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The party took seats a little to the left and rear of the lecturer's

table, and faced the audience The strange lady chatted gaily with the

other three, apparently as unconscious of the azers were innocent of rude intent There were pretty young

women in Plattville; Minnie Briscoe was the prettiest, and, as the local

glass of fashion reflected, "the stylishest"; but this girl was different,

somehow, in a way the critics were puzzled to discover--different, from

the sparkle of her eyes and the crown of her trie

of her snowy duck skirt

Judd Bennett sighed a sigh that was heard in every corner of the rooot up and went out

It had long been a jocose fiction of Mr Martin, as a er of

thirty years' standing, that he and the gifted authoress by his side were

in a state of courtship Now he bent his rugged head toward her to

whisper: "I never thought to see the day you'd have a rival in my

affections Miss Seliny, but yonder looks like it I reckon I'll have to

go up to Ben Tinkle's and buy that fancy vest he's had in stock this last

twelve year or ain;

Miss Seliny?" he drawled "I expect, irls I've heard of 'e and watch me--Fisbee won't have no clear field froer leaned across to speak to Miss Briscoe and her sleeve touched

the left shoulder of the old man with the patriarchal white beard A

entlyarment had touched

"Look at that old Fisbee!" exclaination

"Never be 'n half as spruced up and wide awake in all his life He's

prob'ly got her to listen to him on the decorations of Nineveh--it's my

belief he was there when it was destroyed Well, if I can't cut hi friend of the 'Herald' to do it"