Making Hay

Maud Muller on liiafly a snmmer day. Kaked llie meadow aweet wiili hay. Whittieb. Paul Clifford stood leaning nn bis rfike vvith half shut eyea and dreamy air, lietening to the trilla of a hubolink that, pen bed on tho topmoat branch of u Mwuying elm iicoss the meadow, was ülling the mormng air witli brilliant fia.sbee oí sous; in a hundred different todgtie. Paul had tho soul of a true poet, and what with tlio cleur June air, the smcll of new roown clover and blies, the flash of the undried dew on the tree and gias?, tlie ricb hüd ig, and the n:euio y oí a pair of bright brown eve he Eiad een that moruing, he had so lar lost biiiiself that he was wholly tinconseious of the neighborhood of any human being, utitil a olear round voice at his elbow syllablt-d forth in a peremptory tono : " Let me have that rake; I'm going to maUe hay.'' Paul opened Lis eycs very wide, and tuined round very quick, to find hi:Tiself lookiwg do.vvn iuto the very eyes he had been dreaming about, and as he look a survey of fhejr owoer, ho saw what he had before failed to note, that the face to n hich those "soul windows' belonged, was a pretty face, would have been vtry yretty but lor au expression of ecorntul indifference, aluiost supercil ouíí, that lurkod in every feature, from the cutis that clustered on the white temf les, to the arched upper lip aud dimpled chin. He comprehended her thought, yes, her hole character at a single glance, as he saw her looking with an unconcealed sneer at his ciarse shoes, and he sinilea to t hink what a mintake fhe had made in spoilinc po fair a face to ko poor a purpose, and made a quiet little repolve, She repeated her comtnand, aud even more crnnnaridingly, added, " Are vou irightened ? one might thiuk so from tli o wuy you stare I" " Not at all frightened, thank you ; but 1 half thought the bobolink had stopped singing and gone to talking. rhiw rake is to.) heavy for you ; I wil! bi ing a lighter one ;" and just giving a glance at her to see tha-t the lock c suorn had changed to one of surprise he tutned away. Nellie iMoore feit, as a Yankee wonk sav, ii ittle quoer. 8ha wonld as soera have expected a compliment from one ol the colts over in the pasture, as from Uric-lc Ben'.s hired m n, wliom she had scaicely deigned to nntiee at breakfast time, when sid únele intror;iced him in his pliiin way - " Niece Ellen, this a Paul ClifTord, our hired man." She had not given him even asecond glauco, feêling hej-eelf almost insnlted by being brought d'iwn to what sho mentaliy denominated a vulgar level with country pyrvants, and here lic hnd returned her the vi ry prettiest compliment she had ever received, tilbeit pieity oayings and flátteries were not new to her ; her littlo hefld had been nearly turned by thern last winter, for last winter Nellio 'caine out," and was th? balie p ir ex i cellenco of a very select set. She wat I tiow on a visil to her urcle's ia the ( country, to recover her heulth. I Wel!, thcre sho stood wiiiting, and 1 wondi i'ing, and wheu sho auw bim i ing öhe said to herselt "!et us see what 1 manner of man this Sir Ruslio íb who talks poetry to me;" and to her ' prit-e she saw tbut he had the bearing i of a pérfeot gentleman, despite the blue : verulls and smock frock, and as he i rew nearer, Burpiise deepened, for she was sure sho never saw a handsomer ace than that under the shilling palm eaf that was pustied back irom the road white brow, whiter by contrast wilh the brouzed eheek and bearded P" I wish I had stayed at the house ; ie must think mo b: ld," she said to herelf; then tossing her head halfangrily, but what do I cure vvhat sush ft specinen thhiK.s of me," and she teil to pating ihe fallen grasa with her boot toe, ïardly luoking up wheu Paul handed ïer the rake. He went on with; his vork, and she tried to go on with her's, jut sornehow things did not go just as he expected ; she pushed as much hay jack as she drew toward her, and her lands did not eeuin to be in the ight place on tlie handle. She thought lie would never ask him to show her, ut belore she was awars of itshe calld out, "Why didn't you biing me a )etier rako ? this does not do wel! at 11." Hy turned with a smile and said, Ah, what is the matter with the uke ?" "Why, it doesn't make the grass ome up all isniooth, as yours does ; seo." His sniile was a littie broader as he said, "I'ardon me, Imt 1 hardly think the niku i.-i n f;-.ult ; let me show you - take hold iu this way." She watched him awhile - "There, thauk you, I can do it now, I think," and ?he took the ruke again ; but t was growing ra'.her warm, and she concluded she had done enough for the tirst time ; so gntheiing up her ar'nslnl of dover and lillies, she went over under the old elm tree, and sat down to make uhuge bouquet for the brouzo pitcher on the rnantle piece in Auut Nancy's "spare room," and watch PüuI at his wolk ; wondering huw it happened that he knew how to speak so properly, yes, even politely, when he had probably never seen a city. So she went on wuaviug flowers and fancies, until ihe shrill blaet of the dinner horn aroused her froni her rêverie, in which pavemeiits and clover fiulds, ball-rooms and fannhnusus, Leon Howard and Paul Clifford, were Btrangely blended and comm ngled. After supper he was mipsing - in his room writiiig, aunt Nancy said ; and so it was duy alter day, until days he caine Sveeki, und Nellio began to tliink be might itfturd tri be civil at lenst, althoogh she could noc teil an uncivil thirig he had ever said or done - on the oontrary he htd been very polite, very deferential, perf'eutly gentlem inly at ai! times, but blie had got the irnprepsion that he did nbt cousider her worthy of much atteution, and with a vtouiíin's caprice she resolved that Mr. Pau] (Jhtfoi'd shoulil see that she was a youug lady of soiue inportance, and fcirthwith set about ruaking herself very tigreeable, where sho had hitherto been quite Hupremely indilferent, and with good effect, for sho soon had the satis factinn of feeing him devote an hour that had hitherto been given to the sochipión of his room to her. Nelliu, for awhile, feit inclined to hiugh "( n the sly," at what she snpposed to bu an assuni;jtiin of dignity and learniog, but all unconsciously to lierpelf Hhe grevv deeply iutarested in hitn qs their tcquaintanoe progressed, atid she found that it was not assuined tlnit he waR educaed - ''alniost ready for college," he told her incidentally one eveniDg. SeeiDg her look of surpriso, he said : "Yon think roe a vain dreamer, Miss Moore, but I ara not, as you shall seo." Theo ho told her a story of wrong, and tiuiferiog, and ntnii_rgle, such as she had nevr heard - told her hovv, by his own unaideil exertions, he had clntibed over almost iiKsurmoir'tublo olistructions, so far up the hïll of life, and that he was vet far enough from the mark he had set. She d d not ask hiji what that was : did Mot ioqnire as to his plans ior the future; she was thinking what a grand noble, htroic Hfe such a one mnst be, and draw ing mental compaiisons between it and sonie others she ; and that night when flie received n letter frorn Leon Howard, tendering hfr his heirt, and ten thousand n ycar, phe t-at down and wrote a very deoided refusal, without reforonee 1o"p:tpa." Nel He had 'earned a good lesson ; her views ol life had enlarged ; s'ne was beginning to think that her own lifa had been miserably poor, weak, and uselcss ; , albeit nhe had always been acoouijted a worlhy young lady, a cl ntiful daughter - but lo think what fhe might hare been, with her opportnniiies ! And Leon Howard, whom she had oonsideied so nearly perfect ! "who wallzed and sung so divinilv" - fangh! "A jewel ed inass of imllinery," was all the term stie now found fit for him. 8ho took up his dainty litlle letter, "smelling of muwk and insolence," and read it ügain vi;h conteniptiious curl of the lip - ' Marrv him, no, she wonld never mar ry." She would live a life that would put to shanio uil her past vanitie? - live a lifo to be proud of - do something good and great, eho hardly kn-ew wliat. Yes Nellie had learnod a good lesson ; Paul meaDt she shonld. Beneath the crust ot conventionality and pamnered vanity pmsented to bis gaze, ho saw tbo po.".uilility of a grand woman ; Uö dementlt th-i coquettif'h light of fhnt bio vn eyo ho disoerned a deep, unwakened fire that might be kindled into üii curnest flame to light and wurm noble deeds, and he resolved thnt his should be the influence that should develop a " perfect vvornnn nobly plunned," from the giddy young oity belle, who h:id never had huif a dozun thoughts on a graver subjoct than a ball room or opera. Nelüt! was progressing wondorfnlly in the pood graces of aunt Nuncy ; fho had churued ever so nmny liines, nd believed sho could inake cheose, eo she wrote to her mother; and her cheeks were as red as any farmer's daughter's, and her hnnds ag an onk lenf in auturan. " When vvaa she comin borne ?" " Not until all the nuta oud apples wer.e gatherod," she nnsvvered. She could not bear to thinfe of the hot city, with its filth, and sin, and shame ; fts flaunting u.isery and gilded vice. She thouarht she could never be contenten to stav there again, since she had lenrned how pure and uncorrupted the couutrV was. 'October with her hair aflame, Flushed brow and mrple finger tips, Across the outhern orchards catne, And touched the applea with lier lips."