The Old Folks' Party.

" No—and yet , come to think—let me see— -when did you say ? " replied Frank , doubtfully . "Between 1870 and 'SO , as near as we can make out , probably about the middle of the decade , " said Nellie . " I think I Avas in C at about that

time . I believe I was still living with my father ' s family . " " I told you so , " said Nellie to Jessie , and , turning again to Frank , she asked : " Do you remember anything about a social club there ?" " 1 do" replied Frank Avith some

appear-, ance of interest . " I recall something of tbe sort quite distinctly , though I suppose . I hav ' nt thought of it for twenty years . How did you ever bear of it , Mrs . Hyde 1 " " Why , I was a member , " replied she briskly" and so was Mrs . Tyrrell . AVe

, were reminded of it the other day by a discovery Mrs . Tyrrell made in an old bureau drawer of a photograph of the members of the club in a group , taken probably all of fifty years ago , and yellow

as you can imagine . There Avas one figure that resembled you , Doctor , as you might have looked then , and I thought too that I recalled you as one of tbe members ; but Mrs . Tyrrell could not , and so Ave agreed to settle the matter by appealing to your own recollection . "

' ' Yes , indeed , " said Frank , " I now recall tbe club very perfectly , and it seems to me Governor Townsley A \* as also in it . " " Yes , I think I was a member , " assented George , ' ¦ though my recollections are rather hazy . "

Mary and Henry , being appealed to , failed to remember anything about tbe club , the latter suggesting that probably it flourished before he came to C- . Jessie was quite sure she recalled Henry , but the others could not do so with much

positiveness . " I will ask Mrs . Long when I get home , " said Henry . " She has always lived at C , and is great for remembering dates . Let ' s see what time do you think it was 1 "

" Mis . Tyrrell and I concluded it must have been between 1873 and 1877 , " said Jessie ; adding slyly , " for she was married in 1877 . Mrs . Tyrrell , did you bring that old photograph with j'ou ? It might amuse them to look at it . "

Nellie produced a small picture , and , adjusting their spectacles and eye-glasses they all came forward to see it . A group of six young people was represented , all in the very heyday of youth . The spectators were silent , looking first at the picture , and then at each other .

"Can it be , " said Frank , "that these were ever our pictures ? I hope , Mrs . Tyrrel , the orig inals had the forethought to put the names on the back , that we may be able to identify them . " " No" said she" we must guess as best

, , we can . First , Avho is that ? " pointing to one of the figures . "That must be Mrs . Hyde , for she is taller than the others , " suggested Grandma EelloAvs .

¦ " By the same token , that must be Mrs . Tyrrel , for she is shorter , " said Jessie ; " though , but for that , I don ' t see IIOAV we could have told them apart . " " HOAV oddly they did dress in . those days ! " said Mary . ' Who can that be ? " asked Frank , pointing to the finest-looking of tlie three young men . If that is one of us , there was more choice in our looks than there is now- —eh .

Townsley 1 " " " No doubt , " said George , " fifty years ago somebody ' s eye scanned those features with a very keen sense of proprietorship . What a queer feeling it would have given those young things to have anticipated that Ave should ever puzzle over their

identities in this v / ay ! " They finally agreed on tbe identity of Jessie , Nellie , and Frank , and of George also , on bis assuring them that he was once of slender figure . This left two figures Avhich nobody could recognisethough

Jes-, sie insisted that the gentleman Avas Henry , and Mary thought the other young lady was a Miss Fellows , a girl of the village , who , she explained , had died young many ,

many years ago . " Don ' t you remember ber ? " she asked tbem , and her voice trembled with a halfgenuine sort of self-pity , as if , for a moment , she imagined herself her own ghost . " I recall ber well , " said Frank ; ' tall gravesweetI remember she used to

real-, , ize to me the abstraction of moral beaut y when we were studying Paley together . " " I don ' t know when I have thought so much of those davs as since I received