Taking It For Granted.

TAKING IT FOR GRANTED .

13 V FEANCES LEE . With marks of a rough , stormy life all over him , a man of about fifty years , gray and sunburnt , sat in my office . I found him there Avhen I Avont in one morning not

long ago . "Here is somebod y Avaiting for you , Ehvoll , " said Mr . BigeloAV . I looked around , and the man rose and held out his hand . "Averill—my name is Averill" said he

, , looking sharply at me out of a pair of shrewd gray eyes . " I am an old friend of your mother ; but I have not met her for a matter of five-and-tAvent y years . So I thought I'd call and ask after her and her family . "

" I am glad to see you , " said I . " Are you a relative of my mother i " "No , " replied Mr . Averill . "We Avere of the same name , but not connectedunless it may be very distantly . I used to knoAV her and her folks , though , as Avell as I did my OAVII sisters , and better , too . Let ' s see—Avhere is your Aunt Augusta now V

"She is living with her children in Portland , " said I . " Pretty Avell , is she , do you knoAv i " asked Mr . Averill . " Very Avell Avhen Ave heard last . Aunt Augusta has good children and a pleasant

home , and seoinw quite happy . " " Um-m-m-m ! That is nice , " said Mr . Averill , fumbling at a rough nugget of gold that hung as a charm from his Avatch-cbain . I hadn't much to do that day , so I talked off and on Avith my visitor till it

Avas time to go home , and then took him along Avith me . I left him in the sittingroom and Avent to find mother . She Avas mixing biscuits for supper , looking through her glasses , and singing a snatch of some old , half-forgof ' en love-ditty of her youth .

"Mother ? " said I , breaking hi upon her song . " Come in the other room . An old friend of yours Avants to see you . " Mother looked up over her glasses . "An old friend ? Tisn ' t any of the Maine folks , is it ? " she asked . Because , if it Avas so much as a dog that had . trotted across a corner of the State of

Maine , on his four legs , mother Avoidd have run , Avith her arms out and a smile of Avelcome , Ayithout stopping to even Avash the dough off her hands . As it Avas , Avith only an indefinite thought of seeing " an old friend , " she Avent , Avith a dust of flour on

her nose , and Avithout her company cap . As soon as she had stopped inside the sitting-room door , she stood and looked at her guest , and he stood and looked at her . " It is Sam , as true as you are born !" she saidat last .

, Then they both laughed , and then they both Aviped their eyes , though they didn't seem like that sort of people , especially Mr . Averill .

I never kneAV my mother to forget her housekeeping before , but this time she let the biscuit burn till they were as black as my shoe ; and Avhen she mixed some more she put in sugar instead of salt , and left out the saleratus altogether . But her cheeks greAv pink , and her cap strings flew , and she nor her guest seemed to knoAV the difference .

" Oh , honey ! " cried my mother , hopping up from the tea-table as soon as she AA'as seated . " You haven't lost your SAveet tooth , have you , Sam ?" "HOAV you do remember ? " returned Sam , admiringly . " I should think I ought to , " returned

my mother , with a girlish laugh . " The Avay you used to pick the walnuts to carry to the cross roads store and trade for molasses and make candy of ! Speaking of the cross-roads store , I Avonder if yon knoAV our old storekeeper ' s daughter , she that Avas Sarah Curly , has lost her husband r

" No , has she ? Strange I never heard of it , " replied Mr . Averill , appearing as astonished as though he had been hearing from his old neighbours every Aveek . " Yes , " said my mother . " She married one of old Si Seaver ' s boys , the oldest one ,

Jonathan , and he died sudden , —all at once ; Avell it must be something like half-a-dozen years ago , —and left his Avife and so many children—five children or else six , I don ' t know Avhich . " "You don't say ! " ejaculated Mr .

Averill , passing his honey plate for the third time . No , evidently he had not lost his SAveet tooth . After supper , mother Avashcd up the dishes and talked , and Mr . Averill smoked