tunate Flannel Mills, and my jewels, to the beloved niece of my first husband, John Rogerson, Delia Rogerson, of Croftsborough, Me.

For I was a stranger and ye took me in; hungry, and ye fed me; sick and ye ministered unto me.

"Goodness alive!" cried the neighbors, when the fact reached their ears,. "what a profitable thing it is to take boarders. Everybody in town will be trying it. Of course Steve Langdon will come and marry her, if she were forty old maids. You may stick a pin in there!"

Delia did not open her house to boarders the next season. She found enough to do in looking after her money and spending it; in replying to letters from indigent people, who seemed to increase alarmingly; in receiving old friends, who suddenly found time to remember her existence. And, sure enough, among the rest appeared Steve Langdon, and all the village said: "I told you so."

"It's not my fault that you and I are single yet, Delia," he said.

"And we are too old to think of it now, Steve." "Nonsense! It's never too late to mend. I'm not rich, Delia, but I've enough for two and to spare."

"I wouldn't be contented not to drive in my carriage and have servants under me now," laughed Delia.

"Indeed! Then, perhaps, you have a better match in view. Capt. Seymour asked me, by the way, if I had come to interfere with Squire Jones' interest."

"Yes, Squire Jones proposed to me last week."

"Now, see here, Delia. Have I come all the way from Melbourne on a fool's errand? There I was growing used to my misery and loneliness, when the mail brings me a

letter in a strange hand, which tells me that my dear love, Delia Rogerson, loves and dreams of me still, is poor and alone, and needs me-me! And the letter is signed by her aunt, Mrs. Clement, who ought to know. I packed my household goods and came."

"I'm glad that you did."

"In order that I may congratulate 'Squire Jones?" "But I haven't accepted him. In fact, I've refused him-because-because-"

"Because you will marry your old love, like the lass in the song, Delia?"

In Croftsborough, people are not yet tired of telling how a woman made money by taking boarders.

YOUNG woman entering upon a business life must ask and answer one question almost at its outset : "Shall she go into society or not?" By society I mean the parties, weddings, receptions, dinners, and lunches, which make up the existence of merely fashionable women. If she has a large and influential acquaintance she will necessarily be invited out a great many times, she will be obliged to dress correspondingly well, and her dress will naturally demand some time and attention, as well as a good deal of money. Social life, parties and balls will keep her up late at night and tax her strength, and the question to herself will be, whether she will be able to meet the demands of society and of business, and preserve her health? Here, again, the frequent theory of women's ability to overwork intrudes itself. There can be no possible doubt that if she is engaged eight hours a

day, in any kind of work, she will do better to ignore society, and rest in the evenings; but if

All work and no play

Makes Jack a dull boy,

will it not apply equally well to Jill Only Jack has the strength and Jill has not.

A compromise can be made by going out occasionally, and not attempting to compete with the women who have nothing to do, and by not keeping excessively late hours. One rich, dark silk, made with an evening waist and worn with a change of laces and flowers, a creamwhite dotted muslin and, an illusion over-dress will be all sufficient for a season, with a supply of fresh gloves, and will look much better, even if worn frequently, than a new, cheap, hastily gotten together evening dress. When there is only one silk it should be either black or a dark olive or blue, as a vivid, new color will be so conspicuous that the wearer will soon be known by it, and there will be some one ill-natured enough to say, "There goes that everlasting sunflower yellow silk of Miss's." -'s." Black can be worn with masses of pink garniture, upon one occasion, with pink gloves; with white upon another with white gloves; with masses of mixed flowers and deep orange gloves; and it will always look handsome. Then it can be a dead black toilet-quantities of black lace, black gloves, and coral or gold jewelry as an effect. One of the most elegant toilets I ever saw was a black silk, draped and trimmed with water lilies, and worn with pale green gloves that reached above the elbows. It is by no means the expense of a costume that makes it elegant. There are hundreds of

dowdy women at parties who are elaborately dressed and loaded with diamonds, and there are ladies who are regally beautiful in severely plain toilets. Some ladies need very little adornment. This is especially the case with young women who have dark hair and eyes, and a fresh color. If they wear much jewelry, or dress in high colors, they are at once commented on with unfriendly criticism. Miss Oakey, who is an authority on beauty in dress, and the author of a book with that title, says: "The object of dress may be said to be threefold-to cover, to warm, to beautify. Beauty in dress, as in other things, is largely relative." To admit this, is to admit that a dress which is beautiful upon one woman may be hideous worn by another. Each should understand her own style, accept it, and let the fashion of her dress be built upon it. Because my dark, slender friend looks well in a heavy velvet with a high ruff, her rival, who is short and blonde, tries to outshine her in a heavier velvet, with a higher ruff. It is reason enough that the last should look ill in the dress, because the first looks well in it.

ELOQUENCE OF DRESS.

Not every woman can dress well with the most reckless expenditure; but a clever woman can dress well with intelligent economy and an artistic taste. Let women remember that it is harmony of color and grace of cut that makes a dress beautiful, and its fitness to the style and needs of the wearer, not richness of material or costliness of ornament. No material is more beautiful than a cashmere, which is one of the most truly economic dresses that one can wear, as it both washes and dyes,