as and have brought his brother, Julius, to spend it too. Now, I admire Mr. Julius Young, both his name and his ways. He noticed me the minute he got off the train and said I would have to be his s

or Young says his work lacks "the divine spark," and so the poor young man has to heat his coffee over the gas-jet, like they always have to do in pitiful magazine stories. So much poetry and art have made him real thin, with strange flannel shirts, and he looks half like a writing person and half like a hero which was

's folks'. This makes a nice reunion for them, being as Marcella, Rufe's sister, is home f

he woods. She felt sorry for me, too, not getting to go back to school in the city this fall, and so she has taught me a lot. Mother and father said they just couldn't spare me, being the only one

he Youngs at the train, being ashamed on Julius' account, I reckon, both being single. But we went and Professor and Mrs. Young said they were too happy for anything to be back in the country again for a regular old-fashioned Christmas. They said they were going to do everything just like it used to be

the Youngs, and Rufe and Cousin Eunice. Julius said a good many compliments about the nature you could see all ove

s resting, and leaning back against one, just like it was done for a purpose. She had on her red hat and her little red jacket, which set off her pale looks considerable, and if she did do it for the sake of Julius she knew the right way to get on the good side of an artist, for he commenced acting impressed from the start. If a p

sake o

same way about things. This is called congenial, and an overly congenial person is an "affinity." Cousin Eunice and Rufe felt the same way about Keats and married. Doctor Gordon and Ann Lisbeth both loved w

nd a woman who can prope

said, "and rarer still, in these days, to fin

oven and Wagner and other persons whose na

to" anybody when she's trying to marry. But Marcella said right away that she would be delighted, which I knew couldn't mean marrying, for when a young lady gets proposed to she never even lets on how glad she is, much

o anything, for he was sure she had soul as well as beauty. The idea of him telling her she had a soul-as if anybody but foreign heathens didn't have! She said she thought it would be a noble life to be a model and inspiration to a man of lofty ideals-like Dan T. Gabrie

log to burn all Christmas night and a peafowl to serve with "brilliant plumage" at the dinner table. Mrs. Young went around to the kitchen to ask Mammy Lou if she knew how to pre

r table, much less a whole crittur covered with 'em. Looks like that would turn a nigger

without the feathers which was put on afterward and

ish is that they must have stomachs o

y got that, but it isn't to be lit

hat they would love better than anything in the world to have a dark green library with dull brass jardinieres. (I had a terrible time with that word.) Julius then spoke up and said any kind of a library that had her in it would be artistic enough for him, which I thought

ing all the things to see if they were just right, for we a

ur window, and the servants at dinner bringing in the boar's head, singing too. Professor Young said he thought these old customs ought to be revived, especially in the South, where we had old-timey houses and old family servants. Father laughed and sai

the corner where he and Marcella were talking very easy, to help her with the coff

make up the wassail. All you have to do is to take wine, or ale, and sugar and nutmeg, mixed with ginger and spice, then have apples and toast and roasted crabs floating around in it. You must

crabs, to say nothing of the silver bowl with the coat of arms marked on it. Rufe said not to worry, for we might find it hard, along t

ened to-day, Christmas Day, to Julius and Marcella. Getting your arm broken and c

ete without a pearl ring. The company all praised mammy's cooking and Julius remarked that after such a dinner as that it would be pretty tough on a fellow to go b

came into the dining-room with a telegram addressed to Mr. Julius Young. This excited Mammy Lou, who admir

aid it in preference to his own brother! Much to all of our disappointment Julius never even opened his telegram and read it, although we didn't

arcella went into the parlor. I stayed in the hall by the door, not being wanted in the parlor and not admiring hot

our telegram? It migh

d I wanted you to be the first one to know it-th

d made a picture of her like she was then and sent it to a large magazine up North which had promised to give five thousand dollars to the person which sent them the best picture by C

ching her hand in his, "fo

cella said, "Good-ness;" and he said, "Well, I'll be-I wasn't looking for this!" and it made me so interested

good they were not only going to give him the prize like they promised, but wanted to

hands and her voice like it was about to cry. He just looked at her and looked a long time wi

e I ever heard. "It is your beauty that has made my picture succee

out like she didn't know what he was driving at, but she put her

so grand and sweet that it made you feel very strange lis

win anybody, coming from an a