A Dozen Ways Of Love

art of a great forest. The last of the three lakes is broad, and has but a slow current because of a huge dam which the early Scottish settlers built across its mouth in order

lumber-men, toiling anxiously to bring their huge tree-trunks through the twisting rapids, connected all thoughts of rest and plenty with the peaceful Haven Lake and the town where

e general shop. He was a cheerful soul; and it was owing more to his wife's efforts than his own t

as to the superiority of their daughter in beauty, talent, and amiability, over all other young women far or near. In their broad Scotch fashion they called this da

s quite two days' journey to the south. When she came back from this educating process well grown, healthy, handsome, and, in their eyes, highly a

ven,' chuckled the happy Mr. Reid, 'if ou

ause she had any inherent objection to Governors as sons-in-

ry-aren't they, father?' Eelan spoke with a twinkling smile. She did not choose to explain

t she'll pick and choose,' said the jolly father in a resig

one. She had learnt to keep her father's books in the shop, and had become deft at housework; but there was no prospect of h

won't, and that's all.-But I can tell you, Eelan Reid, that all your looks and you

her to hurry; but I'd be right sorry when I'm getting old not to have some notion where I wa

tfully. Her parents had a vague notion that this manner of expre

nter, dances, and what not; and Eelan was no recluse. Still, she loved the place better than th

ught them from beneath. It was great fun for the school children to scamper out daringly on these floating fields of lumber; and Eelan liked to go with them, and sometimes walk far out alone along the edge of the boom. She would listen to th

ten harness her father's horse to the old family sleigh and drive alone across the lake. She took her snow-shoes with her, and, leaving the horse at some friendly farmhouse, she would tramp into the woods over the trackless snow. The girl would stand still and look up at the solemn pines and listen, awed by their majestic movement and the desolate loveliness all around. At such time, if the

mind seemed wrapped in some learned reverie, to the oblivion of outward things. The schoolmaster lived in the schoolhouse on the bank of the curving river, a bit below the waterfall. He took up his abode there a few months before Eelan Reid came home from school. He had come from somewhere nearer the centres of education-had been imported, so to speak, for the special use of Haven Settlement

nd teach them to spout their poems; but he's not just what I call a man.' This was the

s thirty-six years old, and to see him driving his cow af

herson solemnly. 'To pass examinations is all very well

me so far, they were graciously willing to keep him if he would consent to take a lower salary than that first agreed on. At this the schoolmaster grew very red, and, with much stammering, he managed to make a

argain with him on terms quit

meeting, 'I've only half a respect for a man that can't stand up f

death that he had left his old home, where sad memories were too great a strain upon him, and come farther west. No one else took much notice of him, partly because he took no notice of them. At the ladies' sewing m

replied Mrs. Reid positively; and then in an

he school, as I have done, and fail to observe that the youth of the town are more obedient than formerly. In my opinion, a gentle

Blakely's remark,' said a tim

schoolmaster; like others, she was disappointed in him; but she had not yet decided 'whether,' to use her own phrase, 'he would not, after all, be better than none.' She poised this question in her mind with

d keep the house of her son in another town. She could only tell of her intention two weeks before it was necessary to leave; and very earnestly did the

st folks in town mostly does their own work; there's Mrs. Reid, so rich, just has a woman to do the charing; and Eelan-that's the beauty, you know-makes the pies

lt none, and the difficulty was not an easy one to solve. She made various inquiries among her friends. It was suggested that the master should go to 'the boarding-house,' which was a large barn-like structure, in w

angements of his neat house, and negatived the propos

ful,' and it was suggested that if there was a mess made of it, it would be her fault. The idea was nothing less than that it would be necessary for the master to marry; and it was the gaunt Miss Ann Bla

she said, raising an admonishing finger, as she took

ed Mrs. Sims; 'leastways, if he can't do t

wing in the sitting-room one evening she commenced the subject with a flustered little run of words. 'I'm sure such an amiable man as you are, sir, almost three years I've been in this house and never had

he had heard what she said, but because he was surprised that

nd as for another like myself, of course that's too much to be hoped for.' She did

r-of-fact person, but, as long as a man is a man, the prospec

tremulous excitement, speaking in an argumentative way, as if she had

in surprise again, this time be

d to explain the notion at length before he could at all grasp it, and then she was obliged to urge its necessity for some time before he was willing to consider it. He

e thought of marriage has crossed my mind' (with solemn hesitation). 'I have thought of it before; but I have always

ir,' said his faithful friend, reluctantly obl

a patient sigh; 'and therefore, perhaps it will

ing for tastes; there migh

to find more than one,' s

ter rather easier. It's always been my bel

more than suspected had little to do with the immediate bearing of the subject on

enough-but laws! they'd all make game of you if you were to go a-courting to

hoolmaster again, a

d your house clean and tidy, not to speak of cooking-I make bold to say

lakely?' he as

school so often; you've

id; 'but I have not

ooking, she might not stand on the ceremony of much courting; if you just wrote her one letter, asking her quite modest, and putting in a few remarks about flowers and that sort of thing, as y

with a tone of interes

ly soon die. Her second point was, that no one else would be willing to marry him except Miss Blakely; and her third-although in this matter she expressed herself with some mysterious caution-that Miss Blakely would marry him if asked. Mrs. Sims bridled her head, spoke in lower tones than was her wont, and said that she had the secret of Miss Blakely's partiality from good authority. She sighed; and he heard her murmur over her sewing that the heart was always young. In fact, without saying

s not overmuch time for everything-although, indeed, Mrs. Graham, that goes out charing, might come in and make yo

on who, like himself, had not fared very happily in the world until now, and for whom his love and protection would make a paradise. It did occur to him, occasionally, that the picture he was drawing might not be quite correct, and at those times he would seek Mrs. Sims, and ask a few questions of this oracle by way of adjusting his own ideas to the truth. Poor Mrs. Sims, b

als regular, and no more bother about changements all your life? I'm sure if I w

ate. It is a very important step to take, just be

advantages, too, in having kith and kin, for it's lonesome without when you're old; and just think how beautiful for a wife to

rmured the schoolmaster, 'but

e determined him to write the all-important note. The circumstance was none other than his having a convenient opportunity of sending it; for to him, as to many other unpractical minds, the small difficulties in the way of any action had as great a deter

lain, he had to listen very patiently. They had a dollar-a brown and green paper dollar-which they gave him with an air of solemn importance. They said that they and some of their comrades had been a long way from home gathering saxifrage, and that they had met one of the young ladies of the town. She had her arms full of flowers, and her pocket quite full of moss, so full that she had had to take her purse and handkerchief out and ho

you?' said th

orry, and wants to give it back; so we said that we w

give it to her, just as

we'd done it when we said we hadn't. Or, mother said, if you didn't want to be troubled, perhaps you'd ju

best note-paper-he was fastidious about some things-and wrote a note beginning

name?' he asked, tak

r; Mr. Reid's daughter

air round hand, and then he paused for a moment. H

adam,' and doing his best to follow the many instructions which the faithful Mrs. Sims had given him. It was a curious specimen of literature, in which a truly elegant mind and warm heart were veiled, but not hid

cast, the ideal Miss Blakely faded from his mind; he felt instinctively that she was mythical. He saw clearly that he had forfei

med to greet the sun with the soft dark glances of fawn-eyed water-sprites. The glorious sky, the tender colours of the budding wood, the very dandelions on the untrimmed bank, contrived their hues to accord and rejoice with the laughing water, and the birds swelled out its song. In the rapture of spring and of morning there was no echo of grief; for the unswerving law of nature, moving through the y

gh the budding willow trees that grew by the river-side. He stood awhile under the bending boughs, watching the full stream as it tossed its spray into the lap of the flo

tiful, at least so the schoolmaster thought; perhaps she was the personification of the morning, perhaps she was a wood-nymph-it did not matter much; he felt, in his excitement and exhaustion, that he

er?' she said at last, with a

ammered, wondering

in his own estimation-but it was sent to Miss Blakely, and this was not Miss Blakely. That one letter had so completely

He had but one idea, that was, to keep this radi

and began pulling the young leaves rather roughly-'I am not sure but that I am rather pleased. I

ips gave but indistinct utterance to the words, and his tone wa

rprised, and mother may not be pleased, you know, just at first; but she's good and dear, m

leaves, albeit he saw that she only did so because, in her embarrassment, her fingers worked unconsciously. He came forward

u to be like other men, if you will sometimes read your books to me and explain t

matters myself very well,' he said; '

she drooped her head till

knowledge of what had really happened to his mind. In a marvellously tender way, for a man who could not go a-courting, he put hi

or being so easily won when she had gained the reputa

had their sorrows, as others have. The schoolmaster was man enough

re; but she was glad to get it back. She never forgave Mrs. Sims for having managed her tr

Blakely; and, to my notion, a straightforward woman like you is well