Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-06-13


virtue or mania Of his age and couniry-and
consequently, al threescore and ten, instead o
being the proprietor Of lands in the West, OF
ships on the sea, he possessed nothing but his
small paternal estate in B, pretty, cot.
iage- blocking dwelling with garden and an
acre of land. As far back as the administration
oil Jefferson, he had received the appointment oil
postmaster and, as the village grew with the
prosperity of manufactures and agriculture, the
income of the office has of late amounted 10
some five or six hundred dollars This, with
the addition of his pension as a revolutionary
officer, made the colonel ''passing rich !" for
by this time his sons and daughters were mar
ried, and dispersed from Maine TO Georgia, and
the youngest only, our friend LLOYD, remained
at home. Passing rich" we say, and repeat
1t. was the colonel. Those who have never
seen an income of few hundred dollars well
administered in rural life, can have no concep-
tion of the comfort and independence, nay, lux
ury, it will procure. In the first place, the
staples OF life, space, pure air, sweet water, and
continual feast for the eye, are furnished in
the country, in unmeasured quantity, by the
bounty of Providence. Then when, as with the
colonel, there are no vices to be pampered. no
vanties to be cherished, no artificial distinctions
TO be sustained, no conventional wants TO he
supplied, the few hundred dollars do all for hap
plness that money can do. The king who has
to ask his Commons for supplies, and the Cre-
suses of our land who still desire more than they
have, might envy our contented colonel, or rath-
er might have envied him, till, after life Of
perfect exemption from worldly cares, he came,
Tor the first time, to feel chill from The shad-
ows of the coming day-a disirustful fear that
the morrow might not ,ake care of itself
Among other luxuries of like nature, (the
colonel was addicted to such indulgences,) he
had allowed himself to adopt little destitute
orphan-girl, Paulina Morton She came TO
the old people after all their own girls were
married and gone, and proved so duiiful and so
helpful, tina: she was scarcely less dear to them
than their own flesh and blood. Paulna, or
Lina-for by this endearing diminutive they
famllary called her-was pretty, very pret-
ty girl, in spite of her red hair, which, since ii
has lost the favor some beauty, divine or mort
al, of classic days, won for it, is considered
IT not blemish, certainly an attribute OF beauty.
Paulina's friends and lovers maintained that hers
was getting darker every day, and that even
were IT fire-red, her soft blue eyes, spirited,
sweet mouth, coral lips, and cxquistely tinted
skin would redeem it. Indeed, good old Mrs.
Barnard insisted it was only red in certain lights,
and those certain lthuriel lights Lloyd Barnard
never saw it in; for he often expressed his sur
prise that any one could De so blind as to call
auburn red In these days of reasons supre-
macy, we have found out there are no such
dainty spirits" as Ariel, Puck, and Oberon.-
Still the lover is not disenchanted.
Lima, my child" said the old lady, one
evening a, ,.iliah,. -h;ia ,h. bu rnipp brar do
sent ruddy glow over the ceiling, aud were
reflected by the tea-things, our "nsat. handed
lass was arranging" "Lina, do you expect Mr.
Lovejoy this eveningr'
"No, ma am
"To-morrow evening. then -
mo, a'am; never expect him again"
''You asionish me, Lima. You don't mean
you have given him his answer,"
Lima smiled, and Mrs. Barnard continued ;
] fear you have not duly considered, Lima
"What is the use Of considering, ma am,
when we know our feelingsi"
''We can't afford always, my child, 10 con-
suit feelings. Nobody can say a word agains,
Mr. I.ovejoy; he made the best of husbands TO
his first wife,
"Tha' was very good reason why she should
love him, ma am
Mrs Barnard proceeded, without needing the
emphasis on she. "He has but three children,
and two of them are out of the way"
- poor reason, as have always thought,
a'am, to give either TO father or children for
taking the place of mother TO them'
'But there are few that are calculated for
the place you are cut ont for step-mo,her,
Lina-just the right disposition for step.moth-
er, or step-daughter."
Paulina's ideas were confused by the compli-
ment, and she was on the point of asking wheth-
or step-daughter and daughter-in-law expressed
the same relation, but some feeling checked her,
and instead Of asking she blushed deeply The
good old lady continued her soundings.
81 did not, Lima, expect you to marry Mr.
Lovejoy for love-"
"For what then, ma am, should | marry
hint" asked Lima, suspending her housewife
labors and standing before the fire while she
tied and united the string of her little black
silk apron.
"Girls often marry my child, 10 get good
home"
Marry to get home, Mrs Barnard
would wash, iron, sweep, scrub beg to get
home, sooner than marry to get one and, be-
side, have not the pleasantest home in the
world!-thanks to your bounty and the colo
nel's."
Mrs Barnard sighed, took Lina's fair, chub-
by hand in hers, stroked and pressed it, At
this moment, the colonel, who, had, unperceiv-
ed by either party, been taking his twilight nap
on his close-curained bed in the adjoining bed
room, rose, and drew up to the fire. He had
overheard the conversation, and now, to poor
Panlna's embarrassment, joined in it.
81 am disappointed, Lima he said ; sit is
strange il is so difficult TO suit you with hus-
hand you are easily suited with everything
else.'
but don't want a husband, Sir"
"There's no telling how soon you may, Lii
ma; l feel myself to be failing daily, and when
l am gone, my child, it will be all poor Lloyd
can do to take care of his mother"
tCan | moi helm him I'M I mot etronoar