picture, there was not much to attract but the rich, warm glow of
the fire and lamp. We both looked a moment at the picture,
hunted up the number in the catalogue, and then Charlie asked,
“What does it mean ?” “Why, they are reading over their old love
letters for the last time, and burning them/' I answered.
Charlie said nothing, but I slipped my arm into his, and said
softly, “I never did that."
I felt as if a great load was off my mind when I said it, but when
he turned and asked, “What did you do with them? I have never
seen anything of them, and I know you must have had some.” I
felt as if my load had greatly increased. “Wait 'till we get home,
and I’ll tell you," I said as lightly as I could, but I felt all the time
that a knowledge of the contents of that pillow might dawn upon
him before I could get him where I could manage him.
He evidently forgot all about it, for he never mentioned it again
till we were home, and in looking over the illustrated catalogue
came to the reproduced “Sacrifice." “What did you mean by say
ing, ‘You never did that,’ when we were looking at that picture ?"
I didn't answer directly, but smoothed down the pillow and said,
“It’s stuffed with something better than excelsior." He needed no
further explanation. The mystery of my queer looks dawned
upon him like a flash, and the accompanying peal of laughter was
worse than all his questions had been. i
“So you kept them, you rogue," and he bumped the pillow over
my head till the hair pins all tumbled out, and the last tiling I saw,
as the folds of my loosened hair tumbled over my eyes, was the
pillow sailing across the room at poor puss, who had stretched
herself for a nap in the last rays of the setting sun. N. B. F.
The foot ball days have come again; the gladdest of the year;
One side of Willie’s nose is gone, and Tom has lost an ear.
Heaped on the field, the players jab, and punch, and claw, and tear;
They .knock the breath from those beneath and gouge without a care;
They break each other’s arms and legs and pull joints out of place,
And here and there is one who gets his teeth kicked from his dace. ’
FOOT BALL DAYS,