left me;
while soon my log shanty hove in sight, and Huldah met me on the edge
of the clearing, and said, 'I begun to be concerned about you. What!
only one turkey? Well, that is better'n none. The chores are all
done, and supper is waiting.'"

"That was a narrow escape, indeed," said Fabens.

"That makes your bear-chase a clever game o' tag," said Wilson.

"That's a good ending for a hunting-feast," said Mr. Waldron; and the
company drew back from the table, and thanking Aunt Polly for her fine
supper, they all went away to their homes.

V.

JULIA WILMER.

A delightful ride of a single day, and most of the distance on the
rail-way, will carry us now through a grand succession of waving
harvests and verdant woods, of swarming hamlets and splendid towns,
from the Cayuga to the Hudson, and set us down in Cloverdale, whose
lovely homes nestle like a brood of milk-white doves in the covert of
the Rensselaer hills. And then performing a journey of thought a
little more rapid and long, we return to the time of our story,
recalling the year and season, and admit another character to our scene.

We find it a pleasant afternoon for a walk. The blue Indian summer
opens blandly around, and imbibing beauty and gladness through every
sense and pore, we walk a good while, and then turn our steps to the
mansion of the Masons; enjoy a free talk and a cozy cup of tea, and get
a glance at Julia Wilmer.

The Masons have a lower and narrower mansion than they mean to have in
a very few years; and their family grows, and crowds it too much; but
it has a neat appearance, and the elms and maples in front, and the
apples and peaches on the sides and rear, give it pleasant shades and
delicious comforts. And the moral and mental scenery within, has many
lights, and verdures and fruits.

The Masons are very good people. They are honest and industrious; they
often relieve distress; and they have a few fine volumes on the dresser
that most of them know by heart. The principal fault that any one
finds with the Masons is, that they are too exacting in a bargain, too
grasping for money and lands, and expect and demand, too much of their
servants.

Julia Wilmer loves them, for they took her when an orphan, gave her a
comfortable home, and reared her to womanhood with virtue, intelligence
and hope.

And we see that Julia carries a crimson face, and smiling look;
although she stoops considerably, and her long arms and loping