Cousin Maude

finally in strong hysterics. While in this latter condition Mrs. Kelsey deemed it necessary to summon her brother, to whom she narrated the circumstances of Nellie's illness. To say that the doctor

r that Nellie should be out of the way. So he railed at the innocent Maude, and after exhausting all the maxims which would at al

ke your daughter with me, to stay at least six months, as she needs a change of scene. I can, if necessary, intimate to my friends that she has refused J.

aunt-"I won't have anybody who has first proposed to Maude. I w

e for the blue-eyed Matty, the gentle mother of the offending Maude, and more than all, the mo

er own conscience smote her for having spoken th

as possible, leaving J.C. to awake from his hallucination, which she was sure he would do soon, and follow them to the city. This arrangement seemed wholly satisfactory to al

reakfast, she was surprised to hear from Hannah that Mrs. Kelsey wa

De Vere, and I tell you they're ravin' mad to think you'd cotched him; but I'm glad on't. You desarves him, if anybody. I suppose that t'other chap aint none of your marryin' sort,

was over Maude offered to assist Nellie in packing her trunks

d her cub," as he styled Mrs. Kelsey and her niece, whose coolness was amply atoned for by the bright,

d a little, and asked how long he intended remaining at Laurel Hill, while even Mrs. Kelsey gave him her h

ghtful interview, for old Hannah, in unusually, good spirits, expressed her willingness to see to everything, saying to her young mistress, "You g

hich tend to win and keep a woman's heart, and in listening to his protestations of love Maude forgot all else, and abandoned herself to the belief that she was perfectly happy. Only once did her pulses quicken as they would no

her curiosity was gratified; for scarcely four days were passed wh

, "I do congratulate you upon your choice. Maude Remington is a noble creature-so beautiful, so refined, and withal so pure and good.

of the whole world. But what! Crying, I do believe!" and turning Maude's face to t

ed Maude, "only I am so gl

Maude tore open the note which James had written to her. It seemed so strange to think he wrote it, and Maude trembled vio

ter sent some weeks before. "Perhaps you did not deem it worthy of an answer," he wrote, "but I was sadly disappointed in receiving none, and now that you are really to

dant notes which J.C. made upon the piano, for her whole soul was centered on the words

vering her composure she said aloud, "Wh

lled it to my mind. There is nothing in it of any consequence, I dare say, and had it not been sealed I might, perhaps, have read it, for as the doctor says, `It's a maxim of mine that a wif

ith "Yours respectfully," but she knew he had been true to his promise, and without a suspicion that J.C. had deceived h

dress she found herself standing before the mirror much longer than usua

never called me handsome;" and taking out the note that day received, she read it again, w

owed the letters to him, at the same time explainin

finished reading them, "for now I kn

and in Maude's voice the

to be his wife; but I've sometimes thought that if you had waited the other one would have spoken, for I was almost sure he love

not care for James, she was very glad she was engaged to J.C.! And with reassured confidence in herself she sat down and wrote an answer to that note, a frank

d what was better than all, it was a girl, and the Sunday before was baptized as Maude Matilda Remington Blodgett Hopkins, there being no reason," she said, "why she shouldn't give her child as many names as the Queen of England hitched on to hers, beside that it was not at all likely that she would ever have another, and so she had improved this opportunity, and named her daughter in honor of Maude, Matty, Harry, and her first

; but in reality he was a little chagrined, for five thousand was only half as much as ten. Still his love for Maude was, as yet, stronger than his love for money, and he only

e lovingly than it had ever done before, and her dark eyes filled with tears when he

did not like his manner when speaking of the will, and her heart was heavy all the day. He, on the contrary, was in unusually good spirits. He was not tired of Maude, but he was tired of the monotonous life at Laurel Hill, and when his agent's summons came it found him ready to go. That for which he had visited Laurel Hill had in reality been accomplished. He had secured a wife, not Nellie, but Maude, and determining to do everything

ure," he said, and he ask

s forty now," was the doctor's answer, as he walked away, wondering if the Mau

his suspicion. There was a momentary pang, a thought of the willow-shaded grave where Kate and Matty slep

r friends, he believed, were nearly all dead, and she was alone in the world. Though forty years of age, she was w

hing, as she thought of an elegant woman leaving

nown lady, and she often wondered if they would ever meet. The doctor thought of her, too-thought of her often, and thought of her long, and as his feelings toward her changed, so did his manner soften toward the dark-haired girl who bore her name, and who he began at last to fancy resembled her in more points than one.

iazza, he said, first casting an anxious glance around to make

, and when he drew his chair close to her side, she started up, alarmed. "Sit down-sit down," he whispered; "I want to tell you something, which you must never mention in the world. You certai

to whom?"

door, and assuring himself there was no one there. Then returning to his seat, he told her a strange story of a m

n-he offered her his heart, his hand, his name. But she refused him-scornfully, contemptuously, refused him, and he learned afterward that she had e

senses, and signified her willingness to become my wife-or, that is to say, I have been informed by my sister that she probably would not refuse me a second time. Now, Maude Remington, I have told you this because I must talk with someone, and as I before remarked, you are a girl of sense, and will keep the secret. It is a maxim of mine, when anything is to be done, to do it; so

the fastidious Miss Glendower with those old shabby clothes. She would say No sooner than she did befor

st broadcloth in his store. It seemed a great deal of money to pay, but Maude Remington at his elbow and Maude Glendower in his mind conquered at last, and the new suit was bought, including vest, hat, boots, and all. There is something in handsome clothes very sa

ng quite an amicable understanding, packed them in his trunk,

s right she went back to the kitchen, while Louis, catching at once at her idea, began to cry, an

s powers of persuasion to dry his tears and soothe the pain which every child must feel when first