d it impossible to 'love for antiquity's
sake,' and rejected his matrimonial offers accordingly. Still Tom never
repined. His daily experience behind the counter had taught him the useful
lesson, that each applicant does not necessarily always drive a trade, and
the commodity which one rejects may be eagerly sought by another; and
acting on the faith of this philosophy, he lived cheerfully on, cherishing
the hope that even yet some fond heart would beat responsive to his own,
and promise before the competent authority, to 'love, honor and obey' him,
Tom Hardesty.

On a memorable Christmas-eve we enter his little counting-room. A cheerful
fire blazes on the hearth; and at the moment grimalkin is purring on the
rug. Master John, the adopted, is poring over a picture-book, probably an
early edition of Peter Parley's Travels, and Mr. Hardesty is standing
before a broken fragment of looking-glass, diligently brushing his scanty
locks.

'John!' said Mr. Hardesty, turning from the mirror, and looking full at
the boy, 'do I look very old to-night?'

The boy turned up his innocent face, gazed steadily on his master from top
to toe, and answered, 'Sir!'

'Do I look very _old_ to-night, John?'

John scratched his head. 'Not much older than you did this time last
night, Sir.'

'Humph!' said Mr. Hardesty, appealing to the glass, and renewing his
efforts with the brush, while John resumed his reading.

'But, John,' resumed Mr. Hardesty, seating himself beside the boy, 'do you
really think that a middle-aged lady, of right comfortable property, would
have, _could_ have, any rational objection to be called Mrs. Hardesty?'

'I think not, Sir,' replied John, taking up the cat; 'I'm sure you have
been very kind to me and old Tom here, and I know you would be so to her.'

'Very true, John,' said Mr. Hardesty, whose feelings were touched by this
expression of the boy's gratitude; 'but I wish to extend the sphere of my
usefulness; and I may venture to hope--but don't mention it--that in the
course of three or four years, or may-be a little longer, there'll be a
little boy at our house for you to play with; and if it's a girl, John,
you shall marry her when you get old enough. Eh, John! how would you like
_that_?' And the old gentleman chuckled himself into a fit of coughing
that seemed to threaten his longevity, and prevented John's reply to a
suggestion that had never occurred to him as being within the bounds of
the most remote p