| CHAPTER I. | 5 |
| CHAPTER II. | 11 |
| CHAPTER III. | 17 |
| CHAPTER IV. | 23 |
| CHAPTER V. | 31 |
| CHAPTER VI. | 37 |
| CHAPTER VII. | 45 |
| CHAPTER VIII. | 51 |
Many years ago, in one of the New England States near thebanks of a small lake, stood a beautiful farm house, surroundedby a fine orchard. John Hilton, the owner of this romanticplace, was an intelligent farmer and was kind to all people whochanced to come to his house. His family consisted of himself,wife and two children, a son and daughter. Warren, the eldest,was a fine lad of eighteen, with blue eyes and light complexion,and inherited his father’s kind disposition. Minnie was abrunette, a splendid girl of sixteen, with a heart as pure as thewild flowers around her home. She had company. Her cousin,Nettie Spaulding, had come from the city of New York to spendher birthday. Nettie was a lovely girl of eighteen, with darkbrown eyes and dark auburn hair which hung in lovely curlsaround her shapely head. She had come to spend a few dayswith her cousin in the country. Since her father’s death nothingseemed to please this dreary, kind-hearted child of naturemore than to visit her uncle’s house by the lake, where shecould roam at will in the woods and gather wild flowers wherenature had planted them so artistically. That Monday morningthere was a great bustle around the house. There was tobe a party on the Friday night following in honor of the younglady friend, and all seemed to enjoy the pleasure it afforded,except the young lady. She was silent and often in tears, andher cousins could not draw her out of this apathy. That afternoonher cousins were going to town to do some shopping.Nettie preferred staying at home and going down to the laketo gather wild flowers for a bouquet.
“It is so pleasant to gather roses, lilies and shrubs aloneby the lake;” thus she said to her cousins as they rode