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It cannot be too often repeated, that while Congress remains the supreme power of the State, it is idle to talk of steadying or cleansing our politics without in some way linking together the interests of the Executive and the Legislature. So long as these two great branches are isolated, they must be ineffective just to the extent of the isolation. Congress will always be master, and will always enforce its co mmands on the administration. The only wise plan, therefore, is to facilitate its direction of the government, and to make it at the same time responsible, in the persons of its lea ders, for its acts of control, and for the manner in which its plans and commands are executed. The only hope of wrecking the present clumsy misrule of Congress lies in the establishment of responsible Cabinet government. Let the interests of the Legislature be indissolubly linked with the interests of the Executive. Let those who

have authority to direct the course of legislation be those who have a deep personal concern in building up the executive departments in effectiveness, in strengthening law, and in unifying policies; men whose personal reputation depends upon successful administration, whose public station originates in the triumph of principles, and whose dearest ambition it is to be able to vindicate their wisdom and maintain their integrity.

Committee government is too clumsy and too clandestine a system to last. Other methods of government must sooner or later be sought, and a different economy established. First or last, Congress must be organized in conformity with what is now the prevailing legislative practice of the world. English precedent and the world's fashion must be followed in the institution of Cabinet Government in the United States. Woodrow Wilson.

VOL. III.-3.

AT DAWN.

I lay awake and listened, ere the light
Began to whiten at the window pane.
The world was all asleep: earth was a fane
Emptied of worshippers; its dome of night,
Its silent aisles, were awful in their gloom.
Suddenly from the tower the bell struck four,
Solemn and slow, how slow and solemn! o'er
Those death-like slumberers, each within his room.
The last reverberation pulsed so long

It seemed no tone of earthly mold at all.

But the bell woke a thrush; and with a call
He roused his mate, then poured a tide of song:
"Morning is coming, fresh, and clear, and blue,"
Said that bright song; and then I thought of you.
E. R. Sill.

MRS. GWYN'S NEW YEAR'S GIFT.

THE hour is eight of the clock, of a chill October evening; the scene, a railway station of some importance, not a hundred miles from San Francisco. The rain-which has begun early this season-pours steadily down as if it means business; the lanterns of porters and hackmen, floating about like will o' the wisps in the darkness, shed a glistening light on figures swathed in oilskin, on dripping horses, and tired passengers, and bustling officials—and on the perplexed face of a young lady of twenty or thereabouts, who stands alone just within the shelter of the station, gazing about in an anxious way, as if uncertain what step it will be proper for her to take next.

"O, please," she says, making a sudden advance towards a railway official, who has chanced to stop near her, in order to swear at some ragged boys who have no business there, "won't you tell me about the train? Nobody seems to know."

that's all right. You're in plenty of time, Miss; train comes along in twelve minutes from now. Porter, bring those boxes this way!" And the official disappears among the crowd.

The young lady gratefully expresses her thanks to the knight who has come to her rescue he looks not unlike a knight of romance as he stands there in a big cloak and sombrero, with a glint of lamplight on his fair face and curly blonde hair and moustache, and blue eyes that frankly and smilingly meet hers.

"Did you say you were going to Oakfield?" asks Annis Vere-for such was her She has inferred this from the manner of his remarks to the official.

name.

"I am not sure that I said so; but I am going there, at any rate."

"You know my cousin, Colonel Mansfield, then?"

"He is my mother's brother;-and your "What train, Miss?" asks the official nat- cousin, did you say? Why, then you and I urally.

"The Lisbon train; has it gone? I expected to take it here.'

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must be in some way related, must we not? "I am Annis Vere—and you?"

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"Lisbon train passed up sixteen minutes lucky circumstance it is that I should have ago." timed my arrival exactly to correspond with

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"O dear! what shall I do? I was to get yours." to Oakfield at nine o'clock."

"Oakfield?" the official repeats inquiringly. "I don't know any such place on the Lisbon road. There's some mistake, I guess."

While the young lady is hurriedly explaining that Oakfield is not a station, but a country seat," somewhere along the road," though just where she evidently does not know, a gentleman quietly touches the shoulder of the official.

This informal introduction puts them both entirely at their ease, and in two minutes they are chatting together as sociably as it they had known each other all their lives They are not cousins, nor, in truth, has eith er one of them ever heard of the other be fore; but all the same they strike up a clos friendship then and there, for are they no travelers bound for the same port, and doe not this fact alone serve to create a bon between them? Young Keith draws a benc up close to the stove, and they sit and war their feet, while he tells her things abou Oakfield and the Oakfield people which sh has not heard before. She is going the as a stranger, but it is to be her future hom "O, the Exchecquer train! Yes, of course; for her father, lately deceased, has left h

"Excuse me”—this with a courteous gesture of apology to the bewildered traveler. "I know Oakfield quite well. It is near the Lisbon road, but we go there by a special train, that stops at Exchecquer."

in Colonel Mansfield's guardianship. When "You have come for a long visit, Harry?" the Exchecquer train comes along, Harry I asked him, when chance threw us for a Keith gathers up her bundles, and trans- moment together. ports her and them to a safe place within its recesses; he seats himself at her side, her self-constituted guardian and protector pro tem., and they are whirled away into the darkness, stopping only at two small stations before their goal is reached.

Here is Exchecquer; and a close carriage, drawn up under the somewhat doubtful shelter of a tumble-down shed, awaits Miss Vere, who, it seems, is not an unexpected guest. Harry Keith, however, is; which accounts for the delighted surprise manifested by the old coachman, who shakes both his hands as heartily as if he would shake them off. The carriage is entered, bundles and all stowed away, and once more they are off at a rattling pace for Oakfield. 'Tis but a short drive, and at nine o'clock precisely they exchange the cold, the gloom, and the moisture of the outer world, for the light and warmth of Colonel Mansfield's hospitable parlors, where heartfelt greetings are accorded them.

Looking back now upon that time, I can remember quite well the interest and pleasure we all felt in Annis's arrival among us. Grandmother, dear old lady, discovered in her a strong likeness to her mother, who had been the favorite companion of her own youth, and took her forthwith into her heart of hearts. My uncle Roger-"the Colonel," as he was always called-was charmed at an opportunity of exercising his hospitality in a new direction; and the other members of the family vied with each other in striving to make the new-comer feel at home. She was just a little shy, at first, with all of us— except Harry. I noticed that she looked up at him in a sort of confidential way; and that his manner to her was as easy and intimate as if he had known her for a long time, though full of the chivalrous respect which be never failed to accord to women. Dear Harry in my eyes he was a god: noble, beautiful, rare in temper as in genius, he seemed fitted to rule the world, and have all things at his command.

"A long visit, Pet. Every bit of a month, I expect. Won't you get tired of me before that time has expired?"

"Tired! It is like you to ask that. And I will go sketching with you-may I—and carry your portfolio as I used to do? Do you remember what fun we had last summer?"

"Yes, dear, I remember." And then he crossed over to where Annis was standing near the fire, and asked her some question about her journey. Evidently he admired her; I could see that by the way in which his eyes continually followed and rested upon her: and seeing this, I scrutinized her face with a deeper interest than before. A calm, classic face it was, pure in outline and harmonious in color; the brows were delicate but deeply marked, the forehead low and broad, with ripples of soft, dusky hair waving back from the temples, and gathered low in a loose knot at the back. She wore black, of course, and the sombre hue enhanced the creamy whiteness of her slender throat, the lithe delicacy of her form. She was totally unlike us, who were round, and high-colored, and mostly red-haired. I was a "tow-head,” and had hitherto cherished some innocent vanity regarding my flaxen chevelure, as contrasted with the family color; but when I went up to bed that night, I caught myself wondering, as I looked in the glass, whether Harry thought me plain, and the very novelty of the idea brought the tears into my eyes.

Well, Annis soon became domesticated at Oakfield; we all liked her, and she took very kindly to us. The days slipped pleasantly by; but somehow the plans about the sketching—at least my plans-all fell short. Harry was no longer enthusiastic over the scenery, and I was not called upon to be his portfolio-bearer, or his pencil-sharpener, or to perform any of the offices connected with my old post of art-comrade and critic, which I had filled in the days when we had rambled everywhere together, enjoying each

other's company to the utmost. Now he stayed in the house a good deal more; but if Annis went out, he went also. Long before the month was up I had quietly accepted the conviction that henceforth she was to be first and best with him, always. She was so beautiful, it seemed almost a necessity for his artist-soul to be drawn to ward her; and she was also very good and sweet; surely she was just the sort of girl he ought to choose for his wife.

About a week after I had made up my mind on this subject, a strange gentleman came to call upon us. He was a Mr. Gwyn; an immensely rich, and, according to rumor, an extremely eccentric individual, who had lately purchased a beautiful villa down on the coast, and was now making himself acquainted in the neighborhood. His homely face and awkward manner were unprepossessing; yet a fund of real worth seemed to underlie his rough exterior. After his first visit, I overheard Annis and Harry making unflattering comments upon him; Annis declared that the very sight of such ugliness made her shudder: "how could his wife endure to live in the same house with him?"

"He has no wife," said Harry. "He has everything else in the world that money can buy; and money will buy him that, too, I don't doubt, before long."

A look of disgust passed over Annis's face. "I feel as if my sex were degraded when I hear such a speech as that," she said, more coldly than I had ever heard her address

him.

Her disapproving tone brought a red flush to his honest brow: he said something to her in a low voice, speaking rapidly and earnestly I could not hear what; but she turned and smiled up into his eyes, and I slipped from my involuntary post of eavesdropper and went away.

Mr. Gwyn came again, and yet again; apparently he enjoyed the social element as represented in our lively household, and was anxious to gain a friendly position among us. Harry, repenting of his premature judgment, declared that he was a trump-there was no moneyed vulgarity, no offensive

purse-pride about the man; he, for one, was willing always to give him a cordial welcome. My uncle coincided in this view; but, to my horror, I found out before long that there was a sort of suspicion current in the household that I was the attraction for the millionaire. I turned cold at the bare idea, and cried myself half sick over it; what pained me most deeply was that Harry should entertain such a ridiculous, wicked thought. It was I who was ridiculous, no doubt, and childish to a degree, for caring about it; but then I was only a child, and my feelings had been unusually ruffled of late, and my health was not strong; and all this, I suppose, made me cross and nervous, and unfitted me to bear anything that was distasteful. At any rate, it had the effect of driving me to my own room, whenever Mr. Gwyn was announced thereafter; until, finding how deeply their harmless suspicion had wounded me, I was so pleaded with and apologized to by all the offenders, that for very shame I had to come out of my sulks and appear like myself again. As to poor Mr. Gwyn, I was rather humiliated to discover, as I soon did, that he had not even observed my absence from the family group.

I have mentioned this little episode, not from a feeling of egotism, but merely to show how blinded we all were to the truth.

November was nearly gone, and still Harry lingered among us. We were having the loveliest weather; the early threat of an inclement season had passed away, and now the country, with its springing vesture of green, revelled under a sky of June softness and beauty. This was no doubt the reason why the lovers-for such I knew them now to be-spent much of their time wandering together by the shore, amid the rocks that kept watch like sentinels over the broad, blue water, where white sails floated lazily to and fro.

But those halcyon days could not last: by and by came stormy winds, and rough waves. and heavy, threatening clouds; and with the dismal change came a sudden summons for Harry to go from our midst.

I shall never forget the day he left us

We all went with him to the station, to bid him good-by, and while the others were giving their attention for the moment to some thing else, he drew me hurriedly apart.

"I am blest above mortals, Pet," he whispered, pressing my hands hard in his own. "Make her tell you - perhaps you have guessed already. I meant you to know first. Promise me to stand by her always."

"I promise," I faltered, with a very vague idea of what I was pledging myself to; but then, what would I not do to please Harry? I would subscribe blindly to any request of his, no matter how incomprehensible to my weak understanding it might appear. He kissed me on the cheek, twice, and a mist came over my eyes, and a choking sensation into my throat, and for a moment everything seemed to swim before me. Nobody noticed me, however; the train came thundering up directly, the whistle shrieked fiendishly, the passengers hurried out of the station-I had seen my last of Harry, and we all turned to go home. From some unusual impulse Annis joined herself closely to me on our homeward way; she linked my arm in hers, and I fancied that she trembled as she leaned upon me. In a sort of desperation, I whispered to her, "Why do you not tell me that you are engaged?"

She stopped, and looked searchingly at me. "Has he been speaking to you?" she asked.

"He told me I was to ask you. Of course I guessed it long ago, but you might take me into your confidence, Annis. I assure you I am to be trusted."

"I know that full well, you darling child. But-but-there is no engagement, Pet." "No engagement!" I echoed, astounded. "Hush!" The others were at some distance, but I had spoken imprudently loud. "No, there is no engagement. But this I will say, that he is the best, the only perfect character I have ever met."

you think, sanction such an engagement now? Poor as we both are, could I fetter him with such a promise?"

"Then what do you mean to do?" I asked in bewilderment. This was a drawback which, with my romantic notions, had never occurred to me.

"I mean to love him," she answered, with sudden, fierce energy, pressing my arm forcibly against her; "to love him-worship him, if you will-for I do worship his very name, the very ground he treads on. O child! why do I talk to you in this way? understand!"

You cannot

"Dear Annis," I replied, softened and half-scared by her emotion, "I do understand how such a nature as his might awaken this feeling in you. He is perfect, as you say; no wonder that you love him as you do! And if this great love makes you willing to wait for a time to come when you can feel that, in marrying him, you are laying no burden upon him-willing to endure all things patiently for his sake, cheered and consoled by the thought of the bright future awaiting you both-"

But here Annis checked my rhapsody with a laugh. "You are a dear little sentimental goose, Pet," she said, in a tone which sufficiently abased me from my heroics. "It's a comfort to talk to you, anyway; but don't you betray me to anybody, for your life. Remember, this is sacred between us two."

"I shall not betray you," I rejoined, half flattered, half vexed. How could she change so suddenly, when speaking on such a theme? But later in the day, when she locked her door upon us two, and showed me some pressed violets and a curl of beautiful hair, and kissed and cried over them-cried vehemently, passionately, as if her very heart would break-I went back to my first theory, and felt that such love was worth living a lifetime to gain; and mingled my tears in all sincerity with hers, whispering to her that

"And yet you will trifle with him!-you my sisterly affection would never fail her, will dare!” nor refuse to meet her demands upon my sympathy and support.

"Hush, hush! you don't know what you are talking of; you are only a foolish child. Listen to me, Pet. Would prudence, do

Of course Harry had proposed to her; and, as I afterwards knew, he believed that

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