* * * * * Miss Electa rolled her greenish orbs about the chamber of learning with a thoughtful smile. "If Philura Rice ain't crazy," she said aloud; "an' I guess she ain't far from it. She's told a wicked lie! In either case, it's my Christian duty to see this thing put a stop to!" That evening after service Miss Philura, her modest cheeks dyed with painful blushes, confessed to her promised husband that she had indeed announced her intentions of matrimony some three months previous. "I wanted somebody to--to love me," she faltered; "somebody in particular, you know; and--and I asked God to give me--a--a husband. After I had asked, of course I _believed_ that _I had_. He--he was already in the encircling Good, you know, or I should not have wanted him! When Electa asked me point blank, what could I say without--without denying--_God_?" The brave voice faltered more than once during this recital; and finally broke down altogether when the Rev. Silas Pettibone, his brown eyes shining, exclaimed in joyful yet solemn tones, "and God sent me!" The encircling Good was perfectly manifest at that moment in the shape of two strong arms. Miss Philura rested in them and was glad. THE HOUR-GLASS STORIES * * * * * THE COURTSHIP OF SWEET ANNE PAGE By ELLEN V. TALBOT. A brisk little love story incidental to "The Merry Wives of Windsor," full of fun and frolic, and telling of the Courtship of Sweet Anne Page by three rivals lovers chosen by her father, her mother, and herself. THE SANDALS By REV. ZELOTES GRENELL. A beautiful little idyl of sacred story dealing with the sandals of Christ. THE TRANSFIGURATION OF MISS PHILURA By FLORENCE MORSE KINGSLEY. This clever story is based on the theory that every physical need and every desire of the human heart can be claimed and received from the "Encircling Good" by the true believer. THE HERR DOCTOR By ROBERT MACDONALD. A novelette of artistic literary merit, narrating the varied experiences of an American girl in her effort toward capturing a titled husband. ESARHADDON By COUNT LEO TOLSTOY. Three allegorical stories illustrating Tolstoy's theories of non-resistance, and the essential unity of all forms of life. THE CZAR'S GIFT By WILLIAM ORDWAY PARTRIDGE. How freedom was obtained for an exiled brother. THE EMANCIPATION OF MISS SUSANA An entrancing love story that ends in a most romantic marriage. THE OLD DARNMAN By CHARLES L. GOODELL, D.D. A character known to many a New England boy and girl, in which the "lost bride" is the occasion for a lifelong search from door to door. BALM IN GILEAD By FLORENCE MORSE KINGSLEY. A very touching story of a mother's grief over the loss of her child of tender years, and her search for comfort, which she finds at last in her husband's loyal Christian faith. MISERERE By MABEL WAGNALLS. The romantic story of a sweet voice that thrilled great audiences in operatic Paris, Berlin, etc.