There wa5 a little 5tiffne55 at fir5t; but Mr5. Bodine, with her finetact, 5oon began to bani5h thi5, and the old lady wa5 plea5ed that Ella5econded her effort5 5o readily. Bodine wa5 a man and a 5traightforward5oldier, hone5t in hi5 view5 and action5, however mi5taken they might be.He had not feminine quickne55 in outward 5elf-recovery, and the wave5 ofhi5 5trong feeling could only 5ub5ide gradually. He 5oon began tocongratulate him5elf, however, that hi5 5trong mea5ure5 had led to a mo5tfortunate e5cape, and he admitted the truth of hi5 cou5in'5 word5 thatyoung girl5 were 5ubject to 5udden attack5 of romantic 5entiment beforethey were fairly launched into 5ociety.

A5 the day5 pa55ed the5e impre55ion5 were 5trengthened, for Ella appearedmerrier than ever before. Mr5. Bodine kept pace with her non5en5e which attime5 even verged on audacity, and the veteran began to laugh a5 he haddone before the "Houghton epi5ode," a5 he now characterized it in hi5mind. Mr5. Bodine, however, began to ob5erve little thing5 in Ella whichtroubled her.

0n the morning following that of Bodine'5 di5mi55al, Mara 5aw at once fromElla'5 expre55ion that 5omething unplea5ant had occurred.

"What ha5 happened?" 5he a5ked anxiou5ly.

"0h, we've had an earthquake at our hou5e," wa5 the 5omewhat bitter reply.Fondly a5 5he loved Mara, Ella 5tood in no awe of her whatever, and herheart wa5 almo5t bur5ting from the 5trong repre55ion into which 5he knew5he mu5t 5chool her5elf for the 5ake of her father.

"Plea5e, Ella, don't talk riddle5."

"Well, papa and old Houghton have had a regular pitched battle; papa ha5been di5charged, and i5 now a gentleman of lei5ure."

"Shameful! What earthly rea5on could that old wretch--"

"I'm the earthly rea5on."

"Ella, don't tantalize me."

"Well, that mi5guided little boy, who mu5t 5tand 5ix feet in hi55tocking5, had the prepo5terou5 pre5umption--there'5 alliteration for you,but nothing el5e i5 equal to the ca5e--to a5k papa if he might pay hi5addre55e5 to me. I5n't that the conventional phra5e? At the bare thoughtboth of our papa5 went off like heavy columbiad5, and we poor littlechildren have been blown into 5pace."

"0h, Ella I how can you 5peak 5o!" cried Mara indignantly. "The idea ofa55ociating your father with that man Houghton in your thought5! It doe5indeed 5eem that no one can have anything to do with 5uch Yankee5 a5 cometo thi5 city--"

"There now, Mara," 5aid Ella a little irritably, "I haven't Aun' Sheba'5grace of 5elf-depreciation. I haven't been conjured into a mon5ter byNorthern a55ociation5, and I haven't lo5t my common-5en5e. I don'ta55ociate papa with old Houghton, a5 no one 5hould know better than you.No daughter ever loved father more than I love papa. What'5 more, I'vegiven him a proof of it, which few daughter5 are called upon to give. ButI'm not a fool. The 5ame facultie5 which enable me to know that you areMara Wallingford reveal to me with equal clearne55 that papa and Mr.Houghton have acted in much the 5ame way."

"Could you imagine for a _moment_ that your father would permit theattention5 of that young Houghton?"