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Show Nannie remained behind with her sister and brother-in-law. Sho waited for letters. let-ters. One came that had been written en board the vessel on which Jock had sailed, and then no more no more or any clovr to him. Kannio knew that he was true, and never doubted him. "Jock is dead; Jock Embry is dead," lie said, one day. The next sho put a black ribbon on her bonnet. She wore it when she crossed the ooean with her sister's family. Tho ruddy bhtcksmitU had saved enough to make a home in j America, though there were three rhil-i rhil-i dren by this time, and Nannie Would not part front all sho had in the world. I She used to look over the side of the ! steamer and think of Jock, and how, uo doubt, he looked into the waters and ' thought of her. If she could but have known how ho died, and where, she thought sho should have been happier; but sho felt that that could never lie. All Scottish folk believo a littb in the supernatural, and alio prayed often to see Jock's spirit, bnt in vain. At hist, her feet trod the shore that his had trodden, the earth whore, no doubt, his grave was made. It seemed te N.innio ns though she had come thither to find it. She was pretty, and yet young not 21 -and in this new home of hers many au eye was caught by her fair face. Her brother-in-law lingered in tho city, loth to leave it, making every excuse to stay, and old friends turned up, as it seemed to Xaunie, every day. They dropped in of nn evening to chat of old timus, aud one and another said sweet things to Nannie; site cared for none of them. Tho winter was no time to go on! west, Donald tho blacksmith said, se they spent it in Xew York. lie at hit trado, but taking plenty of holiday, and Aleck Heath, from the old place, as big and brawny as Donald himself, waa always at Kunnio'a side. Ho was well to do for a mechanic; be was not ill looking; ho waa in lwe with her. Hoping to win her before Donald carried his women folka and bairns away, ho did his courting briskly. He offered himself very plainly, once and twi'e and thrice, comforted by Donald'i i opinion that girls said no when they meant yes, and that women wero all idiots; but still Nannie refused him. "I ennna marry you, Aleck," sho said, "for my heart is in the gravo with Jock, and I'll never marry any man, but ' wait until I meet him in heaven." " "The Bible tells you there is no marrying mar-rying there," said Aleck. "Ay, but there is meeting," Nannie answered. Thero was no need of telling him that If sho had never cared for any one else sho would not havo liked him, or hit way of drinking too much whisky, and coming red faced and hot breathed to his wooing. Ho canto thus oil one Sabbath nfter-noon, nfter-noon, when Nannie, nfter a fiiHliion she had, had twisted all her braids aliout the comb JtK-k had carved for her. "That is a pretty comb you wear," said he it wai only an excuse to put out his hand and touch her lovely hair. "A lino comb," said ho. "Let mo look at it." He was fingering it as it set among her braids, aud to bo rid of him sho took it out. "It is tho last gift my poor Jock gave me, Aleck," she said. "Ho carved it. Seo the fine work upon it. He was cunning cun-ning at his trade." Aleck held the comb in his hand as she spoke, and in his. iuloicated condition Jock's name enraged bim. "To tho deuce with Jock and his earring!" earr-ing!" said he, and loused tho comb upon the table violently. Nannie tittered a cry. ) (e had broken it ill halves. Aleck was not sober enough to care for tho mischief he had done: but Nanniu cried over it all night, and to every oiki who came her sister told the story of how Aleck, in his tipsy jealousy, had broken "Nannie's braw comb, and it a token of her sweetheart." At last ono said to her; "Sho can get it mended. There's a man I know of a cripphi that does such work, and he mends anything made of shell or ivory, and he does it well." And then Nannie, with a little hope in her heart, took her poor comb and sought ont the shop. It was toward sunset when she reached it, and entered a tiny corner simp cut from a larger one by a thrifty shoew muker, that he might profit by leasirnr it, and behind the counter sat a man at work, with a pair of crutcln-s leaning against his chair. Nannie stood and watched bis delicate manipulation of a broken fan for hoiiio time before she sjsiko. It reminded bet of Joek'a way of bsndling things. At last she uttered a soft "If joti please,'' mid he turned. Ho looked ut her, sho at him. "God be good to us!" sho gasped. "It is Jock's wraith, or I'm beside myself 1" Then be arose. "Na, Nannie, not tny wraith, but just all there is left of me, my lass," he said. "Yon were living then anil cared no more for me," site cried, "the while I mourned yon!" "I could not come back and bold yon to your promise to Btrong man," be said. "When the accident happened that laid mo on a hospital bed aud made me rise tip a cripple 1 said: 'I will never nee her again. I could riot give her up if 1 did, and it is my duty to do so. If she thinks me dead she'll mourn me aud forget me and marry a better man.'" "You were cruel," said Nannie. "Ob, Jock, what difference could a hurt make to tho woman that loved yon hut ti I make her love you better?' j She held out her hands to him and he i clasped her in his arms. I And V) when Donald took bis wifo to ' the far western farm Nannie stayed be-' be-' hind, for she had married J'ck and wa the happiest little wife in all the world, i Mary Kyle Dallaa iu Fireside Compan THE SHELL COMB. Many years ago, in tho good city of Edinburgh,, a girl and a youth of twenty tat si do by side on two chairs drawn closo to a tablo upon which .burned a lama with a green shade. Ho was carving a comb from a fine piece of tortoise shell: nhe, bet ween intervals in-tervals of noiseless weeping, was watch-, watch-, ing him. The room was in an upper flat of ' Edinburgh, where people lived one above the other long before Americans learned to do so. It was tidy and well furnished, furnish-ed, and there were plenty of books. In the place of honor stood the Bible, aud Scott's works and tho poems of Burns and tho writings of the Ettrick Khepherd were to be seen on the low shelves. By the fire a matronly yonng woman rocked a cradle as sho darned a stocking, aud near her a big man with broad shoulders and red hair and beard was eating a dinner din-ner which had been kept warm in a yellow yel-low bowl. The young people did not seem to heed their presence. Every now and then the girl nestled her head against the youth's shoulder, and he, ' . without ceasing to work, rubbed his i cheek against her hair. j "It is done," bo 6aid, "and tho prettiest pretti-est piece of work I ever finished! Keep it for my sake, lassie, until I come back again; it's all the present I'm like to give you." j "It's a bonny one!" said she. "Oh, if a bonny combl Look at the thistles aud heather on it! They'll wonder where a jwor girl like me got a comb like that. It's worth two pound or three at tho least." "I had tho bit of tortoise shell, and it's just tho work, Nannis," said the youth; "and now the great folk have given up combs, why, poor folk will follow. You'ro not like to wear it; but for a token youll look at it whiles, and say, 'I looked at Jock when he was doing it.' and you'll know every stroke of the tool had love in it." "Oh, Jock!" cried the girl in a sudden passion of grief. "Oh, Jock! I canna liear it, I just canna. Don't go, Jock! Don't, oh, J.x k!" She sat down liesido the table, threw her arms across it, hid her face in them, and sobbed wildly. Tho man who had been eating his dinner arose at this and stepped ont into the middle of the room, a great red bearded Hercnles, with blacksmith black-smith written all over him her brother-in-law, Donald McCoy. "I thought the lass had a bit more sense," said he. "If Jock w&s willing-to sit down and starve with the rest of the comb makers that the quality taking to hairpins has put ont of work, she might have reason to bellow. But he is going away to make a home for her in a new country, where ivery man doesn't follow his father's callin aa ebeep follow the one the other. Hell have a farm in lie ; time. Comb making ia but a finniky : trade anyhow for a big, strong lad. I'm 1 glad I waa not put to it. Change what may. folk must call on the blacksmith, j Fashions can't hort hitn. And whe ' knows but the wife and I may follow when yon write how rich yon and Jock are getting, and how fine it ia over there in America." i But Nannie could only sob: "I don't want Jock to go! I don't want Jock to go and leave me!" ! Men think leisof changingtheirdwell" ing places and lieginning a new life than . women do. The new country, tho farm, presented no at ' rations to Nannie. Sue : preferred t'j-fdd Sue -f the room l- Ui:r! i';e ;.ii!ir;a'.:cr' sb.ip. aia.-ct hr old fri :j ir, K.'u.'.'ourn. But. comb nuiUiiig hsd reared tolea trade by j which a man could win his bread. I Jock Embry tailed for Amnca, and |