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about to depart, l)itt the next instant
clasped the little linml, resting upon his
nrm, tightly within his own.
"Nellie," said he, ns if loth to lenve
without making at least one more cfl'ort
to win, "tell me ns frankly as you have
told me of my faults whether you love
me. You do love mo a little, don't you ?"
"I hope that I may be your friend,
Howard, but do not ask for more than
friendship, or our acquaintance with each
other must be as nothing henceforth."
"Then, farewell, Nellie!"
"Good night, Hownrd! Hut sthy! why
do you say farewell ? Shall I not see you
again before you start for Europe? "
" I shall be engaged to-morrow and may
not have an opportunity to see you, and
day after to-morrow I shall leave this
town and endeavor in foreign climes to
forget my too presumptuous hopes," said
he with tones now as cool and careless as
they had been ardent and impetuous a
moment before.
" But, Howard, you will still be my
friend, will you not?" inquired Miss Nel
lie with some eagerness.
" Love is more easily consigned to ob
livion than transformed into common
friendship," he replied. Then, after vouch
safing a bow as cool as his words, he
timed away and strode down the gravel
walk.
Nellie Raymond watched his receding
form for a moment and then ran up the
steps into the house. Repairing at once
to her room, she seated herself in a low
rocking chair before the window, and
there, with nothing but darkness and soli
tude around her, vented her bitter feel
ings in unrestrained tears.
Two years previous to this time Mr.
Raymond, a respectable dry goods mer
chant, thinking that he might be able
to do better in some smaller place than
the city of Pittsburg, had established
himself in a large retail business nt the
ively town of D . D , although
not a large place, is of considerable note
on account of its excellent academy and
the college which was established here
about a half century ago by the Methodist
church. Mr. Raymond's family was small,
consisting only of his wife and a dangh
ter Nellie, a sweet-faced, genlle-natureil
girl of some sixteen summers, ami posses
sing withal no ordinary amount of com
mon sense and unostentatious accom
plishments. Her hair was dark, and get -
erally combed smoothly back from her
full, intellectual forehead, and then fell
over her shoulders in some half dozen
long glossy curls. Her eyes were dark
hazel. Hut better than her outward
graces and beauty was her warm, sympa
thetic heart within,
"That merry heart tluu could not He
Within It wnrm act quietly;
lint ever from t tint full dark eye
Wiw looking kindly night iiiiu morn."
Now I would not have you presume
from this short sketch of my heroine that
Miss Nellie was by any means angelic. I
suppose she had her little faults the same
as other young ladies. But as I look
back to this early perhK. of her life,
when I first became ncquainlcd with her,
I cannot help thinking that she was a
little better than most other young ladies
of 1113' acquaintance: though I will grant
that this admiration may result from prej
udice in the matter, since J find in this
Miss Nellie a model of fuminality just in
accordance with my own notion and after
my own heart.
Soon after the Raymonds had become
settled in their new home. Miss Nellie
had become acquainted with Howard
McKee, a young senior of 1) college,
ambitious, bold, hih-spiriled, even reck
less. He was of tall and wiry build, had
light auburn hair, and large brilliant blue
eyes. He was a most invincible debater,
a champion boxer, and could outrun and
outvault any man in town. His noble,
manly physique and cultured accomplish
ments gave him everywhere a ready pass
port into good society, while his ardent,
sympathetic nature won friends ns fast as
his keen sarcasm and cutting repartees
made enemies.
A-i