2 CAROLINE.

Talk about Beechnut. Malleville’s mistake. Phonny greatly amused.

lady’s wishes, and. insist upon his own, then it is the duty
of the lady not to contend, but to submit readily and
gracefully to the necessity of the case. This, Malleville
did, in the present instance. She said no more about
the flowers, but walked with Phonny along the road.

“T wish that Beechnut would come home,” said Phonny.
“ Or rather I wish he never would go away at all.”

Beechnut had gone to the city of Boston, and was to
be absent about ten days. He had now been gone
about three days, and Phonny was very lonesome with-
out him.

“You will see the prettiest horse, when the stage
comes,” said Phonny, “ that there is in all this country.
{t is an off leader.”

Maleville made a very great mistake in understanding
this expression. She thought Phonny had said that the
horse was an awful eater.

“An awful eater!” she replied, gravely, “ what does
he eat? ”

Here Phonny burst into a loud and uncontrollable fit
of laughtet, while Malleville continued to look very grave,
and even somewhat perplexed and distressed. She did
not know what Phonny was laughing at. Phonny, how-
ever, could not control himself sufficiently to explain, but
lay down upon the grass by the roadside, and rolled over
and over, repeating, in the intervals of his paroxysm,

“ An awful eater |'—Oh dear me!”

“ Phonny!” said Malleville, very sternly, “you shal?
vot laugh so much. You must get up.”

At that moment, Malleville, looking along the road,
saw horses’ heads just coming into view at a turn, and
heard the sound of wheels, so she added,