t
despairing of making her acquaintance when accident threw her in my
way. Directly opposite our house, and just across along green meadow,
was a piece of woods which belonged to Mr. Gilbert, and there, one
afternoon early in May, I saw Nellie. I had seen her there before, but
never dared approach her; and now I divided my time between watching
her and a dense black cloud which had appeared in the west, and was
fast approaching the zenith. I was just thinking how nice it would be
if the rain should drive her to our house for shelter, when patter,
patter came the large drops in my face; thicker and faster they fell,
until it seemed like a perfect deluge; and through the almost blinding
sheet of rain I descried Nellie coming toward me at a furious rate.
With the agility of a fawn she bounded over the gate, and with the
exclamation of, "Ain't I wetter than a drownded rat?" we were
perfectly well acquainted.

It took but a short time to divest her of her dripping garments, and
array her in some of mine, which Sally said "fitted her to a T,"
though I fancied she looked sadly out of place in my linen pantalets
and long-sleeved dress. She was a great lover of fun and frolic, and
in less than half an hour had "ridden to Boston" on Joe's
rocking-horse, turned the little wheel faster than even I dared to
turn it, tried on grandma's stays, and then, as a crowning feat, tried
the rather dangerous experiment of riding down the garret stairs on a
board! The clatter brought up grandma, and I felt some doubts about
her relishing a kind of play which savored so much of what she called
"a racket," but the soft brown eyes which looked at her so pleadingly
were too full of love, gentleness, and mischief to be resisted, and
permission for "one more ride" was given, "provided she'd promise not
to break her neck."

Oh, what fun we had that afternoon! What a big rent she tore in my
gingham frock, and what a "dear, delightful old haunted castle of a
thing" she pronounced our house to be. Darling, darling Nellie! I shut
my eyes and she comes before me again, the same bright beautiful
creature she was when I saw her first, as she was when I saw her for
the last, last time.

It rained until dark, and Nellie, who confidently expected to stay all
night, had whispered to me her intention of "tying our toes together,"
when there came a tremendous rap upon the door, and without waiting to
be bidden in walked Mr. Gilbert, puffing and swelling, and m