AUNT RUTH'S TEMPTATION.
BY MRS. JOHN LILLIE.
Chapter II.
The final morning arrived at last, and as I drove away in papa's gig all the children crowded the gateway, and Winifred, in their midst, strained her eyes to see the last of me, and smile and wave a good-by.
Mrs. Ludlow's brother-in-law was to meet me at the station: he was on his way from Albany to New York, and had agreed to look out for me at C——, as the train passed through our town. The cars had hardly stopped, when a tall young man appeared on the platform, and was soon shaking hands with my father.
"I haven't seen you since you were a boy," my father said; "but I don't see that you have changed much. Now, Mr. Ludlow, will you take charge of my little girl?"
Mr. Ludlow declared himself well pleased to do so, and he was so genial and good-humored that I quickly got over the sudden shyness which had taken possession of me, and in half an hour I felt as if I had known him all my life. He seemed a little old, it is true; he was twenty-eight, and he had a dark, handsome face, with bright eyes and a merry laugh. I was perfectly astonished when I heard he was preparing to be a clergyman. I was soon chatting comfortably with him, and had told him all about our home and the boys, and Winny and my father, and how delighted I was to go to New York.
"And is Winny the housekeeper?" Mr. Ludlow asked. He knew that mamma was dead.
I started and laughed. "Why, she is our sister," I said. "But then," I added, "she does everything for us."
How well I remember our arrival! It was nearly dark, and the city confused me with its many sights and sounds, the endless streets, and lamps, and throngs of people. A carriage was waiting for us at the dépôt, and we drove through a great many streets, stopping finally before a big brick house with a low doorway, near Washington Square.