Show a n 1 her cousin joe by LOUISE HENDERSON ENDERSON II 1 it all began for tilly the da her father came home from the a village with a lox tox anil anti a letter for her ibe I 1 he box held books urn orn volumes the novt afi w from joe mackintosh lat kentosh a it 11 arary an I 1 the letter toll told how he tie had i h ti i nul to send them to I 1 illy T w wie ts tart boosin to tilly a father though considerably atger mut ger and a promising lawyer in 1 th ity once when hen tilly wan an a little I 1 thi i 1 of 5 he had com o 0 up tip into the hi bi 1 fi r ith a companion for t two 0 dava fl ung ang and had lodged at the tho poor ev ci hi in in the clearing tilly dembin i ber her d hint hini nd it botnek he rement I 1 bared her for he be had sent her the books tilly a mother va as a stout slattern ly woman and her father ft a hard ii working orIng roan man who tor for all hie his hard work seemed not to accomplish iny tny thine thing neither elther ts of them knew more of the world e affairs than did the wood chucks chuck i that whistled hist led on a sunny after noon coon lu in the high st slanting pasture T wish the land that man d kept his bis trash to home the young one ion I on ont t be worth her salt to help with the chores till she gets em all read through grumbled the mother tilly did not top stop with reading rending them though she reid them ax ngien aln and agun ehe she studied and pondered them for there was ras much ehe she did not un dern tand through them she came to feel that ehe she had bad a friend in thair elver giver of whom she must never lose tole lent tight joe a letter had been brief and land simple it bade her tell him whether the box had arrived safely and how the he liked its content contents tilly spent happy hours in writing a reply and rec received elved an answer to her little letter of thanks thinks and prat grat etude a generous epistle which point ed out to her many things about ber ter books which otherwise might buys es her 11 that was as the way in which their long correspondence started tilly saw that here was van someone who could understand who cared for the same things she did she poured out to joe her aspirations and hopes and im press loni tons she asked him how bow she should speak and land act and dress and she be confided to him her secret abbt tion of one dey getting out of the back woods into the beautiful world she should bare have learned bow how to take caro care of herself each letter was noticeably better than the one before for tilly cled desperately to improve and the man who had ha haa bis his owr t elal lali in getting an edu caLon realized something of what this woman wo manchild child was 11 13 passing ahr through 0 kgb gradually radu a ily J joe oe became for tilly the hero of all ber her romances the living embodiment of all her dreams i was not until tilly was hired to teach the village school at the fork of the roul ro ul that her parents began to see that her book madness lad had its method the money tilly earned teaching took her to the high school in the village at nt the foot of the hille where here eho she made astonishing progress and von uon the approval of her instruct orn ors joe wrote regularly he ile sent her gift gifts of books und trinkets dear to a girlish heart in many other ways he helped her for he was beginning to be ft a man of influence NN hen abo grAduate dhe ent her in to a wonderful box under layers of fine white alue tue paper an exquisite em broidered brol dered bobp ready to be made up with gloves ellk silk stockings and Is a fan an outfit which aich the daintiest I 1 girl of Ms M acquaintance would have been slad glad to podres and tilly was glad for eho cho had been troubled to I 1 know where ber her frock was coming I 1 from the letter of gratitude BOO she nent sent her courin toe only feebly expressed her perfect joy if only be he could come to see ape her we wear tr the dress on an that one greatest day of her life but joe could not come for that day he be had hip bl famous cie came to try that fall eiliv tegan to teach in the high school where here she had prepared for or college in the years that had passed dinep 1 that eventful day when jo jos s hooke books fame came to her there in the backwoods many changes bad had come ber her mother bad hind died alq am her father had carrll again a la widow with a bet ler ter farm tam than hie bit own which he and the youngest boy were working the two other boys had gone vest tilly never went borne home now the apace space between her and her father and brothers had widened imperceptibly until neither she nor they cared to cross it As they had wl joo joe had come nearer until now it seemed he lie filled her life and her heart she longed to see him the picture she had of him told her little on ono dull march afternoon after a hard session in the class room tilly came home to her hoarding place to tint an 1 a letter from joe awaiting her As ehe she took it up she felt the usual littie thrill of pleasure and interest ab she t ewi egan to read expect expectant antl then all at once eria ething beamed seemed to go wrong wron with her baro slowly she ha turned to tho the bed and sit s it at down upon it and hid her face in the pillows but ehe she could not cry though she thought her hert heart was broken joe had written to isar that at sast he was going to bo be married rk d the mot most beautiful girl tilly a butterfly an orchid what hat you will aili ot of such ruch rare delicacy and brightness that I 1 tremble at my temerity in daring to posse possess her we hall shall be married tola this late fall and I 1 want you to come to the wedding edding she lived through it tilly was not without admirers any one of whom she eight have done well to marry but the she did not care for tor them and ban bait no intention of marrying juet just tor for a home some time perhaps but not now not now joe continued to write as for ona marty erty he poke spoke ol 01 0 being at a par ty or tho the opera with his hi nancee fiancee and tilly tried to imagine it all with a brave attempt at equanimity that fall ehe she got a call to a city school at an increase of hilary it was joo joe still helping her and the knew it she wondered whether she ah were strong enough to ko alert the she must illy see him and then the longing to see him to be near him overcame every object objection ign A I 1 shall be there in gienty of tim time for hie his wedding ehe she thou thought glit I 1 she begin teaching albort immell tely after reaching the city she had bad found i t good boarding place near the school and felt chat that 1 he 9 was going to be vry very comfortable she had written to joe before coming and she won dr decd red why he had bad not come to see her or at least write he lie did write presently from a distant state whither the interests Int ereita of moms client had taken him I 1 will see ee you just aa an eoon soon as I 1 return he be eald said but I 1 cant tell exactly when that will be he ile did not men alon the mot most beautiful girl it was on a saturday evening a month later that tilly was called down to the parlor to gee see a visitor she was receiving a food many calls now from her new acqua acqui acquaintances instances but somehow this summons seemed prey preg nant with meaning as an if joe hinie hint self elf might be down dowil there waiting for her hastily she changed her work dress for one of plain white linen she made herself move mote slowly she walked downstairs quietly she would not loso lose control of herself the instant ehe she saw the man who waa was waiting tor for her she kew him though she felt with a glad thill th ill that her idea of blia had nevar r done him justice she went toward him holding out hr band hand quite collee collectedly I 1 in so glad to see you cout in joe she said they sat down together and talked more like old friends than the stran gars aich in reality aney were atte n while tilly asked him about the most beautiful girl oh he said sald I 1 really cannot say she has you know ceased to be my on particular most beautiful girl sho 0 ha it asb in fact she jilted lilted cne me because she found someone she liked better I 1 t blame her her selee tion of me was poor taste ip the first place As an for me I 1 had reached the point where I 1 must either neglect her or my m profession and I 1 bad had worked too toa harl for profession to neglect it at my tine time of life so go I 1 am very well suited I 1 am ani sorry tilly said she sat looking down at her ber hand hands ara trying to think are youl you joe said smiling dut but I 1 mall shall have more time for you now still I 1 am sorry for you tilly pen pei arted lou must feel feet so 10 disappointed oh ell he said when half hall gods ro you know the artt till did and then they began to talk about emerson that winter went on wing wings for tilly toe was very nice to her he ile took her about a e greit gre it deal and gained an entrance for her into tho the houses of many charming per persons ions wf who were delightfully light fully klud to lier her one Sa Sat afternoon just at the edge of the spring a they chanced to be walking together all of a sudden so rud suddenly denly in fact that tilly a breath waa was quite startle away joe asked her to marry him but but im such a queer person for ou nu to want ant to nurry gasped tilly her freh young chek vory torr red im only a backwoods girl you know joe H he smiled down into her eyes and she wondered if heaven would be dearer and sweeter than his eye eyes with that look took in them you 16 e my girl tilly he said wd antly and that makes all nil tho th ditter differ enc ove in ibe tte world 4 I 1 |