Mildred: An Autumn Romance.

was indeed nothing to see—being a Protestant Communion Table over the abbey vault , and nothing more . It was a very convenient seat for the General , as he could survey tho congregation to advantage , ancl feel almost as if he were inspecting the troops . One pair of bright eyes glanced eagerly at the young oflber , and seened to be mutely appealing for recognition— -but in vain . Baautiful dark eyes they were too , aud they belonged to a beautiful girl—the belle of St . Benet's— -Mildred Bethune . ( To be Continued . )

Entertaining Her Big Sister's Beau.

ENTERTAINING HER BIG SISTER'S BEAU .

" My sister ' 11 be down in a minute , ancl says you ' re to wait if . you please , Ancl says I might stay till she came , if I'd promise her never to tease , Nor speak till you spoke to me first . But that ' s nonsense , for bow would you know What she told me to say if I didn't ? Don't you really ancl truly think so ? And then you'd feel strange here alone ! Ancl you wouldn't know just where to sit ,

For that chair isn't strong on its legs , and we never use it a bit : We keep it to match with the sofa . But Jack says it would be like you To flop yourself clown upon it and knock out the very last screw .

S ' pose you try ? I won't tell . You're afraid to ! Oh ! . you ' re afraid they would think it was mean ? Well , then , there ' s the album—that ' s pretty , if you ' re sure that your fingers are clean For sister says sometimes I daub it ; but she only says that when she ' s cross . There ' s her picture . You know it ? It ' s like her ; but she ain't as good-looking , of course ! This is me . It ' s the best of ' em all . Now tell mo , you'd never have thought ,

That once I was little as that ? It's the only one that could be bought—For that was the message to pa from the photograph man where I . sat—That he wouldn't print off any more till he first got his money for that .

What ? Maybe you ' re tired of waiting . Why , often she ' jS longer than this ; There ' s all her back hair to do up ancl all of her front curls to friz . But it ' s nice to be sitting here talking like grown people , just you ancl me . Do you think you'll be coming here often ? Ob , do ! But don't come like Tom Lee . Tom Lee . Her last beau . Whmy goodness ! He used to be here clay and niht

y , g , Till the folks thought he'd be her husband ; ancl Jack says that gave him ii fri g ht . You won't run away , then , as he did ? for you ' re not a rich man they say : Pa says you are poor as a church mouse . Now , are you ? And how poor are they ? Ain't you glad that you met me ? Well , I am ; for I know now your hair isn ' t red . But what there is left of it ' s mousy , and not what that naughty Jack said .

But there ! I must go . Sister ' s coming . But I wish I could wait , just to see If she ran up to you , and she kissed you in the way she used to kiss Lee . " Bret Harte in the " Independent . "