l
never marry Mabel Ross, never."

Mrs. Livingstone was now not only red and fidgety but very angry,
and, in an elevated tone of voice, she said, "I s'pose it's Nellie
Douglass you mean, but if you knew all of her that I do, I reckon----"

Here she paused, insinuating that she could tell something dreadful,
if she would! But John Jr. took no notice of her hints, and when he
got a chance, he replied, "You are quite a Yankee at guessing, for if
Nellie will have me, I surely will have her."

"Marry her, then," retorted his mother--"marry her with all her
poverty, but for heaven's sake, don't give so much encouragement to a
poor defenseless girl."

Wishing Mabel in Guinea, and declaring he'd neither speak to nor look
at her again, if common civilities were construed into encouragement,
John Jr. strode out of the room, determining, as the surest method of
ending the trouble, to go forthwith to Nellie, and in a plain,
straight-forward way make her an offer of himself. With him, to will
was to do, and in about an hour he was descending the long hill which
leads into Frankfort. Unfortunately, Nellie had gone for a few weeks
to Madison, and again mounting Firelock, the young man galloped back,
reaching home just as the family were sitting down to supper. Not
feeling hungry, and wishing to avoid, as long as possible, the sight
of his mother and Mabel, whom he believed were leagued against him,
he repaired to the parlor, whistling loudly, and making much more
noise than was at all necessary.

"If you please, Mr. Livingstone, won't you be a little more quiet,
for my head aches so hard to-night," said a languid voice, from the
depths of the huge easy-chair which stood before the glowing grate.

Glancing toward what he had at first supposed to be a bundle of
shawls, John Jr. saw Mabel Ross, her forehead bandaged up and her
lips white as ashes, while the purple rings about her heavy eyes,
told of the pain she was enduring.

"Thunder!" was John's exclamation, as he strode from the room,
slamming together the door with unusual force.

When Mrs. Livingstone came in from supper, with a cup of hot tea and
a slice of toast for Mabel, she was surprised to find her sobbing
like a child. It did not take long for her to learn the cause, and
then, as well as she could, she soothed her, telling her not to mind
John's freaks--it was his way, and he always had a particular
aversion to sick people, never liking to hear them talk of th