CHAPTER XVl.-Contiuued.)
Tbc spontaneous twitch npoo his arm
asaaV Captaiu Philip aware tliat some
thing is bia reply had toadied her.
"If he hod uut left off being a thief,"
he repeated slowly. "But surely he
Wight relase?"
"He might. But isn't It part of our
4uty to hore the beat for oar fellow-crea-turea.
Miss Hayne, and dea any one stand
firmly without baring bad a few fulls? A
confirmed thief la a different thing. But
1 should be Barry to place an obstacle in
the way of the reformation of any man
who had sinner once or even twice. We
4-annot inenaure the temptation any more
than the repentance. The Almighty, who
weigh-, both, will not condemn u for err
ing ro the aide of mercy."
"Tbaak you." replied Evelyn, after a
fmtmv. "Yon are a good man. Captain
I'hilin. and you hare given me something
to think of. The the aervant I spoke
f tells me he baa repented, and perhaps
I am bound to believe him."
"All the fcauio," said Captain Philip to
himself, aa he walked back to Bachelor'
Hail, "you have not deceived me, Evelyn
Itayne. No man servant's peccadilloes
have bad the power to shake your proud
spirit in thin way. It hud something to
4o with Miss Featherstone's marring'-. 1
am sure of that. Can she have met litis
Jaaer Lyle before, and under different
circumstances? It ia hardly probable, lie
la not the sort of man, with hi half-foreign
ways, to be easily forgotten; and
he ia evidently a atrnnger to everybody
about here. And while at Liverpool, liv
ing in obscurity with ber aunt, Rhe was
not in a position to make acquaintances.
Hut there' a a mystery aouiewhere, ttiouli
I haven't got to the bottom of it yet. Hut
If It ia to worry her, or make her unhappy.
I will-I will."
The net t day the smart Featherstone
liveries came gleaming up t''" aT'Miiie,
and Mra. Fc atlierstone, all furbelows,
flounce and flurry, rushed into her pres
ence. Her agitated apK'ii ranee made
Evelyn's heart quake with fear for what
he ight have to uy.
"Oh, my dear girl," she commenced
icitedly. "I have come to take you back
to the Hall with me. Now, no excuses,
Evelyn. I know how busy you are, and
what a lot you have to do; but Agnes is
ill, and I am aure you w ill not refuse to
o to ber, for she ia crying out for you
very moment."
"Agnes ill! Oh, what is the matterr
exclaimed Evelyn, forgetting all about
her interview whh Will Caryll iu her
aaxtely for her favorite friend.
Don't ask me, tny dear, for I'm sure
1 can't tell you, no more than nothing,"
replied Mrs. Featherstoue; "only the
whole bouse ia topsy-turvy, and heaven
....i- i . L.i k-;M haiiiin to tlH net.
lull BUOWB " UrtV wfi . -. ---
and Agues baa locked herself into her bed
room, aud won't come out for ber Aunt
Bopby nor me, nor anybody."
"But why-why?" cried Evelyn, in pnl-
fuild distress.
"Why. all on accoitut of Mr. Jhsimt
l.vle nf course. Actually going hack to
Iuly without any warning or reasonable
excuse, and without fixing any time for
his return. Of course Mr. Featherstone's
ouite put out about it, aud aays the
engagement bad better be broken off alto
gether, and poor Agnea ia in hysterics,
and I feel so ill you might knock me down
with a feather."
'When Kvelyn reached Agnea' room ahe
found the silly little girl aa despairing as
though her lover bad been atretched out
to bia coffin, and ready for the grave,
Sb aobbed in Kvelyu's arms for some
Urn to bitterly aa to be QDlte-UnaWe to
apeak, nd when the paaalonate outburst
bad aaanewhat subaided, ber words were
scarcely coherent.
"But what to all thia terrible fuaa about,
Agnea?" inquired Evelyn, In ber soft,
rich rolce. "Has Mr. I.yle deserted you
for some other woman, or la be so ill that
the doctors have given op all hopes of his
recovery V
"No, do," aobbed Agnes, from the shel
ter of ber friend's bosom; "but be ia go
ing back to Italy at once, and I feel cer
tain I shall never see him again."
"But aurely that is rating your lover's
edelity at a ery low standard, Agnea.
Has Mr. Lyie intimated in any way that
he baa no intention of returning T
"Oh, no. He baa said nothing about
that. Only it is imperative that he should
go away for a while. Nothing that we
4-an say or do will alter bia determination.
And, Evelyn, 1 have a premonition that
"Ytt is forever. Something will happen to
prevent our meeting again. It was too
' good to last No oue is permitted long to
be so happy in this world as 1 have been.
Jasper told paps that the most important
basinets tailed him anroau, ana mat it
was impossible to any how long It might
keep hirn there. That is the miserable
t,art of it."
"Suppose I were to speak to Mr. I.yle,
Agnes? I have a good business head, and
may be able to advise bltu. lie is so ig
norant of English lawi and customs, he
may not be aware that bia business can
tie executed quite aa well by writing as
by word of mouth."
Agnes brightened up Immediately.
' "Oh. yes, Evelyn, do. You always set
everything right.
Evelyn went all round the garden, with
ber brave, firm hand pressed tightly
against her aching heart, before she found
- Mr. I.yle, aud then the faint perfume of
his cigar alone directed her to the seques
tered mat where he bad thrown himself
full length, in the plenlitude of bis disap
pointnient. As her apparition burst upon his view,
Will Caryll sprang from his seat with an
expression almost of fear.
"Eve!" be exclaimed, "1 have kept my
promise; Indeed 1 have, I am going to
leave England again, and forever."
"llusli, Will," she answered warning
ly, "we must learn to address each other
more formally, for some one might over
bear us. You must mske some allowance
for yesterday. You took me by surprise,
and I ike hastily. Agnes Is very, very
dear to me, and I rank her happiness
almve my own. When I thought that you
m-i.olil wreck It I told V0I1 to 0. Now
that I ace that it is bound ap In yonra, 1
tell you to stay, and, from thia moment,
yoit shall I Jasper Lyle to me, and 1
will do my utmost to forget that you
were rrcr-TVIII Caryll.''
lie leafwrt up f betid and tried to seize
Ate band, bwt alir nrMSwtM Hi w
"llemcuiber who you are," she said
"the affianced husband of my friend.
Have I not just warned you that we must
not only forget, but utterly erase the past?
Therein lies your only safety, for I have
spoken of my cousin Will Caryll to Ag
nea, aud a very little want of care might
raise ber suspicions of you. Your future
ia in your ow u hands now. Make it as
noble ai:d free from blame as the paat
should have been."
"EveT' he exclaimed, "how can I thank
you for your generosity your forbear
ance? have always loved you no time,
nor distance, nor silence could tear my
heart or memory from those uuforgotten
days, when "
"Oh, hush, buhh!" she auid, in a voice
of the keenest pain, "never speak of them
again. They are dead aud gone days. The
cousin I knew then has vanished forever.
From thin day, you must be to me Mr.
Jus-r I.yle only, and I to you your wife's
nearest unii most faithful friend. Go to
her, Mr. L lc, go at once, and depend
securely upon me!"
CHAPTER XVII.
Within twelve boms of this interview,
peace and contentment once more reigned
at Featherstone Hall. Mr. I.yle had in
formed his future father-in-law that (in
consideration of Agnes' objection to his
departure) he hud given up the idea of re
visiting Italy (at all events for the pres
ent), and the old man had expressed him
self as well-pleased with his decision.
By the next day, Evelyn heard that her
efforts on Agnes' behalf had Is-en success
ful, and that the wedding day was tixed
for a much curlier date than hail liceu pre
viously intended', anil then she did what
to those who knew her seemed a very
funny thing -alio sent fur her doctor. Now,
during the ten years that she had lived at
Mount Eden, Dr. Wilton had never enter
ed the house on her account, except once
or twice.
When the doctor called she told him
that she wanted u change of scene aud
air, and that her friends, especially the
Featherstones. would uiake such a fuss
about her goiug away that she wanted
Dr. Wilton to give her a certificate that
she requiri! it. The doctor laughingly
complied.
When Evelyn told Captaiu Philip in
confidence, that she was about to leave
home for a time, and wished her depar
ture to lie kept a secret till she was gone,
it would not have been extraordinary,
even on a land agent's part, to have dis
played a little surprise; for, in all the
time that they bad worked together. Miss
Itayne hud never slept a night away from
.Mount Eden before. Yet Captain Philip
diil nothing of the kind. He listened with
respectful attention to all she had to say,
aud then he asked her quietly:
"Shall you remain away till after har
vest r
"Till after harvest?" stammered Eve
lyn, taken aback "I don't know I am
not sure it will depend entirely upon
circumstances,"
Evelyn found her way down to the Cor
nish coast, und settled herself and Anua,
her maid, in a weird-looking house, hang
ing over a cliff at Peiuauce, Bet to work
dctreniinedly to root that image from her
heart, which (more from custom than
from her knowledge of its worth) seemed
to have imbedded itself there. Day after
day she wandered ou the lonely beach, or
sat on the rocks, watching the grand aud
restless ocean now here more grand or
more reatlesa than on the coast of Corn
wall and arguing herself out of any rem
nant of feeling ahe might entertain for
William Caryll. And to a woman of Eve
lyn's temperament this was an easier
task than some might imagine, for she
could not love where she did not esteem.
The marriage of Agnes and Will Ca
ryll was fixed for the tenth of August,
and on that morning Evelyn wandered far
away upon the cliffs, walking fast and
wondering why ber heart ahoud be beat
ing in such an irregular, jerky manner all
the while. She would not look at ber
watch for fear of ascertaining just when
the ceremony was taking place, hut as
she saw the boatmen and lisliernien re
turning from their work, and knew that
it must have struck twelve o'clock, she
threw herself down on the thyme-scented
turg, and dedicated a few tears to the
forever-vanished memory of the paat.
These few tears completed Evelyn's
cure. They watered the grave of her early
attachment, from which the ghost of Will
Caryll, as he had been, never rose again.
Evelyn descended to breakfast on the
following morning, animated and cheer
ful. With the knowledge that Jasper
I.yle and his wife had left Hampshire,
she experienced B great longing to return
to it. Mount Eden, with its fields golden
unto harvest, and its orchards laden with
ripe fruit, appeared fairer in her eyes
than it bad ever done before, and she
knew she should be restless until she was
once more on the spot to sticrinleiid ev
erything. "How w icked I have beeu," she thought
to herself, as she stood st the window of
ber sitting room, aud looked out upon the
foaming waves that dashed incessantly
against the crag-bound coast "how
wrong to cherish such a rebellious spirit
when I have so many mercies and so much
pleasure left to me still. And as for poor
Will, it must be almost pitnishnient
enough for him to see what lie has lost
without making him suffer mure. Cap
tain Philip's advice was sound, and good,
and merciful. How I wish 1 were com
k tent to attain his standard."
Hie finished off her reverie with a deep
sigh, in the malst of which she was star
tled by hearing Anna exclaim, In rather
nil imitated voice -
"If you please, .Miss, Captain Philip is
here, and wants to sik to you."
Evehn came dowu from cloudland at
once. A thousand terrors rushed into her
mind. Mount Eden had leeii destroyed
by fire-her favorite hunter had dropped
down dead burglars had broken Into the
hie bouse, and stolen all her property
anttuinu and everything but the right
thing, combined to make her face turn
aitiv with fright.
"Captain Philip, A mm I What on earth
ran bring Captain riiilip imwn to vorn
wall?"
"Ob. don't look llkt that, miss, please.
It's iiothiinf itarticiilar. you may be aure.
Perhaps the captnlu's come to tell you
xl.r.ni i lie wedding vesteroay.
lake bad hardly known bow glad aha
should Is- to ee Captain Philip again, but
as he entered the room aud advanced to
greet ber, she Hushed to the r.s.ts of her
bair w ith pleasure, an he colored almost
as much as she did.
"Oh. Captain Philip, this is most unci
peeled." she said, as they sbis,k bands;
"and I w as just thinking of you. and dear
old Mount Eden. When did you arrive'"
"I have only just arrived. Miss Bayne.
I have been traveling all night."
She arched her eyebrows.
"Indeed! You have come to tell me
about my darling child's wedding, of
course. Well, how did it go off? Was
everything right, and did you send over
all the white flowers to be found in our
conservatories?"
"I executed all your orders, Miss
Itayne, to the letter. Both the Hall and
tue church were a mass of flowers, and
evcrytody raid It was the prettiest wed
ding that had ever been seen in St. Mary
Ottery. 1 need not tell you that the
bride looked lovely."
"Ah, my sweet Agnes," Interposed Eve
lyn, her eyes over-brimming with tears
of affection; "she could not fsil to do
that."
"And after the breakfast, at which
there were upwards of a hundred guests,
Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Lyle left for Teign
mouth, in Devonshire, where they are to
spend the honeymoon.'
"But, Captain Philip," cried Evelyn,
suddenly laying ber hand upon his arm,
"you did not come all the way dowu here
to tell me this?"
"No, Miss Itayue, I have a graver mo
tive for seeking yon."
"Oh, tell it me quickly, for mercy's sake.
-' uiething is wrong at Mount Eden?"
You are mistaken. Everything at
Mount Edeii is as right as it can be.
Evelyn turned deathly pale.
"It isu't Agues," she muttered "or or
-him."
"No; but It concerns them nearly. Miss
Itayne, you must prepure yourself for a
shock. It is in order to save you as far
as possible that I started off at once to
anticipate the newspapers."
"Tell nie at once," she whispered.
"Mr. Featherstone has left ns."
"Mr. Featherstone! and on his daugh
ter's wedding day! How terrible. Who
will break it to her?"
"I promised Mrs. Featherstone to see
Mrs. I.yle before I returned. I shall go
on to Teignmbuth with as little delay as
possible."
"But, Captain Philip, it must have been
awfully sudden. When did it occur?"
"It was awfully auditen, lie appeared
quite well at the breakfast, but after the
bride and bridegroom bad left the Hall,
he locked himself up in bin room iu order
(as' he said) to answer some important
letters, and by six o'clock it was all over,"
"Heart disease?" said Evelyn, in a low
voice.
"No, Miss Hayue."
"What, then?"
"You will hardly believe It, but he de
stroyed himself."
Evelyn gave vent to a loud ejaculation,
and leaned heavily agaiust the table,
"Are you faint? Shall I call your
maid?" said Captain l'bilip anxiously.
"No, no, I shall be all right in a min
ute," gasped Evelyn with wide-open,
horror stricken eyes. "Destroyed him
self! It is lucredibk'. Mr. Featherstone
destroyed himself! Oh, Captain Philip,'
are you sure you are not mistaken
"I wish I were, Miss Itayne; but It is,
unfortunately, too true. I was the first
persou out of the house that poor Mrs.
Featherstone sent for. I hud not return
ed home half an hour. Of course I went
back at once, and dispatched the carriage
for Dr. Wilton. But it was a mere mat
ter of form. I knew that as aoon as I
saw the corpse. He bad shot himself
right through the braiu. The roof of bis
bead wss blowu off.'
"Ah! Captain Philip, how horrible!
how horrible'." exclaimed Evelyn, closing
her eyes at the sight ber imagination had
conjured up. "But what motive can he
hnve bad for such an act?
"That is about the saddest part of the
story, Mlsa Itayne. Mr. Featherstone
left a letter behind him to explain his mo
tives. It appears that the bank in which
all bis interests were placed has approach
ed a crisis which it cannot possibly tide
over, aud everything will be swamped
with It. Poor Mrs. Featherstone is left
without a farthing, and the Uall (with
the property ou which it standa) ia al
ready mortgaged up to the elbow.
Oh, how selfish, how cruel, bow cow
ardly of him." cried Evelyn, with Sashing
eres, "to leave a ueipiess woman to strug
gle alone against the tide which has over
whelmed himself. If everything is gone,
there was nothing else to lose. Why did
he cast bis courage and his honor after
it? This was the moment to have buck
led on bis armor, and gone to work afresh
to keep bread in the mouth of the wife
wbo was dependent on nim. 1 nave al
waya respected Mr. Featherstone I can
respect him no longer, ilow 1 wisb that
heaven bad taken bim long ago."
"Can you make no allowance. Miss
Itayne, for a weak brain, turned by the
shock of such a discovery?"
"I don't know. I think that trne and
disinterested love would keep the brain
cool ami the courage strong for the sake
of those who trusted to it. Could yon
do such a cowardly thing, under any cir
cumstances, as to take your own life,
Captain Philip?"
"I think not, for I have had more than
one temptation to do so, Miss Itayne. But
neither could you. We possess energy of
character, and an Incentive to action ia
like a trumpet call to arms with us. But
all people are not constituted alike, and
heaven only knows bow our poor Mend
may have struggled aud fought before be
was overcome."
Evelyn went up to her overseer, and
clasped his hand.
"You are a good man, Captain Philip,'
she said, with moist eyes, "and I thank
you for the lessons that you feach me.
CII.APTEU XVIII.
Evelyn had expected that the poor little
bride would return home In a very grave
and melancholy mood, but she was quite
unprepared to see how white ttiul drawn
her face hud become in one snort week
(which should have Uimi so hnppyi, tni to
hear the cry of despair with which she
threw herself Into h. r arms.
"Agnes, Agnes!" she exclaimed, "try to
control yourself for your poor mother's
sake. She has so much to bear, retnom
ber. You have your husband's love to
support you, but she is left alone in the
world. This is the time when you must
prove your affection for her by teaching
her how to be braye.
"Buty Kvelyn," exclaimed Agnes, gating
up Into her friend's face with terror-
tricks eyes, "what does mamma mean
by saying we are bea-iars? Surely papa
vat very rich. - Ho said be should settle
(wait? thoasaad pouuda oa h aj
wedding day. Hball I have to give It Of
to mamma?"
A faint filling of disappointment pass
ed Ihroucli Evelyn's mind. She could not
believe that Agues was mercenary, and
yet, what test had the poor child ever had
till now by which to try the metal that
she was made of? Evelyn would have
kept the news of her father's bankruptcy
from her till after the funeral, but Mrs.
Featherstone hod evidently disclosed it,
and there was no use iu attempting fur
ther deception.
"You can never be a beggar, my dar
ling," she said, as she stroked the girl's
sunny hair; "Mr. Lyle has au income of
big own, and, though it is'small, it is
enough to live upon."
But Agnes pushed the loving hand away
almost brusquely, as she looked up again.
"Three hundred a year!" she exclaimed,
contemptuously. "As if any one could
live upon that!"
Jasper Lyle confessed himself unable to
meet any present expenses. He bad an
ticipated a considerable portion of his
annual allowance to pay for bis wedding
journey.
"Mr. Featherston. told me." be said,
"before ever I proposed for Agnes, that
he was prepared to settle twenty thou
sand pounds on her. He repeated it af
terwards. I never could have afforded to
marry her otherwise, and I consider that
1 have been shamefully taken iu and de
frauded, and any other niau would say
the same."
"That may be, sir," exclaimed Captain
Philip, stepping hastily forward, "but you
must riot, and you shall not, speak of the
late Mr. Featlierstone iu such terms in
the presence of his widow and his daugh
ter and his friends. Whatever your dis
appointment may be, you will please to
keep it to yourself here and now !"
"Thank you, Captain Philip; that is
just what I should have wished to say,"
added Evelyn, for the cruel circumstances
under w hich she had met him again had
rolils"1 her of all nervousness in the pres
ence of her cousin.
(To tie continued.)
A Moment of Peril.
When the Iroimldes, commanded by
Capita Iu afterward Admiral Dahl-
gren, was off Morris Island, South Car
olina, while removing coal from her
bunkers, It was discovered that the ves
sel bad suhUiIulmI a serious Injury from
a Confederate torpedo. It became nec
essary to know to what extent the hull
had !jeen affected externally under the
water.
The diver's boat was brought along
side and the diver descended. It was
low water and the Instant was seized
when the tide ceased to ebb. The diver
went carefully over the part of the bot
tom at the damaged portion, and then
reaching the keel concluded to pass un
der, and now saw that the vessel, in
swinging, would pass close to a slioul
ridge of the sandy bottom, and even
grind Into it. This must Inevitably cut
off the slender and delicate tube widen
conveyed air to him, and also sever the
lines by which, iu case of accident, he
was to be drawn up. Fastened down
by his heavy weights It would be In
stant suffocation.
With all the speed that bis Inctitn
brances permitted, he endeavored to
reach the keel and pass under before It
was too late. The ship was coming
round rapidly; he passed his head and
body, but bi-gan to feel the pressure of
the keel against the soft ooze.
With great effort he succeeded . In
dragging bis limbs and tubes clear, and
the water became a little deeper; but
one arm was so painfully crushed that
It was some days before It was In a
condition to use.
A French Bibliophile.
The late Due d'Aumale was a gen
uine lover of books, and the New York
Tribune, quoting Lady IXlke, has Rome-
thing to tell In this connection: His In
tereat In his famous library at Chan
tllly was far from being confined to a
superficial pleasure In tbelr bindings,
their beauty or their rarity; one could
not lay one's band on a volume In his
superb and Immense library with the
coutents of which he was not to some
extent familiar.
Unless, Indeed, you were specially au
thorized to do so, touching his books
was a temptation that it was wiser to
resist. He had a Jealous sense of their
value, and could be angry with a dar
ing band.
On one occasion, when the glass
doors before the shelves at the end of
the llbrnrv had been unlocked, and
some of his most precious treasures
each In Its own glass case had been
brought forth and opened, I heard hira
cry out peremptorily to a most dlstln
gulBhed French Academician, who had
ventured to handle a volume:
"Put It down, put it down, till I come
to It. They should only be unlocked
one by one as I show them to Lady
Dllke."
" Have Some More."
Doctor Johnson's tongue spared no
body, aud naturally enough, If any one
ever got the better of bltn In a verbal
encounter It was considered a memora
ble victory.
In this spirit a Scotch family cher
ishes an anecdote of his trip to Scot
land. He bad stopped at the house for
a meal, and was helped to the national
dish.
"Doctor Johnson," nnld the hostess,
"what do you think of our Scotch
broth?"
"Madam," was the answer, "In my
opinion It ta only fit for pigs."
"Then have some more." said the
woman.
Blow for a Blow.
Mr. Oldboy Girls are not as
acme now as they were twenty
ago.
Miss Cute Well, are you?
hand
years
Gold and Silver )a ttie Hea.
It U estimated that greater quantities
of gold and silver hare been sunk In the
sea than are now in circulation on
rttrtfl'
Mold lent 1st Hospital.
At tht siege of Meta the French In
the hospital averaged 17,000 man,
ly 10 par Ms, as tt gurUmk.
BEAUTY BLIND
lie Wild: "The clouds hide yonder range.
And doubtless it will ruin to uilit.
Ah. well! 'twill lie a welcome change:
These fields are but a tiresome fi-lit."
fie crushed "-"iieatli his careless feet.
The whiie those dull, blind words he
said,
The clover blooming, dewy sweet.
Where Dawn has made her rosy bed;
Nor heeded how. like thistle-down
From purple blossoms lightly blown,
The mists that veiled the ninuutain crown
O'er all the opal skies were strewn.
-Symposium.
LEARNING A LESSON.
can get along with him.
I'm very sure," said Josce
llnd Darkridge.
"Nobody could get along
with him!" chorused the
t'.iroe other Miss Dark
ridges, In unison.
Uncle Black was the per
sonage of whom they spoke
a crabbed, ill-tempered,
little old man who lived iu
a superb old country seat
among the Catskills.
lie had money to leave,
but his nlecis and, nephews
secretly believed that it would tie a
al easier to 'o to California or dol-
conda, or some of the fabulous places
and dig fortunes out, nug't by nug
get, than to slay at home aud earn them
by making themselves acceptable to an
old gentleman wiio had as many angles
as a rose diamond, and as many prickly
spikes of teniKT as a porcupine.
Naomi Darkridge had tried it first.
Naomi was a soft-voiced, slender girl,
with a head which reminded oue of a
drooping lily.
"No oue can help loving Naomi," said
Mrs. Darkridge, as she kissed ber
daughter good-by.
Hut In three weeks Naomi came back
half frightened out of her wits.
He scolds so dreadfully," said Na
omi. "And he looked at me as the
wolf must have looked at Little Red
Riding Hood. Oh, mamma, I couldn't
stay there, not If I were to be mad.?
richer than Miss Burdett-Coutts her
self."
Magdalena Darkridge went next; but
Magdalema, although a fine, tall girl,
with a Rplrlt of her own, was cowed by
Uncle Black's savage eyes In les-s than
week.
"I'd sooner sweep crossing for a liv
ing," said she, "than be Uncle Black's
ciress."
And so she came home without loss
of time.
Rhoiln Darkridge, iu no wise abashed
bv the successive failures of her sisters,
was the third one to try Black (ininge
and Its possibilities, but she also suc
cumbed before the terrible scourge of
Uncle Black's savage tongue.
It's scold, snarl, snarl, scold, from
morning till night!" said Ithoda, as in
three days' time she tearfully related
her experience to her parents. "Oh,
you don't know nolxsdy can know
what a dreadful man Uncle Black is!"
Oh, hang the old scamp!" said Mr.
Darkrhlge, who was of a free-and-easy
nature, and tbought his girls a great
deal 1oo sweet and nice to be snarled at
by any rich old miser "Let him alone.
My daughters needn't go begglug for
any man's money.
But here Joscelind, the youngest,
tallest and prettiest of the four girls,
spoke up:
"I'll go!" said she.
"You don't know what you are un
dertaking," said Naomi, with a shud
der. He'd wear out a atone," said Mag-
da lenn.
lie's a ghoul!" shuddered Ulioda.
1 can get along with him, I am very
sure, said joncettna, tirigntiy.
And she packed up her little trunk
and went to Black Orange.
It was sunsH a red, flaming suuxet
like one of (Jifford's pictures when she
came up the terraced fllglit of steps that
led to the house. Everything blushed
blood-red In the deep light, and Josee
lind could see how lovely was the
scenery, bow substantial this old gray
house, with Its square towers and semi
circular, colonnaded porch. Uncle
Black sitood ou the steps.
"So you are Joscelind?" said he, sur
veying her with little twinkling eyes,
like glass beads.
"Yes, I am Joscelind," said the
blight -checked girl, giving him a kiss.
"You're late!" said Uncle Black.
"I am late," said Joscelind. "I
thought the old beast of a stage never
would have got here. The horses fairly
crept and the roads w ore horrid."
"It's a dreadful warm day," growled
Uncle Black.
"I'm almost roasted," sighed Joscp
llml. "The whole summer has been Intol
erably warm," said the old gentleman.
"We might as well be In the tropics,
ami' be done with It," retorted Josce
lind, flinging off her shawl-nnd fanning
herself vehemently. ,
Uncle Black gave her the keys that
night, Just ns be had three times before
given thein to her three sisters.
"1 shall expect you to take charge of
the whole establishment," said he.
"The servants are miserable "
"No more than one might expect." In
terrupted Jnneellnd, with a deprecatory
motion of the huind. "Servants are
mere frauds nowadays!"
"Ami iiwthlug goes right about the
place."
"Nothing ever does!" said Joscelind.
Uncle Black eyed her queerly. This
.mis cpilte different from . the deter
mined clieefiilness and systematic good
spirits of her sisters.
At breakfast next Morning Uncle
Black began to scold aa usual.
"Fish again:" said he. "Thia makes
tour morning thia wtak wt'va had
' tab."
6
"I detest fish!" said Joscelind, push
ing away her plate with a grimace.
"And the rolls heavy again!" growl
Umie Black, breaking one open.
"Please give me the plate, Unci
Black." said Jose ellnd, and she rang
the table bell sharply.
Betty, the cook, a stout, good-bun
ored Irish woman, made her appeav
auce.
"Betty," said Miss Darkridge, "be '
gisU as to throw LLese rolls out of lb
window."
Betty stared.
"Do you hear what I tell you?" said
Miss Darkridge, with emphals.
Aud Betty flung the rolls out among
the rosebushes, where they were speed
lly devoured by Cato, the Newfound
land dog, and Rob and Roy, the two;
setters.
"But what am I to eat for breakfast?"
bewailed Uncle Black.
"Crai'kers, of course," said Joscelind.'
"Anything Is better than Imperilling
one's digestion with such stuff as this!
And. Betty, If you send up any more
fish in a month you may consider your
self discharged do you bear?"
"But, my dear, I am rather fond or
fish," put iu the old gentleman.
"tine can't eat fish the whole time,"
said Joscelind, imperiously. "Here,
Betty this coffee isu't lit to drlttkl and
the toast is burned! and you must have
put the cooking butter on the table by
mistake! Let these errors be rectified
at once."
Betty retired with an ominous rustle
on her stillly starched apron.
"My dear," said Uncle Black, appre
hensively, "Betty is a very old servant,
and "
"1 don't care if she Is the age of Me
thuselah," said Joscelind; "nobody can
be expected to put up with such wretch
ed cooking as this!"
"I really think she Is not so bad,
if "
"Oh, pray don't a.jologize for her,
Uncle Black!" said Joscelind. "They
are all shiftless, lazy creatures, who
must be discharged promptly II they
don't do their duties."
Uncle Black began to look fright
ened. He had kept Betty, Sylvia and
old John for ten years. Was It possi
ble that he had scolded at them for ten .
years, omly to have Joscelind Darkridge
uutscold him now?
"I wouldn't be too short with 'em,
my dear, If I were you," he remon
slraled. "Then let them do their duty," said
Joscelind, with the air of an empress.
"We are all mortal," pleaded Uncle
Black.
Uncle Black ate the rest of bis break
fast with but little appetite. ' Sylvia,
the housemaid, was finishing dusrtin;;
his library when he entered It.
"Not through yet!" growled Uncle
Black, the fretwork of wrinkles once
more coining Into his brow.
"Sylvia," said Miss Darkridge, se
verely, "If this happens again I shall
dispense with your services! Look at
that clock! Is this the time of day to
be dawdling about tne rooms with a
broom and duster? Remember Mr.
Black ihx's not pay exorbitant wages to
lie In bed until noon!"
'My d(ar," said Uncle Black, "Syl
via Is generally a very good girl, If "
"Dear uncle," interrupted Joscelind,
pray permit me to be She Judge of
these matters. You have ruled your
household with a slack and indulgent,
hand altogether too long. I shall now
Institute ft reform."
And poor Slyvia had never moved
about so briskly as she did that day.
Old John, the gardener, was not ex
empt from his share of the general tur
moil. Miss Darkridge chanced to hear
iter uncle reproaching the old man for
some fancied neglect in the flower beds,
whose diamonds, ovals and crescents?
of brilliant colors were the pride of his
horticultural heart, and she promptly
i me to his aid.
"Otirdonlng, indeed! Do you call this
gardening? she said. "Uncle Black,
I'm astonished that you keep such a
man as that about the place!"
And the torrent of taunts and re
proaches which she showered upon the
lueklesH head of poor old John was
enough as that Individual observed, "to
make one's flesh creep."
"My niece Is a young lady of spirit
and energy," apologized Mr. Black
when at last Joscelind had gone back to"
the house.
"Verm like you, sir, verra like you!"
said old John, scratching his head.
"Like me!" said Mr. Black, slowly.
And he stood full five minutes, quit
speechless and motionless, staring at
the mossy rim of an ancient sun-dial
half sunk In the velvet grass. And at
the end of five minutes he spoke two
other words, and only two:
"Like-tne!"
"There's no knowln' the ma-sther,
he's that changed," said Betty In tha
kitchen, a week or two later. "He's as
mild as a lamb and as peacoable as a
kitten.
"Sure, Isn't that what the young lady
told us," said Sylvia, "w hen she cnm
down Into the kitchen that first morn
ing after the five was lighted, and told
us she was goiu' to try nu experiment,
we wasn't to mind a word she said,
'cause It was all by contraries? 'He
doesn't know what his temper htm got
to be,' said she, 'and I'm going to show
hi m.' And, bless her sweet heart, her
plan has worked like n charm."
It had, In good Iruth. Uncle Black
was a changed man. And Joscelind
had relapsed Into the original sunshine
of her temper and all the domestic
w heels of p.lack Orange seemed to re
volve on velvet.
I'.ul I'ucle Black look all the credit to
himself, lie never knew Hint Josce
lind had taught him a lesson,
"We can g"i iilmig very nicely," said
he, "now that my niece lias subdued
those little tcmers. of hers."
And Joscelind was his heiress and
darling after all for he will always be
lieve that It was he "who formed her
character- ''-Caaibrldge TrlbUM.