and lie down; you've had too much
excitement for a man of--"

"Oh, you thar, Marm Lucy?" cried the farmer, with a sigh of relief that
was half a chuckle, "Now, thar! you tell Hildy that folks does sometimes
drop in--onexpected-like--folks from a _con_sid'able distance sometimes.
Why, I've known 'em--" But here he stopped suddenly. And as Hilda,
expecting she knew not what, stood with hands clasped together, and
beating heart, the door was thrown open and a strong, cheery voice
cried, "Well, General!" Another moment, and she was clasped in her
father's arms.

THE LAST WORD.

The lovely autumn is gone, and winter is here. Mr. and Mrs. Graham have
long since been settled at home, and Hildegarde is with them. How does
it fare with her, the new Hildegarde, under the old influences and amid
the old surroundings? For answer, let us take the word of her oldest
friend,--the friend who "_knows_ Hildegarde!" Madge Everton has just
finished a long letter to Helen McIvor, who is spending the winter in
Washington, and there can be no harm in our taking a peep into it.

"You ask me about Hilda Graham; but, _alas!_ I have
NOTHING pleasant to tell. My dear, Hilda is simply
LOST to us! It is all the result of that _dreadful_
summer spent among _swineherds_. You know what the Bible
says! I don't know exactly _what_, but something _terrible_
about that sort of thing. Of course it is _partly_ her
mother's influence as well. I have always DREADED
it for Hilda, who is so _sensitive_ to _impressions_. Why, I
remember, as far back as the first year that we were at Mme.
Haut-Ton's, Mrs. Graham saying to Mamma, 'I wish we could
interest our girls a little in _sensible_ things!' My dear,
she meant _hospitals_ and _soup-kitchens_ and things! And
Mamma said (you know Mamma isn't in the _least_ afraid of
Mrs. Graham, though I confess I AM!), 'My _dear_
Mrs. Graham, if there is _one_ thing Society will
NOT tolerate, it is a _sensible_ woman. Our girls
might as well have the small-pox at once, and be done with
it.' Wasn't it _clever_ of Mamma? And Mrs. Graham just
LOOKED at her as if she were a _camel_ from
_Barnum's_.

"Well, poor Hildegarde is sensible enough _now_ to satisfy
_even_ her mother. Ever since she came home from that
_odious_ place, it has been one round of hospitals and
tenement-houses and _sloughs of