SEPT. 22 
VACATION REVERIES, 
desolate dim years stretching before Uer. Slowly 
her thoughts returned to the friend at her aide, 
tried, trustod and true, and she saw herself 
sheltered, loved, and honored, safe in hla steady 
devotion from sorrow and trouble, shielded from 
every rude blast. 
Me waited a long time. The blaze of firelight 
up Ueorgle’a face, sad and dreamy, lit up his 
own, steadfast and true, his dark eyes watching 
anxiously every change that swept over her fea¬ 
tures. 
“Shall It be as I wish?” said ho at last, geutly. 
uo you know that I can give you nothing 
fully tUrn7 WaS 1110 auswor > given veryaorrow- 
I did not ask anything,” was the quiet re- 
you 11 " 0- " 1 ° Dly Want the l ' Ight t0 tak0 caro of 
She lay back again in her chair, gazing dreami¬ 
ly ^before her with pathetic, Bad weariness. 
“Shan It bo, Georgia?’’ urged ho again. 
“ I don’t know glvo me time. I am so tired. 
I cannot think cow,” said she, wearily. 
“ Whatever happens, remember I am always 
your friend," said he, gently rising at once: 
‘and. If you decide in my favor, It will bo the 
one thing to crown my life and make It, full and 
perfect.” Then he left her. 
• • . 
The long facade of 
no l what r-“ Do you love mo ?” 
“ rieaso let me go, Frank-sho is coming, 
really. And Georgle made a desperate effort to 
escape from his encircling arm. 
" Tell me then, my sweet wife "-in a slightly 
anxious tone. h J 
she ceased her efforts to escape, raised her 
eyes, deep and dark with emotion, and, clasping 
his hand In hers, said, gravely and steadily— 
1 love you, Frank, with a lovo compared to 
which all other lovo seems poor and mean I 
lovo you so much that I know that till now i did 
not know what love meant. My husband, I love 
you so that nothing but death can part us ” 
BT KET8EB. 
Mean, on, nothing particular!” returned 
Esther, dryly. “No doubt he takes an Immense 
Interest In papa’s pet grievances against tlio 
church-wardens, and comes to condole with him. 
x " doubt, it is very entortainlug to settle with the 
mater about tbo old women’s coals and blankets 
two or three times a week. My entertaining 
conversation of course counts for nothing; In 
fact, I have ceased to waste my eloquence upon 
him, since I found out that Miss Georgle Caster- 
ton’s sllertce was moro appreciated than all ray 
wit and wisdom.” 
Georglo flushed palnrully. 
“ What nonsense you talk, Esther! When you 
know how kind he has been about the church 
restoration and what trouble he has taken about 
my drawings, it Is absurd of you to Invent reasons 
to account for such a simple thing as his coming 
here sometimes." 
“ ‘Sometimes’!” echoed Esther,satirically. 
Georgle thrust her brush lulo a pool of neutral- 
tint and stirred It round and round half angrily. 
Esther, with a shrewd glance at the crimson face 
and an emphatic shrug of her shoulders, betook 
herself to her newspaper again and began to 
study the marriage list, 
" Why, good gracious, Georgle,” exclutmed she 
in a few minutes, “Ills brother Is married 1” 
“ What?” said ueorgle, sharply, 
" Me Is, really ! Just listen. • On the 4th Inst., 
at, St. Peter’s Church, ColJlngwood, by the Uev. 
G. Durham, Arthur Day, Esq., Gapt. Gih Fusiliers, 
to Emilio Alice, only child of Hugh Forest of Col- 
llngwood Manor, Yorkshire, Esq." 
She paused almost incredulously. There was a 
dead silence In the room; the clock ticked with 
startling distinctness. Esther, staring at th« 
»uu wiore me nng-ut appear, 
Ab in vision, young companions 
Even now to memory dear. 
Now thp friends of youth appear, 
Full of hope, (hi* hearts best stay, 
Joyful pose ; no thought of sorrow 
In the future clouds their day. 
Early manhood hr lugs a number, 
Like an army in array, 
Like a dream the vision faded 
Leaving stern reality. 
Half a century has scattered. 
Far and wide, of those I know 
Nearly nil, of old acquaintance 
There remain but very few. 
Hint mots’ forms and strangers’ faces, 
Meet me whercso 'ere 1 stray. 
Hill and rock and brooklet only 
Aro the Manic as yeaterduy. 
Far, as yesterday. It soemeth 
When I left them; went alone 
With the world to tight life’s battle 
Far away from friends ami homo. 
Have 1 lost or have I won It? 
Have I conquered in the fray ? 
Or do I return defeated 
Beaten, vanquished, who shall say? 
Not. until the fight is finished 
May he claimed tho victory. 
Not until the great accounting 
Ushers in Eternity. 
PAULINE. 
fConthiucd from pinto 158.J 
“ Peoplo do get bo sadly abused In photo¬ 
graphs!” murmured her mother, apologetically. 
“ I thought It was not very like; but still_. 
Oh! who are you, my dear?” to a little girl who 
hud entered meanwhile, and was shyly passing 
up the room. “Come and speak to me,” con- 
United Mrs. Jcrmyn, In her most Inviting ac¬ 
cents, “ and ” (Inevitable demand) “ tell mo your 
name." 
The child came reluctantly. 
'• Well,” said the lady, with a smile, “ what la 
It ?” 
44 Marianna.” 
“oh! Marianne. And whose llttlo girl aro 
you ! Which of these ladles Is your mamma?” 
“ Htio Is not hero. I havo come with Aunt 
Louisa. Please lot me go to her.” 
"Aunt Louisa? Which is she?” Lady Fluoli 
with her party having reappeared, there was a 
llttlo gathering on tho liearth-rug. 
“Hhe Is behind them,” said the child, readily. 
44 And she looked at mo to come, just now.” 
I hero was no detaining Marianne; and Mrs. 
Jermyn had again to fall back upon her daugli- 
an old-fashioned country 
house lay glowing In the sunshine of a summer 
day. The smooth emerald lawn, dotted with 
spots of mixed scarlet., yellow, purpto andcrlm- 
hoii, stretched away far and wide from tho long 
French windows opening on to It. A damask 
rose-tree was trained all over the wall and round 
t hose windows to a considerable bight. 
A tall ladder, In a very Bhaky position, leant, 
against, a buttress. Perched half-way up, ding- 
ms desperately to it with both hands and looking 
very frightened, was Georgle. Her light muslin 
dress was twisted and fastened firmly round both 
herself and the ladder, and several long festoons 
of flowers and trills hung on the sprays of the 
rose-tree, evidently torn away from the skirt. In 
violent efforts to get free, Hhe seemed in a 
deplorable condition or fright and helplessness on 
her precarious perch. Presently a step Bounded 
on the gravel walk beneath. 
“Esther, do come here!” cried Georgle, not 
daring to turn her head for rear of losing her 
balance. “ My dress is quite fasL to those nails. 
I have been here for nearly half an hour. When 
I stooped to unfasten it, tho ladder shook so that 
I nearly fell off. 1 am so frightened!” 
“Keep quite still, Georgle,” said an unmis¬ 
takable man’s voice; and with one Arm touch the 
ladder was steadied. “ What are you doing up 
GEORGIE CJASTERTON’S LOVERS, 
“Htoop down a little. You cau bo bending over 
the book. Don't you think that your and Minnie’s 
w iin n ^allk^j would make up Into something like 
“ Lady Finch Is speaking to you, mamma.” 
caught at the single moment when she was off 
her guard, Mrs. .Jermyn felt that hers was a cruel 
case. She had been practising smiles and pretty 
speeches tor tho best part of half an hour, and 
after all her semblance of being pleasantly and 
profitably occupied, she had been detected m the 
Indecorum of whispering to her daughter, and 
Lady Finch, evidently with a footing of apology 
tor past neglect, was hoping that she was not 
coM* and bctfk'lnfj her to cornu nearer the flro. 
Arter this she could not, well plead the absorb¬ 
ing hitorostof tho photograph-book. Peopledon’t 
whisper, anct nod, and stare In another direction 
if the mind Is centered on photograpns before 
mem. 
Hho was obliged to rise without, referring to her 
employment—and In rising to show, not more 
alacrity than shn felt, but more than she wished 
miserable afternoon; but there was a glorious 
flic in the old school-room at tbo vicarage. 
Esther Custerton sat on the hearth-rug in front, 
of It, reading the newspaper; Georgle wus at the 
tabic palql log, A sort of frame stood before her, 
on Which were arranged a wild tangle of the 
small tree-ivy, sprays of brambles tinted red by 
(ho frost, a few scraps of moss, and a quantity of 
the bright, purple-black feathers or tho moor- 
fowl. Hhe was copying them with rare delicacy 
and skill, 
“I wish i had a few bluckberrlos,” said sho 
presently. 
“ We could not And any this morning,” returned 
Esther, looking up from her paper. “ it is too 
late for them ; can’t you manage without them ?” 
“ Yes, i think I can," said Georgle, giving a 
few bright touches to the brambles. 
“ 1,ow much do you think tho dealer will give 
you for that picture, ueorgle ?" 
“ I don’t know—two pounds, I hope.” 
“ it’s not half enough -why, It is exquisitely 
dour! l know Mr. Day would get you twice as 
much, if you would let him. Why don’t you 
accept his offer, and allow him to dispose of your 
palutlngs for you iu Loudon ?" 
“1 like to manage rny own affairs, dear,” 
laughed Georgia. “ Besides, It was he who Intrt- 
duoed me to this dealer. Me took a great deal of 
troublo at Urst,; and of course I cannot trouble 
him always with rny concerns.” 
“Of course not,” said Esther, dryly; then, 
alter a short silence—" Georgle, do you remember 
that party at .Starr Mills just two years ago, and 
how you cried over the alpaca dress? You 
would be able to appear got up regardless of ex¬ 
pense now." 
her past discomfiture In the light, of a Jest. “ Mr. 
Fennel Is a parti after your own heart, Aunt 
1 kunUla. Mis attentions were quite unequivocal, 
W'.itc. a charming youug man, I can assure you. 
And lie haa neither eyes nor ears—neither even 
nor car*-tor anybody in tho room, but the one 
tho very particular one, you know. Me has tho 
xavoir fatre to perfection, lie has indeed. And 
that, so few young men have— 
“Charlotte, you make my head ache,” frowned 
her mother, as the mimicry grew too obvious. 
“ You permit no one to speak but yourself.” 
“Oh, don’t say that, mamma, for I was just 
going to toll you all about It. You can have no 
Idea of the efforts I made to gain a little, a very 
little, share of bis attention, but it was of no uso 
Ton my word It wasn’t!” sliding into the Fennel 
voice. “ J don’t, say he is much of a companion, 
you know—1 don’t say that. But still, It Is rather 
a nuisance to have nobody to talk to at all; don’t 
you think so ? I can talk splendidly by myself, if 
1 am only let alone, but It puts one out so when 
there are a lot of people all talking at the samo 
time; especially lr there’s nobody talking to me. 
One can’t exactly go on tulklng to one’s self at a 
party, can one ?” 
Paulino could not but laugh. 
“ confess that was good,” cried Charlotte, in 
her own natural manner, “and it will recom¬ 
pense me tor all I underwent. You know how 
much that was.” 
** What aro you talking about, my dear?” Inter¬ 
posed Mrs. Wyndham, taking all In good part. 
“ 1 don’t quite understand, Mr. Fennel wus not 
rude to you, I hope ? He appeared to me to be 
“Not quite,” returned Georgle, smiling; “wo 
are al ways so poor, and the money Is so wanted 
lor things it, is hard to be without, that, 1 don’t 
tlilok 1 should be any more gorgeously arrayed 
than I was then.” she sighed a little, for tho 
troubles or poverty came home very keenly to 
her, and she knew, though Esther did not, that 
half at least of her poor Utile earnings went Into 
the family exchequer. She would havo cared 
nothing for all the lUtlo trials and allnga of her 
dally life had she had nothing else to bear; but 
for eighteen months she had never seen nor 
heard a word of Captain Day-, and the blank 
-silence was a cruel hardship. Tho constant 
lngly. ° 
“ Yes; that Is,” explained Mr. Day, « ho wants 
to come and bring his wife with him of course.” 
"Well?" queried Georgle, putting one soft 
little hand hushfully Into her husband’s. 
“IL Is lor you to decide, little wife. Bat for 
jour wish 1 should never willingly have spoken 
to him again; and he shall not come here unless 
her husband’s 3houl,der, and looked t 
with shy, trustful eyes. 
“ W hy should they not come, Frank ? 
simply. “ i will give them a welcome." 
Mr, Day took tho fair pure face In his two 
hands, bent down and kissed tho sweet red lips 
and then, drawing her close again, said, laugh¬ 
ingly— 
“ Do you know, sweet wife, I was grievously 
deprived of my rights of courtship? My lady- 
lovo has never even yet told me if she loves me ” 
“ Perhaps she doesn’t,” returned Georglo, sau¬ 
cily. •• Let me go, Frank-1 hear Esther opening 
the window." 
“ Answer then ”—keeping her ffrmly imprisoned. 
said she. 
