Alice Wilde: The Raftsman's Daughter. A Forest Romance

ed of his raft. His guest sat upon a wooden settle, as much interested as the others in the proceedings, though his eyes were fixed mostly upon the happy girl, who, with all of

rded her search. There was another package which was all her own, with which she was equally delighted;

you," said the raftsman, maliciously, u

ou, you know," retur

eye upon the bundles, came in on a

tiful presents, Pallas,"

hile," ejaculated that personage, catching sight of the c

father with a smile; the idea of his being an angel

vid, taking a little box containing a gold thimble from his jacket

"Thar's none like masser to tell per-cisely what a person wants a

em handkerchiefs and that dress-pattern and give 'em to Saturn. You can keep the vest and

hisself to deaf. He's a great cross to me, Saturn is," and with a profusion of smiles and thanks she carried off he

he calico. "It's four yeer, come nex' monf, since we went to dat meetin' down de riber. I declar' it's jes

remarked her spouse, looking down at the imm

r anybody else dar'," returned Pallas, giving way, by mer

?" inquir

know. My! my!"-hopeless

cking up courage at the sight of his new rig, "me

on quick, den, and

ed, Pallas took the calic

, in a low voice, "dat t

a'

"And when I've a sense, it allers comes to suthin'-it never fails. I haven't had such feelin's since miss

ndom, lost in the study of his

, wid all de serbents and de silber-never tought I cud come to dis-but I promised missus, when she died, I'd stan' by her chile, and I shall stand by her, long as der's any bref left in dis ole body-bress her! She's growing up jes' as han'some as ever her mudder was, and she's got her ways; and as for manners-hi! hi! folks might larf at the idea of ole Pallas learnin' manners to her missus, but dar ain't nobody knows better how table ought to be set and sarbed, and

he greater portion of Pallas' "settin'-room," off her kitchen, she stole out to the corner of the house to "spy out the land," in Bible language, which, to her, sheltered the deed from op

he young stranger was telling some story of foreign adventure, his fine face and animated gestures showing well in the pure light, while the old raftsman smoked his pipe to keep away musquitoes, a

to herself. "Masser don't know 'em, root and branch, as well as I do, else he'd see it right away. How that picka

elm on the bank; and not being afraid of any thing but "gosstesses" and "sperits," she went back

lding 'at'll las' him his lifetime." But she had no opportunity of venting her indignation, as the form, whosever it was, s

is yere ribber looks lubly as de stream of life dat's flowin' round de streets ob Paradise, to-night;" and the good old cre

'-doors," she reflected, shaking her yellow turban su

ack a little wa