A Good Chance

"And tliia. I am rara, is Lea tac," raid llury MRcGrcror, turnií'g from the prroun of dntightod liíüe nieces, to a qnlet irl with a faoo lik nn artist's ideal, who liad sut all t' e wliilo busily knitting on a bit of Inncy work. 'No, sir," she said, lifting her brown eyes ti mul I y to bis. "I aui ouly the JfOVOVIlCSS." "Well, of course yon are one of thc fainily, so you will shake limuls with tiic. Kitty, can't yon te 11 mo hoi1 na int!?" Mi's Miss Ttle, and her other ñamo is Clara,'1 said Kitty. Ilirry la ■lur'ieil. '■Tiíat is avery fairinfrodu 'tioiv'and liis lin-rci-í very vranuly clispsd tho tiny hand which tHe goveraew shyly gave liiin. "f am Uncln Htrry, and with your pennlssioii, 11 1 sit liero b:ji;' yon uni.il Mr. Mtc aud her sister rotura frona their di ive." So the Btylish-lookíng jrentiemnn snt down on t lie rustic selleo beside tho goveruess, ind waited. She h id "ilcndid evos, for he liad c:iuhta gil, ose oí' thom when she lookeduj); but now she persistemly valled them beneath lon# lashes, ana he could ouly look at tiie profusión of browu hair, which she vrore iu an oíd fiishion, loope.l back in groat waves, and tiisteueil with a coinb, and at. her nioe complexi n and l'aultless protile. 8ho was neiit lui prudent; lie coiikl gee a nice little da ni in thc well-woru white áreas, and her cullá aud coiliu1 were snow white. lie knew very little about Women, for he had been inaking money iu Colorado for eight years, but, 6oinehow, lilis one struck liini as beinsoniethin beyond the ordinary. lie was thinking tliis very busily, and wonderiiijf not a little if Louise Nesbitt, who liad beeu bis ideal of a Little jjirl, had blossomed i lito any sueli a penect rose as this wonianly little crea ture, wlicn therfl was a sound of wheels close at hand, and au opon. barouche drove up and ptwsed. Tliey liad b(!en oxpecting him for maiiy daya, an I, therefore, liis sisteriii-1 iw was ready with her loving (Treeting, and sprang IVoin the carria;e in a mauitei' at once gra 'íul and effecüve. Miss Louise, howover, who aspirad to the title oí i well-bred, indi, i'crent personage, Kit in the carriage uiiLl he turned towards lier. 'j'ni sme this is Louise," he said, lookiug at ihe long, loose, yellow hair, t'alling in uucouüned crinips to her wai.st; it the blue. eyes, aud languid scoruiuj inouth. "1 declare, i liad IbrD,t n iiiitv you did look, and mislook Miss Da e for you." 'Indeed, 1 am il ittercd," she said, look .. . Noi'lIi lJijn;s at tne (hrinking ;. . . i _.i-!. . ..e os i Dioe little body," said Ilarry, io ili i nat know that a wouiftn ■ ii s iy olie ttiiüg and maan another i'.il as cay as sho can draw onagiove. "i have tiiKCii (juiie a fauey to her." 'Jl.re! MissD.de! Ho.d iny l'anand giovus while 1 aiTHiige niy overskirt." Tiie ovBrskirt was in pieriect order, :um ii il h ui ijot beou, tiie house was uut liiiy yard away, aud siie could .i ive waited uu til she reauhed'her owu e lainlvr. Her object was nol tliesim[jlc: urraugiug of an ovei-skirt, but tiie lutniüatiou of tiie pretty girl whoin alle had alinost iorcibly made hor uienial. This llürry MacGregor saw; but wiia uothiu more tiian a darkéuin oí his tino eyes, lie gathered up tiie buiulles iruiii the carriaye aiid wcut up to the house. "Isn't Uncle llarry awful nice and haiiitsoine?" said Ivittie, putting her hand through tuc arm of her governess. "Very," said Clara Dale, with a pretty blush. JN'ovv the wholc aflair lay in a nut ■heil. Louise Nesbitt had made up her miiiil, ycars bei'oie, to niirry llarry MacGregor, wiienever he should take ii illtü iiis head to leave Colorado and come home. lle made a strike aoout that time, and remembering hun as a good loiikiti-, soft-liearled teilow, she luid her piaus witu tlie skill of a diplomatist, and now that he havlcouu she was re.idy to put lliein into exeeution. tilic was channiiig. Ilarry hlmsélf could nol deny that, and he took a sort ofdelight in watchlug lier. Women were nove li ios io iiini, and particular ly ibis kind, wil i fii8shu)88, túrbelo W8, her pietty society, tricKs of liitin her brows, curwiig lier tips, .siia..in her erimps, dropping her eyes, aua Laikuig lul'i'CLed noinelise. But men are by nature more perverse aud tubboril tliau that much uiniscd and quoted animal - tuc niule and Harry was no exceptiou to the rule. 'Wliore are thc littlc ones?" ho cricd in lus bluff, liearty w:iy, when the two ludios cuiuo down in marvelous drestea oí white cainbrie, gtarched, and rafiled, aud tucked, to tlie very extreme of l'asbion, and tluttered into tliüir places at the tuble, like two whiLu birds. "They dine with thelr governcss," said Mrs. Mae. "And i charmlng little thingshe is, too," he said, "and it's a groat iit.y tlr.it, you do uot have her dine with you." t t ■ "1 think I merit an explanation, Mrs. Macüregor." "1 have lioue to give, bevond the fiict that 1 do not longor need your services." , Tliis wassaiil one mórninz in Mrs. MacGregors IteautU'ul chaniber, where the slimmer sim was lyllig in freckled pntches on tho velvet carpet, and the wind just stirring the bells of the lioncysuckle outsido, so that they lillKd the room with tlieir rare fragraiiee. "üually, tielen, Í dou't see why you are bouiiii to account lor your movcaieuts. Miss Dale is cxceedingly presuniptuoiid to tliink of such a tUiu as drmaiKÍilig an explíiiiuion." Miss Dale, litiJo aud timid as sho IKW, tnrnod hor quoeuly litfle heacl ín the direction oí' the hiuighty Louise, and mid, in a rotee siiyularly iinn (mil doeisive : "I am talkinif willi Mrs. MacGregor, and my business lies solely with her." "Irapudence I" 'My sister is right, and for that saine impudcnce, alone, I will dismiss yon. Herc is the ainount duo you. The cardage will be ready to convoy you to the depot in an hour," said Mrs. Une. "Vrhile tliis was go!ng on np-s taire, Harry had beon quietly smoking his ciarar on the bick piazza belovr, and he wils all at once vcry niiich startlod by the smldoii appoarance of Hule Kit tic, who fiow out, all tears and auger. her Saxen caris lyinr in dioortler, and her pre: tv dress all crurnpled and soiled. 'Unclo llarry ! Don'.t you tlunlc that I bid lu the closet between Aunt Louise's and mamma's rooms, oud l'vo beard something dreadftjl." "And what muy that bc?" "Mamma has sent Miss Dalo aw&y, nnd Aunt Loulse gcoldcd her like everything, and said, after sho went out, that she would give her a lesson that would keej) hor ï'roin making lovc to rich gentlemen; and I'm go sorry, I don't know what to do ; and I'H never have anybody else." "Wliere is she? "Wlicrc is Miss Dale?" "Packlng hor tnink, and crying just as hard as ever she eau." Harry HacGrcgor hated injustice to any one, but to uso it to tiiis little, meck-eyed, nnproducted gh-1 seemcd criminal, and tiiero was a very daugerous iiro in his eyes as he arose and went out to the stables. In an hour the carriage was ready, the trunk was borne down and tastencd op behind, and Miss Dalo steppcd in. "Why, Mr. MacGregorI" she cried, as she s.'iw iiim gittius back there, as uuconcerued as though he had buen going lor au ordinary drive. "liush, little girl! Never mind me ;" and James, who was in the secret, mounted the box, and drove hurricdly away. W'hen they had passed the gate, Harry caught both the little eoid hands in hls own. tDid you thiuk I would let you go alone, little girl f "1 dou't know. T am sure you are vcry kind, and " "Clara, dou't talk that way. Icoiild not help being kind to you, becauso I loved you. Ever sílice I lirst s.iw you, I have loved you in my odd, uucultivated way, and when 1 hearu that my sister-in-law had turned you froin her home, I came right here to offer you mine. I'vc just bought a house - a cozy, homelike house as you ever saw, and 1 want you tbr its mistress." "Oh, Mr. MacGregor !" "If you don't come, I shall have to sluit it up, or rent it." "1 - thiuk - l - will - come." When James opened the door at the depot, he had a good chance to wonder ut the changeable nature ot' things; tor, instond of the diseonsolate pair he had lnit in, he let out a couple that might havo boen heirs toall the hap. piu s, in the world, and not look mure i'neert'ul. '1 wonder wliere Harry is?" said Mis. Mac;, a few hours later, when sho had ri'covercd l'rom her oxcitement. '■Vhy, he went away in the carriago witli Miss Dale," said that terrible Kittio; "and do you believe, 1 saw him kiss her just as plain as day." Had a thünderbolt lallen in their muist, it could not have causcd greater dismay thau this announcement extraordinary, but it was well that it came as it did, or llarry's letter, a lew day.s later, would have annihilated tlieiri. As it wa?, they were preparcd lor anything, and therelbi-e ruad the followiug with niartyr-likc re.signation : "Dear Sisteh:- I was quite liurt at the little disturbante bctvveen Clara and yourselt', and, thereibro, did not ask you to our wedding. "Howcvor, now that we are married, I iiopc you will not beslow in making np a friendship. l havo purchascd the house on Fitth Avenue, which you so iiuioh admiri'd, and in two moaths shall be at home. We leave thisuHerïioon for Snratoga. ''Yours. etc, 'II A.EBÏ M ACG RF.COR." And Indifferent Louiso hcroically said : "Well, it was a good chance, and hard to lose, but I suppoeo there aro plenty inora ot' tUetn." The enterpvising manager of a theatre called upon n lammis nrtist and askcd him to paint a drop-sceno for a certain theatro and name his own tenns. ''You have" teen my pictures then?" anked Moissouier. "Oh, ves!" exclaimed the maiiftgor; "but it is your name, your name 1 want; it will draw ruiviis to niy theatro.'' "And how [avga is it you vrish this curtain to ba?" inquh'ea the artist. "Ah! well, wc will tfty fifteen metres by oighiocn." Meissonier look up a pencil, and proceedfd to mako a cnlculatioii. At last lic looked up and said, with imperturbable gravity, "1 havo calculateu, and flud my pioturos are valued at 80,0UU franca per metro. Your curtain, thurefore, will post you ust 2 1 ,6OÜ,üüO l'rnncg. liuttliat is uut ai i. It takes me twelvo nionths to paint twoiily-livo oontimetTOS ot' canvas. It will, theretore, tako me juut one hundred and nincly ycais to finish your curtain. You ghould havo come to mo earlicr, monsieur; 1 am too old lor the undeitaking now. Uooil morniiig.''