330 
THE LADIES' FLORAL CABINET. 
a proposition and a request to make of you,” began 
Max. ‘ ‘ I wish to purchase the northern half of your 
estate, which, as you know is only partly under cultiva¬ 
tion—and—I wish your permission to address your 
daughter.” 
Col. Wallingford grasped his companion warmly by 
the hand; “My dear young friend, to the request I say 
most cordially, ‘yes, and God bless you;’ if she loves 
you, you will win a true and faithful heart, but I shall 
miss her sorely—sorely,” and the sad lines around his 
mouth deepened as he spoke. “ As to the proposition 
to sell, I had not thought of it, but perhaps it would be 
a good thing;” and then the two men entered into a 
serious business consultation that lasted till dinner¬ 
time. After dinner, Max and the children went off on 
a final “crabbing” expedition, for “deviledcrabs” was 
Max’s favorite dish, and no one could prepare them quite 
equal to Aunt Sally. Fannie was busy mending and 
packing for her brother, and our little June was left 
quite to her own devices; so, going down to the shore 
she stepped into her boat and braced herself for a steady 
pull. Twenty minutes’ vigorous rowing brought her to 
one of her famous retreats. A partially up-rooted tree 
spread its branches far out over the water and beneath 
them was a shady bower, where often June came in her 
thoughtful moods. She fastened the boat to a swaying 
branch, and took off her hat to let the breeze cool her 
flushed face. How quiet and lovely everything was! 
The steep bank above her was clothed with a rank growth 
of Ferns and creeping vines; the just turning tide rip¬ 
pled with a faint and restful sound against the round, 
wet pebbles on the shore. 
Long she sat there, dabbling her hand idly in the 
water, a torn fragment of paper in her lap. In looking 
over some daily papers that morning some fugitive lines 
had caught her attention, and something in their broken 
pathos appealing to her own sad little heart, she had 
torn them out hastily and carried them with her to tins 
safe retreat; she was murmuring the words in a dreamy 
undertone— 
“ So this is the end of it all— 
The end of my dreams and fancies; 
Only a word and a smile— 
Only some tender glances. 
How much, ah! how much I love him, 
Only my heart can say; 
I sit here a silent captive 
While the conqueror rides away !” 
“ So I will just go back to my work, 
To my little household cares, 
That never make any show, 
After awhile, perhaps, to my prayers. 
For the rest, on the sunny paths 
We two have trodden together, 
My feet shall fall as light 
As though my heart were a feather,’' 
“ And not a woman’s heart 
Prone to weep and to break - ” 
With one despairing sob, June buried her face in her 
hands, and the salt tears mingled with the briny waters 
below. 
The fair, unclouded afternoon was drawing to a close 
before June, spent with her weary struggle, turned her 
little boat toward home. But the tide was coming in 
full and strong, and a long and tiresome task was before 
the spiritless girl. Early dusk bad fallen when the 
boat-keel grated on the welcome sand, and the faint 
tinkle of the tea-bell sounded in the distance. A tall 
figure stood in the twilight ready to make fast the boat, 
and to help out its quiet passenger. It was Max. 
“ Seems to me it is rather late for young ladies to be 
out in row-boats alone. I’ve been waiting for you with 
the greatest impatience for over an hour.” Then very 
gravely, “Will you walk up the beach with me for a 
few minutes, I want to ask you a question.” “Didn’t 
the tea-bell ring just now?” said June, hastily building 
up one more little barrier between herself and her fate. 
“Yes, it rang,” said Max a little savagely, “ and there 
will be a dozen people there, and I cannot ask you this 
question before them all. Come, June, please,” he said 
so pleadingly, that she followed him without a word. 
Drawing her hand within his arm he paced on rapidly 
for a few minutes, then facing her suddenly, he said, 
“ When a man’s heart is full, he can’t waste time look¬ 
ing for fine words. June, I love you with all my 
heart and soul; can you, do you care for me ? Will you 
be my wife ?” It was a curious silence that followed, 
but Max, with his arm around the slender figure so near 
him, seemed perfectly satisfied. At last he found the 
use of his voice once more; “What a precious lot of 
time I’ve been wasting lately (June privately thought so 
so too), but my love, you were such a baffling little 
witch, that I could not be sure. Not a glance, not a 
quiver of an eyelash, to tell me that you cared for me. 
And so I put off my confession from day to day, think¬ 
ing if I had to lose you, I could bear it better away 
from you, than here. But O ! my darling one, I have 
not lost you, but won you for my very own!” Another 
mysterious silence, in which 
“ The beating of their own hearts 
Was all the sound they heard,” 
then slowly they climbed the bank to the pleasant 
lighted house, and made their appearance soon after at 
the supper table. “ Muffins are gone and tea’s cold,” 
sang Tom encouragingly from the end of the table. 
“ Dey is, is dey?” grunted Aunt Sally, depositing a 
smoking plate of muffins before Max’s plate, and a 
fresh pot of tea on the tray; “ole Aunt Sally do’n’ let 
no hungry folkses leave dis table.” Out in the kitchen 
she thus communed with herself—“’Pears lak, dough 
I’se bin havin’ yeyes in de back ob my head for some 
time, I ain’t hed nuthin’ wuth seein’twel dis yer blessed 
nigbt. But praise de Lord! I’se bleedg to belieb dat 
Missy June done foun’ somebody at las’, w’ut’ll take 
better car’ ob her dan ol’ Aunt Sally husse’f. ” 
That evening the engagement was formally announced, 
much to the joy and happiness of every one. The rest 
is soon told. Max bought half the estate at a price so 
generous that the mortgage was lifted, and Col. Wal¬ 
lingford was set fairly on his feet once more; immedi¬ 
ately improvements on the new purchase began, and a 
handsome residence was built. 
The next February there was a quiet wedding at the 
old homestead, with plenty of genuine orange blossoms, 
and shortly after, Max, his bride, and his beloved sister 
took possession of the beautiful new home. June was 
still so near that it hardly seemed like a separation to 
her proud and happy father. Once more kind fortune 
smiled on his business ventures, but the “Experiment” 
was not abandoned, for to it he felt his success was due. 
Louise. 
Altamonte, Fla. 
