the most friendly manner, as if he was warmth for passionate summer, and of just then aware of her presence. He of mellowed beauty and quiet for sad. dying fered no explanation of his conduct, and autumn. Men will sometimes weary of it naturally puzzled her for sometime after the dull, monotonous routine of life, which, wards, until Mrs. Rixey told her she and alas! often fails to bring them happiness, Charles had fallen into a conversation du- and when disappointment mingles despair ring Evelyn's absence from the room, and in the cup, no wonder they sicken and it happened the report of an engagement turn from every effort, drifting like demons between Dr. Gilmer and herself was men- upon the tide of life, their faces turned not tioned. It happened-that was the way to eternity, but earthwards. I have someMrs. Rixey expressed it-though I strongly times pictured to myself the frenzied look suspect she had herself purposely intro- of terror and alarm, such faces would duced it. She had been thoroughly pro-wear, if nature, touched by their example, voked by the report. She had been great-wearied of her labour and refused to do ly annoyed, too, by Charles' conduct to her work. If she failed to melt her snows, wards Evelyn. Quickly attributing it to and blow her blossoms, and change her his faith in those reports, she set herself seasons. Oh, what bitter complainings.

to explain to his satisfaction their utter would be poured into her ear; how wilwant of foundation. lingly and eagerly we would embrace her motto, which is, "be up and doing, God will prosper."

"I told Charles," she said indignantly, when she was repeating the conversation to Evelyn. "I told Charles I felt really angry with him that he could believe you would accept old Gilmer's fossil remains

of a heart."

CHAPTER VIII.

CONCLUDES THE STORY.

Spring had come to our village like a messenger of gladness. The buds were bursting, the birds were singing, and the wind was soft, warm and wooing, like a lover's breath. With its wake of color and joy, it stole about our homes, and into our very hearts, arousing us from winter's lethargy. Nature's imitators, we come forth in bright colors, with bright hopes for the future. All but Evelyn LochavelPretty Evelyn! I could not think what ailed her these growing spring months,-a vague sadness, like an incurable disease, seemed to possess her.

That must be a sad nature, indeed, which can be unhappy in spring time. When there is so much that is bright and beautiful, to win our thoughts from self, it is hardly possible to turn our eyes within and dwell upon blight and sorrow. With The funniest part of it was, that Evelyn holy eloquence, then, earth pleads the herself could not guess the cause of this cause of hope with her dejected, despair-melancholy. She was not ill, she said, ing children. Watch her making her toilet and she knew, honestly, it was not for the for summer-see how she trails her deli-old dream, for it was a weakness to her cate, scented flowers, on the bleak ground, even to think of that now. It was no and crowds her emerald leaves upon every mere passion, because there was no object. bare, unsightly bough. With gorgeous Not Dr. Gilmer! not Charles-because he drapery, she hides each trace of winter's loved another. This thought was often in cruel desolation, and comes forth in per- her mind in her hours of idleness-she fect beauty, like that she wore when fresh was only dimly conscious that it troubled from her Creator's hand-perfect, save the her. She knew that Sis was a sweet, amione blot which sin has made; all her gorable, likely girl, yet she found herself congeous drapery can not hide that, nor her stantly reasoning, that these things alone oceans of rivers wash out the stain. could not make Charles happy. They Though she tells her age by centuries, she might depart all too soon, and leave her yet does her work with the cheerful alac to him-loveless. Of course she did not rity of youth. She is still full of tearful love him herself! She never once had such ympathy for fickle spring-of anxiety and a thought. Poor, silly Evelyn! What need

had she to trouble herseif for Charles' happiness, if she did not love him?

Mrs. Rixey grew provokingly fidgety about Evelyn, she said she was confining herself too closely with Mattie, and was making herself ill. The Colonel said she was threatened with a low country fever, and this, after all, might have been the most sensible solution of the question.

She raised her eyes to his, they were very near her, liquid and tender, and full of beseeching love. Her hand, calm, soft and passive as a little child's, rested in his, he raised it and pressed it passionately to his lips.

Just then a strong arm parted the boughs about them, and Charles Ruscal stood before them. For one moment he regarded When our village children were going them with a pale, startled look of surprise, out to the woods for a May-day celebration, the next he muttered an apology and was Miss Rixey was anxious that Evelyn should gone. What had he seen?-what did he accompany them, because she thought the believe? Evelyn had started from her exercise and excitement would do her seat. She was standing with clasped good. I don't think Evelyn cared to go, hands, the quick breath coming and going but she was of a gentle spirit, and ever between her parted lips. A sudden conyielded to other's wishes. The affair was sciousness of love love for him, like a not confined to the little ones, we grown mysterious whisper, thrilled every fibre of up children went with them to the green her delicate frame. Dr. Gilmer had risen woods, fresh and bright with sweet odors too and was gazing into her face with and colors. When we were there, Evelyn looked pale, and was silent. I think the noisy mirth of the happy children grated harshly on her ear. Dr. Gilmer was with her, watching her anxiously and tenderly. He said she needed rest and quiet, and he led her from us to an embowered seat, that the sounds of merriment might not reach her until they were mellowed by distance.

an eager, questioning look, In a stern, incredulous tone he asked: "Evelyn, what ails you? is it that he—”

She turned quickly to him, and said tremulously

66

"Oh, let us go! Take me back-I am ill-I must go home."

Silently, he placed her arm in his, and hurried baek. Not another word was spoken. Of course, this little incident interAmid such surrounding, a less imagina-rupted our merriment. Our solicitude was tive man than Dr. Gilmer, would have greatly excited for Evelyn, though I must thought and talked of love. No wonder confess I never saw a better imitation of then, the doctor went back to the old health, than that her flashed, excited face theme, and pleaded with increased pathos, made. We placed her in the carriage and his hopeless love. For awhile Evelyn started off home. All the way, Mrs. Rixey seemed scarce to hear him-with down- was urging her to keep quiet, not to talk cast head, she idly and dreamily picked or excite herself-which was quite unnethe lichen growing upon the shelving rock, upon which she sat. But when the doctor reproached her with her indifference to his misery, she turned to him and told him again of those things for which she would have him live-the fame and glory which a man like him could win. The doctor interrupted her with a petulent gesture, and

said:

"I thought I had already explained to you, that I could never live a persecuted life for the sake of a deified memory. I want somebody to grow old with me and make me happy every day. I am tired of pleasure, I want happiness. O! Evelyn, is there no hope that you can ever love

me?"

cessary, as Evelyn was taking the invalid's
privilege of saying nothing, only gazing
absently out of the window, nothing more.
Calm and passive she seemed to us, though
in reality a wild tumult was raging in her.
bosom. Again she had become the will-
ing dupe of a fancy which could bring her
nothing but misery. It was so much worse
than before, inasmuch as she had given
her heart unasked. But he should never-
never know it-a thousand times she re-
peated to herself never-never.
some consolation to her wounded pride.
It was with secret satisfaction she heard
Mrs. Rixey speak of an engagement Charles
had made for the next evening. By every
means in her power she would seek to

It was

deceive him-silly, silly Evelyn! What, ed quickly in the affirmative. The Colohad Charles seen or heard, that would in- nel did not mean to be severe. He would I duce him to believe she loved him? "See not have said it for any thing in the world, what cowards conscience doth make of us if he had thought it would hurt her. We all." Unfortunately though, Charles spoil- were beginning to suspect Evelyn's secret, ed all her deceptive schemes, by failing to but the Colonel did not. He had a natural make his appearance the next evening. inaptitude for taking hold of anything that Instead of coming, he sent her a bouquet failed to present itself in a purely tangible of flowers, and Mrs. Rixey a note of apol-shape. ogy, which ran as follows:

We were having rather a dull time over

“I trust, my dear madam, that you will the tea table, when the door bell rang out receive my apology, for failing to keep my violently. Evelyn sprang from her chair. engagement to-day. When I accepted "It is Dr. Gilmer," she cried, "I cannot your kind invitation, a previous engage- see him," and hurried from the room. ment to join Miss Childress' party to the Falls, had escaped my memory. As I shall probably be absent some time, I shall not see Miss Lochavel again. Please present the bouquet with my compliments, and say to her, that I hope her future life may be as pleasant as her sojourn here has been to me. You will see from this specimen of my green home, that my poor flowers are sadly in want of kinder care, and more tender training than I can give them, but, like their unhappy owner, they must learn to live and thrive without woman's love and kindness."

What a miserable subterfuge this was on Charles' part-this note. Of course anybody, with a particle of discernment, could see the absurdity of the thing. The idea of his engagement for Niagara, interfering with his engagement for tea! People in love are so ridiculous. I wonder they don't go sometimes and knock their brains out, just from pure want of sense.

We were surprised when Evelyn came down to tea; it was the first time she had left her room since the May-party.

"Evelyn, did you get your flowers?" asked Mrs. Rixey.

"Yes," she answered in an absent, dreamy way.

"Did you see the note?"

"What note?" she asked, then added hastily, as if she had suddenly recalled it to her mind, "oh, yes, I saw the note."

Half an hour after, Mrs. Rixey went up to her room and found her lying insensible. She alarmed the house, and Dr. Gilmer was called into the room. Evelyn was ill, desperately, wretchedly ill; for days and weeks fever coursed madly through her veins, sending the hectic to her cheek, and the fierce unnatural light to her gentle, dreamy eyes. By-and-by, it breathed its poisoned breath upon her brain, then wild, fantastic delirium usurped the seat of reason. Day and night she raved of sights and sounds unseen, unheard by those around her. Dr. Gilmer was her constant, faithful attendant. With his own hand, he proposed and held to her burning lips the draughts which were to allay her fever

he spoke the kind, gentle words which soothed her into quiet from delirious frenzy. Through the long, cheerless nights, he sat by ber bed watching, never abating for one moment his vigilance, but ever ready, with love's eagerness, to anticipate her wants. Once, when Mrs. Rixey was gone from the room, and he was left alone with her for a moment, he rose and took her hand in his-her pale,' wasted hand, frail

and delicate like a sea shell. He held it firmly, and bending to her, asked in a low tone: Evelyn, do you love Charles Ruscal?"

The pulse gave one fearful throb, then was still, as if life had gone out from her. "I'll declare, I shall begin to believe Sternly he repeated his question, gazing those stories about Charley and Sis," said fixedly into her eyes, as if he would comthe Colonel; "he is always with the Chil-pel her confession by the strength of his dresses, and now he is going to follow glance; "Evelyn, do you love him?" them off to the Falls! Looks rather suspicious, don't it Evelyn?"

She turned restlessly on her pillow, then looking into his face with a confiding,

Evelyn winced slightly, but she answer- childlike countenance, she whispered

"Love him. But he shall never, never ful! Alas! her mind was still its slave know it." and ever would be. I am sorry-no not

"Fool! Idiot!" he muttered. "I deserve it all for my baseness. What right had I to confer with her madness and steal her secrets?"

With a groan he turned from her. Throw-sorry either, for I once heard a great and ing himself into a chair, he buried his wise man say, it was ever in such minds, face in his hands. that grand and noble thoughts and deeds had their birth. He said such natures lived in a world above ours, and thus it was they came to have thoughts, and to perform deeds superior to our own member his words with peculiar pleasure, now that I am telling you of Evelyn. I must confess her imagination led to nothing grand,-only an unhappy love. But then she was a poor, weak woman, and like the spreading Banyan, must ever turn back to earth for life and nourishment.

I remember Dr. Gilmer's coming in to see Evelyn one pleasant afternoon, after she begun to sit up, and even to walk about her room a little. He said she was not growing strong fast enough; she should go out on the porch and breathe more freely the glorious mountain air.

"Take my arm," he said; "let me teach you again to walk."

Evelyn said something about being so much trouble to him, but he replied smilingly, "Don't you know the bird that we nurse, is the bird that we love?"

Evelyn continued to talk after Mrs. Rixey returned to the room; repeating assertions of her love. Mary hurried to her and endeavored to hush her into silence. Dr. Gilmer motioned her aside impatiently, saying harshly, "Let her alone. I know." The fever had fled, leaving behind that lassitude and exhaustion, which ever suc. ceeds its unnatural strength and excitement. Slowly Evelyn was creeping back to life. Slowly, as the pale messenger receded, her powers of mind and body resumed their functions. One by one, the events of the past, all save that dark season of delirium, she had no memory of that came back to her. The pain and sick ness of body, and the pain and sickness o heart which preceded it, and through it all like a stream of sweet music, came the memory of Dr. Gilmer's loving care and kindness. He was still there, watching On the porch he sat in silence by her over her so tenderly, yet so sadly it thrill-side, for a time, then suddenly turning to ed her to the very soul. He had come now her, he said: to know he must give her up, he sat for hours indulging in reverie. Speculating upon the time when she should go from him, and imagining what he would be without her. It was a hard lesson he was teaching himself, and every effort only seemed to burn her image deeper into his heart. It is not wonderful that the thought sometimes came into her grateful heart, that it would have been better, far better, to have loved him and made him happy, than again to have thrown her affections to the winds. In her poor, pitiful, weak state, she upbraided herself again and again for her folly. She charged her imagination "I am going away Evelyn," he continuwith a thousand crimes. It was the cause ed, "because I can not be near you and of all the sorrow she had ever known. It not love you. I have tried hard to learn was the Ignis Fatuus which all her life had the lesson-every meeting keeps tremblingled her astray, blinding her to the presently alive that hope, which should have died helps and pleasures, which would, have long ago. You have been candid with me made her life happy. Her mind was free from the first, cruelly candid," he continu. from its thraldom now, and she was thank-ed with a sad smile. "If I had acted the

'Evelyn, I have brought you out here, because I have something to say to you, which I could never say in there-it would suffocate me."

Evelyn raised her eyes with startled surprise, and he continued, not looking at her, but away to the West, where the sun was sinking behind the long line of blue mountains. "I have come to say good by to you. I am going away. I shall never see you again."

An exclamation of sorrow burst from Evelyn, as she raised her questioning eyes to his.

bly touched; tears sprang to his own eyes, and his voice trembled as he tenderly chided her. Nay, Evelyn, do not weep, I would not leave you in tears." More

part of wisdom, or even exhibited ordinary) ing child. Dr. Gilmer seemed inexpressiprudence and discretion, I would at once have abandoned so hopeless an enterprise, but I found it impossible to tear your image from my heart." "Oh! don't go away," pleaded Evelyn calmly and earnestly, he added, "Grieve mournfully.

"You know not what you ask," he said gloomily, then turning to her he continued passionately; "do you think, Evelyn, that I could remain here and see you happy with another? Do you-"

not for my sorrow. You have given me far more than you have taken from me. You found me a selfish, reckless and a wicked man. 1 leave you an altered, and, I trust, a better man. You have pointed out to me the higher duties of life-if I

"What other?" cried Evelyn with a look have not courage to begin them here, beof alarm. "There is no other." lieve me, I shall practice them where I am going."

Forgive me," he said in a low, penitent tone. 66 'Forgive me that I have learned your secret. It was ungenerous, but I have faithfully kept it." The blood rushed to Evelyn's face, as ther word, he left her. she buried it in her hands.

Once more he bent upon her that fond, earnest look, as if he would fasten her image forever in his memory. Without ano

Dr. Gilmer regarded her for a moment with an expression of sad compassion, then continued: "Charles Ruscal loves you. You will be very happy with him." 'Oh, sir, you are mistaken," she began faintly, "he loves an-"

แ

None of us were surprised to see Charley coming in, as soon as Evelyn was strong enough to see company. It was quite touching to see their timid, happy meeting, now that each was conscious of the other's love. I do not know, and I can not tell you what happened at that meet"He loves you," he replied confidently. ing; but I know, that when I saw Charles "He is here, and he has told me so." again, there was a proud and happy look Unconsciously to herself, a look of hap-on his handsome, manly face, and I know piness flashed into Evelyn's face. It was torture to him to see it there, and he turned away saying, in a gloomy tone, "you will be very happy with him. You will forget wanderings were over. It haunted no me. You will never speak of me, except to jest of the simple hearted old bachelor, who allowed himself to be so completely enslaved."

"Dr. Gilmer," she said, reproachfully, "do you think that I have no gratitude, that I could ever come to think and speak thus of one who has been so kind and good to me."

the look of pain has gone from Evelyn's dear, dreamy eyes. I know that her heart was at rest and peace in his love. Its

more, the old dream, weary and bewildered, like a land bird at sea.

I'M GROWING COLD. (An imitation of "I'm growing old." SAXE.)

"Thank you, Evelyn," he said in a tone of gentle sadness. "Think of me, and speak kindly of me sometimes-promise me this. When I am a roving exile, it will be a comfort for me to believe you will. And now, good by," he said, rising from his seat He took both her hands in his, and bending forward, gazed into her face with an expression of deep passionate, unutterable love and sadness. Eve- My growing hate of olden times, lyn's heart beat audibly, her eyes fell beneath his, and bowing her head, she burst into tears, like a frightened, sorrow

My days pass heavily away;

My nights are spent in dreamless sleep; My step is slower every day;

Though my heart is sad, I ne'er weep; I still can do a generous act;

My friends are 'round me, young and old, But still I know it is a fact,

I'm growing cold.

My growing careless of the news,
My growing love of chiming rhymes,
My growing taste for "specie views,"