Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1848-02-11

iitile round table with the clean cloth. and
weil-polished knives and forks and plate.
upon It, aud the simple but well conked
dish which was to firm the meal but dirty
pans aud dishes, aud scraps and scrapinQs
and all the II csferds which the process 81
cooking usually involves, we're nowhere 10
be seen. Mary the magician had touched
them all with her wand. together with the
cooking grment which had envelnped her
own person, and they were invisible, and
she was free from speck or stain. aud ready
TO sit down with her husband TO share and
TO give zest 10 his meal
10 the summer evenings Harry was no,
too tired to work ia his own garden; and
Mary was always with him to help him,
though rs Mary was not used TO the work
her help afforded TO the experienced garden.
er no little amusement however, she kept
him laughing and talking, and that was
something. Then they would sometimes
vary the recreation Of the evenings by long
walks together, and Harry said he never
could have believed there was 50 much en-
J"ymenI in stroll in the country; but Ma
~ was such person. she seemed to find
beauty where no one else would ever think
of looking for it, and she made him think il
delightful TO feel the fresh air aud 10 smell
the fresh earth. aud to hear the birds sing.
and to take notice Of the flowers in their
path, aud even to watch the clouds in the
sky. When winter came and the evenings
began to be dark. Mary devised NICE plan
Tor pleasant occupation. She had few
books which had been prizes to her at school,
and some which were presents from her
school companions, and she asked Harry to
read aloud 10 her as she sat at sewing. fshe
was then busy making some miniature gar.
ments Harry was a long time before he
would comply, for he said he had hardly
seen book since he was at school, and
then he was not much of reader. Mary,
however, rallied him into making the az
tempt. There was volume OF selected
poems--she thought he might try one short
one. Harry took the book. and turing
over the leaves, his eye was attracted by the
title Of me Of the poems--ii was a song Of
Burns which he knew almost by heart
There was an opportunity for him to make
a display. With a preparatory clearing Of
the throat, lie began TO read. and went
through the whole song 50 surprisingly well,
10 - -. -. -...-' e,y 'akus"
her 10 bcI,eye ,h., ~ .a.'iS III. ~ NV
well 40 no ayo,sad ~ - .e"u 30
Mary aid ,b,, no,,,;,h-,..'S,' ~. 80
was snra f,o,, ~ 49,, - I''e
read we'll any,h;n, he hsJ -, .a.,a
Assured nv ,lis ,s,,,sa H.. .,' 49,,
10 try a sbou poem n he, seler,,oa .nd
in splte of a LILLE bupgl;no n, The hard
words. he managed 10 get On an npch ~
his own satisfaction. that he tried also ano,h-
er aud another. Then Mary, seeing that
he was tired. took the book irnm b,.n and
read to him a liule. Then they tslked 10.
gether about various subjects s1gge,,ed nv
their reading, and Harry was so much inter.
esied. that when the hour for voiny 10 he'd
arrived, he declared that he had never speo,
so short IN evening in b;s IN. m, as.
the beginning Of a taste in Harry which
made many and many an eyen,ng seem on;,s
too short for him-many and m,ns an eve.
ming which mich, o,he,,,;se ns,bsns Ls -.
length and tedium. have trmp,ed nm ~ 10
SORT 10 less innocent moan. n, m,L;n, !,
pass. The mind Graves far e,c;,emen, and
il will have il Of one Kind or ano,se, AZ
ter this first essay. MARY praised him 40
much, that Harry was proud to 90 on read
ing to her litiie every eyenine. and he
soon began to read as much for his own
amusement as for hers. Al last. he became
so fond of il, that before the first winter was
over, he had read quite through Mary. liz.
tie library. Then he had nothing else TO
turn to-for, unfortunately. in thai country
village there was no cbeap library an he
was content to read the same owe, ard ov.,