshbury wae aroused from 
Its wonted lethargy by the sight of a 
number of workmen engaged In exca' 
rating a cellar on tho old Flemming 
place. Wild was the speculation In 
regard lo this mysterious proceeding, 
e The contractor for the house was a 
stranger from New York, and although 
v* flic most expert hands at the business 
endeavored to quiz him, they got, 
nothing for their pains. The house 
was higher and higher, and when 
_ completed was pronounced, by the as¬ 
tonished peojile of Tlshbury, nothing 
short of a palace. Then came large < 
-YORKER. 
