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Show A LEAP-YEAR PROPOSAL. ! There was the snusc-st surt of fire in tho p.trlur of the larm house of farmer far-mer Jontsi, wi:o ii v d many miles uway from the city. The lights 01 the ' rperin oitidli-s un the cenler-tabie buriud dimly, and lit ttie al imbt-d- j ded in a luxurious nu-kini,rt'hair, reading all ubout the lioiut. of some noble courtier and his gallantry to a beautitnl lady. Huttie Junes w;s eiyhlf-cn. Pert and pretty, goldi-n curly hair, large blue eye, little dimpk-d handd, and a head tiikd with romantic tdcus. He; great una ou!y ie;tr wan that she would never gtt a husband. This wiis from two facte. Ftrat, slie was too pert, saucy, dignified nnd (some pcoplu Baid) conceited, and that's why the young men were shy and gavo her a wide berth; then, agairj, she had been to boarding school, and had assumed so many city airs that the farmers' sons, in her neighborhood neighbor-hood left eo much out ol place in her society that they rather avoided than sought her. Hence it was that tho young men were shy. At the quiet country church on Sunday tliey scarcely nodded, some smiled, and a few ven lured a word or two. Hattie was the best dressed young lady at all the meetings, fine haled those horrid, conceited gay young men. They were, at best, a act ot coxcombs, society butterflies, aud too loud of wines, lale suppers and no sleep. She never told many peoplo of this. More folks might have imagined im-agined it had they but considered the fact that she preferred country hie and manners, and had not visited the city but once in six mouths, neither had she many caikrs, and no person had ever ventured to say that Hatlie bad a beau, or that she corresponded with anybody but ladies. Still the young men in that vtlley d.ired not venture too nigh. In spite of the many iuvitaliuus extended, they did not trust themselves under Lhe'lire ot her little, busy, chattering tongue. They knew she was rich, handsome, lady-like, a thorough scholar, and plenty of them had seen her at work in tho hay-field, at the wash-tub, in llie dairy and at sewing. And then Hatlie was accomplished in household ailairs. Ever since she was ten years of age she loved Harry Helms, living on the adjoining tarm. Tney never corresponded, corres-ponded, notwithstanding tho fact thai they had been fast friends before the went to school. Htr three years o! seminary life turned her little head somewhat, and she forgot all about writing to anyone. And when she came home the first time, she was so Frenchified thai she hardly knew her old friends. Harry Helms had grown up to be a handsome, athletic young man. He was a lower ol strength in the neighborhood, neigh-borhood, and the idol of all the girls. , Even he was shy, however, of Hcitie, 1 I'is dear friend since chiidnocd. He ,as four years her senior. He had frequently called on her, but only for a very short lime. In fact, lie was about the only visitor al the Pine Hiil farm. On the nijht in question Hettie sal reading and wondering whether Harry Helm would tct back from the city in lime lo call. He had been away three months, and had promised pro-mised to come to her on the night of h-fc return. Not promised to call exactly, ex-actly, but prnmisid to bring several articles she had a-ked him to purchase pur-chase for her, and that she wanted ihem just as soon as lie got home. Tiiat young man wouldn't have mi-(d that engagement fur half the world, but not anoluer foul knew it but himseU. 1 l-Ltie Jones never could have dreatrnd it. He ured his horses up hill ai.d down, aud when the mn faded in the twilight and the shadows deepened into darkness he reached hnrne that very night. One hour afterwards he was knocking knock-ing at the front doorol the Jones farm iiout-o. Two minutes afterwards Hellie was inspecting the articles purchased, and lor a while the parlor table looked like a peddler's hatk. "Beautiful!" she exclaimed. 'T could not have made belter s lections myself." A half hour later ihe victor wanted to leave, but he was prevailed upon lo remain. "Why do you always hurry away from me?" she asked deeply in earnest. earn-est. "It docs seem as if you had for-gulten for-gulten that we were once very good friends, Mr. Helms." "Yes, inee were ! Then you never called me M later; and you were a different person then. Now we are very difleivnt," was the young man's reply, he drew his chair closer In the tire and further away from the cherry checked girl. A thousand odd fancies flilted through her brain at that lime. She knew she deeply loved him, and yet s-he was not understood. Probably the boyish love of years ngo had departed from the strong man in front of her. "Don't you hkn to bo called Mr. Helms? It it will plea.se ynu b.'ltcr I will call you Hurry as I di.l years ago; but then you must take im; out waiting and sing to ma ju.-t as you did then; and you must call mo Hetlyjiist Ihe same an you did when we were little; and you inu.-,t think more of mo than anybody else, just as you did then; and" In the twinkling twin-kling o; an eye iier heart seemed to swell in her throat, she suddenly realized what she was .mying, mid in an instant she turned deathly p lie, swnnniHi iind fainted iiwav in her chair. Her hands were cold as ice, her Hps were blnodlccs, and her .tee white as enow. It was dome lime before wafer revived her, but when alio awoke nhii was in stronger arms than her father's or mother's. She was held there loo, in spite of her weak ellorts lo get away. Harry Helms, that night, understood under-stood Heltie belter than ever before. They were married, and another such a brilliant weedding was never celebrated cele-brated in all that valley. After they hnd been absent on their wedding lour several days, thu loving i little wifo said to her husb.ua!: "Harry; I don't believe we l ver would have been married had it not been for my thoughtless mngiio. 1 made the first love to you, and that's how il. all came about, didn't n?" Her only consolation now is that they are very happy, that it was leap year, and that none, of tho neighbors knew anything about it. |