bracing her young laty friendt py mistake.
Goot! Let te chutche dake his tebarture fortwith. Clara and I vill be
charmed and habby, my friendt, to aggompany you. Supliminally
gonsidered, it vill be great stuff!"

IX

IN DARKEST PENNSYLVANIA

The good God gave hands, left and right,
To deal with divers foes in fight;
And eyes He gave all sights to hold;
And limbs for pacings manifold;
Gave tongue to taste both sour and sweet,
Gave gust for salad, fish and meat;
But, Christian Sir, whoe'er thou art,
Trust not thy many-chambered heart!
Give not one bow'r to Blonde, and yet
Retain a room for the Brunette:
Whoever gave each other part,
The devil planned and built the heart!
--_In a Double Locket_.

Clara, Amidon and Blatherwick were on their way to Bellevale. The
professor was in the smoking-car, his daughter and Florian in the
parlor-car. Amidon, his nerves strained to the point of agony, sat
dreading the end of the journey, as one falling from an air-ship might
shrink from the termination of his. Madame le Claire brooded over him
maternally.

"Of course," said Amidon, "this Brassfield must have adopted some
course of behavior toward Miss Waldron, when----"

"You must call her Elizabeth," said Madame le Claire, "and----"

"And what?" he inquired, as she failed to break the pause. "Have you
found out--much--about it--from him?"

"Not so very much," she replied, "only she'll expect such things as
'dearest' and 'darling' at times. And occasionally 'pet' and
'sweetheart'--and 'dearie.' I can't give them all; you must
extemporize a little, can't you?"

"Merciful heaven!" groaned Amidon; "I can't do it!"

"You have," said Madame le Claire; "and more--a good deal more."

"It was that scoundrel Brassfield," said he, in perfect seriousness.
"More? What do you mean by 'more'?"

"Well, sometimes you----"

"He, not I!"

"You, I think we had better say--sometimes, when you were alone, your
arm went about her waist; her head was drawn down upon your bosom; and
with your hand, you turned her face to yours, and----"

"Clara, stop!" Amidon's bashful being was wrung to the sweating-point
as he uttered the cry. "I never could have done it! And do you mean
to say I must now act up to a record of that kind--and with a strange
woman? She--she won't permit it---- Oh, you must be mistaken! How do
you know this?"

Madame le Claire blushed, and seemed to want words