Show MACKEYS THREE sweethearts though I 1 am I 1 suppose an old maid I 1 take much interest in other peu lore my friends know and humor this liello and consequently in the course of twenty years or so 1 havo collected 1 largo number of love stories they aro of nil kinds sad joyful touching absurd sentimental or eccentric but perhaps the oddest of them all is the one I 1 am about to relate tho reasons which decided me to spend a twelvemonth in a certain little village unknown to common ken need not bo entered into here I 1 had a cottage to myself and buo ouo maidservant maid servant by hanm mary Dutli ic and what a pretty creature she was with her hailand big gray eyes and tall figure it ws a real pleasure to her at her work in her spotless lilac gown and tucked un sleeves and to watch alio fascinating unconscious grace with which did the simplest tiling I 1 am afraid I 1 spoiled that girl she was engaged to leslie i farmer fl son who nearly worried tho life out of her by his jealousy for which I 1 suspect ho had sometimes causo tho two quarreled nearly every sabbath but always boado it up ngaio in iho course of the week so that I 1 was bv no means alion mary no one itcy hint alio laiu broken oil with jem leslie forever but very much astonished indeed to hear 1 few weeks later that she had promised herself to mackay well mary I 1 said to her 1 I do not wish to intermeddle with love affairs but I 1 must say that I 1 think jem tho better man of the two but alary tossed her pretty licad and remarked with reference to her rejected lover that eho was weary 0 alio creatures havers an had aist bauld him that be fash himself abbot horony mair for she cud oan tak care 0 nain acl mackay sho told me was to start for n well to do uncle having found a good t illation for him there 1 knew something of mr as he was my landlords only son iio was a tall handsome young fellow with a licad as his father used to say but an ail too susceptible heart A pretty faco captivated him directly liis attachments were generally more violent than lasting I 1 had made up my mind that lio would marry jeaneo a hand ionio enough lassie angood and nn heiress in a small way but jennie had left live or tit months ago for london to visit an infirm aunt and now peter was engaged to mary duthie I 1 WAS vexed about the whole au nir especially as I 1 sympathized sympathised with poor jem leslie yet certainly it was no concern of I 1 donot think that mary over received any love letters from aberdeen it was not the fashion in her village in those days for lovers to correspond but she wore round her neck half of alio sixpence which had broken with her so that I 1 began to bo quite in despair for my favorite jem hut after months or so from departure for aberdeen boine little incidents occurred which up eliat young man in his truo light the first of these was alio return of jeaneo from london and a visit paid by her to her told acquaintance mary duthil tho two girls had not been together more than 1 of an hour when sounds of violent weeping proceeded from tho kitchen hastening in to sec what was the matter I 1 found jeaneo and mary mingling their 01 er some letters which lay ou the table jeaneo greeted roo respectfully and on my ing the cause of grief handed me S letter saying will yc bo pleased to road that mcm it was an effusion of peter dated nine months back it becan my dearest spoke of tho writer s reminded of bor to become his wife as soon as lie should be ablo to provide a suitable home for her and was signed your own batic I 1 must confess that my first feeling on reading this was one of satisfaction at my own discernment so you acro engaged after all I 1 but why was nothing said about it and why was it broken oil ou said jeanie looking at me indignantly patio just asked mo to bo his difo tho vera day before I 1 sailed so there time to lat it bo sa and al for ts ff broken on ii s patio yc must spear at abbot that for I 1 hoard tell ob till this day eh but acu are deceivers but that no tho ot mem mury guvo tho lady mm LIr kois letter it hii octora in wriley lyv A A that morning to mary mother whom alio had known whon they wera gerh together to ask boino of peters family and antecedents a her anil adopted daughter mary glinc was soon to bo to him heard yo over alio like 0 that ex the man must lo 10 di fl I 1 quite agreed willi her for I 1 had never known n man buforo who bivs lo 10 tin co women at roter considered his llast two almaira as lucre flirtatious still his former sweethearts biad in their possession a letter a would be ovid cuco against ailin in a court liw but any of this kiril win so foreign to alio natures anil prejudice of tho injured giris ahil 1 did no bior alian him at it the following morning miry asked my permission to go lor a day or two to aberdeen with lc anic derson is flioy biad thought of a plan for bringing their recalcitrant gocr to his senses in wo dinna mak kiako shame to himsel my names no scanio acro tho parting words of thil dannel peter ans happy i a tho society of his latest betrothed alio was a very charming girl and it may bo a lillo to my heros excuse to remark that few men could havo seen her bonny anco and listened to her sweet boico evening aticy evening without falling in lovo glicr tim blo could not but throwing all old memories to tho windi pro poo 1 and was alio llio into or lailor feelings may bo or entering mrs s arlor in adlor his addys work was over lio saw scaled by mary alary and peters liesl impulse was to withdraw hist lv but mr mado pos siLio by closing alic door and standing between it and the conscience stricken youth just ink a scat sir mackay said alio aud alm culprit sank into an empty clifair placed at a little distance from the other ladica the situation was awkward inthe in the extreme tho ladies continued their knitting without nt him min etc after minute passed and became intolerable peter could acir alio boatin of liis own heart hu opened lih lip lipi i to speak but no sound issued frodi an icy romor ran through his fiame and checked liis utterance I 1 eliut follows verbatim reported to me by mary thic said scanio at last la st sau iii wo bo waltlin salt lin conco aye classies lassies las sies said marchine Mary Hine but be a hadid manor or im yo seo said taking tho initiative a manner lills a na sac ayn but 0 o cancia a liae him just that nou fat think vo lassios lassi oi sauna we appeal till tho law coulta co urta millina wo aist seta richt amo morsels sels daiil mary hino foo in wo wui till cat lots for him tho warning of for that yo ken vcra alio others and when mrs birket had us one witness the littau servant girl was ben to bo another humiliation WAS certainly to bo complete tho lot fell on marv ipac abiol oy boil clai 1 wn string till roy bow so ajl con leave yo till mary alino or jennie 10 lo mayac yo mair nor me thanks t vc for kind gocr I 1 libio na forgotten peter was too much subdued to olter a word in liis own defence and abo proceeding were renewed this time tho lot full to mary icino peter she said 1 I winna cast ap till yo hoo yc bao wronged mo an ither hut this I 1 maun sav a bad lovers no like to mak a bus bail so lacavo yo to jeanie if bacs carin to tak yo said gin abod v yo I 1 can hao yo ins cl kut nun 0 o birst eliat bo madrict this day mouth an second that thoroll th croll be nac mair 0 onaca 9 marriage tho wedding look place in duo course tind peter proved to lie n most devoted and husband yo see alary oman said scanio one day to mrs jem leslie formerly mary gin the man and turn whiles a bit au conr I 1 diio but till say till him patie my man it s a sair scoty eliat mary an mary yc sin the difo yo ha c gotten disna suit vc an awat a wat or ever the words are acel awro my lips lios aist as quaita a lamb agos rg os |