ad stairs call out, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you all a
toast, our worthy friend and most gracious host, Mr. Cooper!"

Servants passed glasses of punch to the guests and soon all held their
glasses raised high.

"I pledge them," cried the man on the stairs, and the toast was drunk
with a murmur of cheers.

"Another to our charming hostess!" some one cried, and this also was
drunk.

Then Captain Kent clapped his hands for silence. "Ladies and gentlemen
of Cooperstown," said he, "three of us here have journeyed from New York
City to pay our duty to the fairest maid in all the thirteen states. We
have none like her on Manhattan Island. I give you Mistress Betty
Cosgrove!"

The three young men raised their glasses, the rest followed their
example, and the toast was drunk. Miss Cosgrove blushed the color of the
rose she wore.

One of the young men looked down to find a small boy pulling his sleeve.
"What is it?" he asked.

"Captain Kent's been writing verses to her too," said James Cooper. "He
read them to me in the garden."

"Ho--ho," came the laughing answer. "Good enough." He turned about.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my friend Captain Kent is a poet. He has some
verses in his pocket written to the adorable Mistress Betty. Shall we
hear them?"

"Yes, yes," came a chorus of voices.

It was poor Kent's turn to blush. He looked very uncomfortable. Miss
Cosgrove glanced at him with wide inquiring eyes. He had not expected to
read his poetry in such a setting. He stepped forward, and seizing
little James Cooper under the arms lifted him to a chair.

"Behold," he said, "I should be glad to read the verses, but this
gentleman, Master Cooper, has told me they are poor, and he should know
because he plans to be an author."

The Captain's diversion succeeded. The guests were looking at the boy.

"My son James an author!" exclaimed Mrs. Cooper. "It's the first I've
heard of it!"

"I don't want to," said the boy, very uncomfortable now that he was the
centre of notice. "I want to be a soldier."

"That's right," said his father, "and I hope you may be if ever the
country needs you. Friends, I give you these United States!"

By the time that toast was drunk Captain Kent had drawn Miss Cosgrove
into a little alcove under the stairs and James had stolen out of the
great hall.

James Cooper was a very fortunate boy. His father's house stood in one
of the loveliest reaches of country on the Atlantic coast. Cooperstown