d to me in my life,"
Flossy said, positively.

If she could only have explained to him just what the nature of that
good was! Possibly she might have tried, only there sat her father. Who
could tell when his interest in the _Times_ would cease, and he give
attention to her? Flossy could not understand why she should be so
afraid of her father in this matter; but she was very much afraid.

The talk they had was of that kind known as "small." To Flossy it seemed
exceedingly small, and she did not know how to make it otherwise. She
began to wonder if she and Col. Baker really had any ideas in common;
yet Col. Baker could talk with gentlemen, and talk well. It was simply
the habit of being frippery with the ladies that made his words seem so
foolish to Flossy.

Contrary to her expectation, her brother Charlie suddenly appeared on
the scene; and for a time she was privileged to slip into the
background. Charlie had been to hear the choral, and Col. Baker was very
anxious to know as to its success. You would have supposed them to be
talking about a prima donna concert. At last Charlie turned to Flossy
with the trying question:

"Sis, why didn't you go to the choral? I thought you were coming for
her, Baker. Didn't you tell me so?"

"I came, but was too late. Miss Flossy had already betaken herself to
the First Church."

"So _you_ missed the choral?"

"Well, only part of it. I went for an hour; then I left, and went in
search of your sister, to discover if I could what special attractions
First Church had for her to-night."

Now this fashion of going to one service until he was tired, and then
quietly slipping out in search of something more attractive, was
peculiar to Col. Baker. Flossy had known of his doing it on several
different occasions. The very most that she had thought about it had
been, that it was making one's self very conspicuous. She didn't believe
she would like to do it, even if she were a man. But to-night the action
had taken an irreverent shade that it never had before. She discovered
that she utterly disapproved of it. There seemed to be many things in
Col. Baker that met with her disapproval. Meantime the talk went on.

"Did you find the attraction?" Charlie asked.

Col. Baker shrugged his handsome shoulders.

"I confess I couldn't find it in the sermon. It was one of the Doctor's
sharpest and bluest efforts. That poor man has the dyspepsia, I feel
certain. Seems to me he develops an increas