Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-06-13
ALONE.

A restless, sad, longing little heart was beat
ing under worn calico dress, in little room
in Fourth street. Tears as warm and grief
swollen as any that gush from woman's eyes
crept down the cheek little way, paused, crept
on little farther, waited, trembled, and then
swelling as the bosom swes with sighs, ran
down the maiden's cheek, and fell upon the
faded chntH. Through and through, and
through again, slipped the nimbe needle, shin
ing with the neycr-ending attrition of muslin
and linen and silk. The Argus-eyed thimblc-
nothing better than Steel though worn to the
polish of silver-clicked against the needle,
pressing it through the close fabric into the
calloused fnger-tip, fretted and, notched and
blackened by many another needle-point, dur
ing many weary day and many weary night
A cooking stove, one chair, two beds, few
dishes on a shelf in the corner, broom, a large
stone pitcher, bonnet and shawl, few pieces
OF stove furniture, half a dozen plants in rough
wooden boxes on the window sill, four or five
books on the one table-these comprised the
furniture.
The room was elevated far above the noise
and dust of the dirty street-above the usual
flight of city pigeons even; in the fifth story
and the roof in sloping had cut off corner of
the ceiling The little low windows-a pair of
stunted ones-did the best they could with the
sunlight, but were too much crowded by the
falling roof to accomplish much.
Had you slipped noiSelessly in-whch you
could not have done, in fact for the saggng of
the door and its heavy scraping upon the thresh-
old-you would have been struck first By the
barenoss, and then by the singular neatness OF
the attic room.
A little b ack and white kitten would have
glanced up at you from soft bed of cotton in
its own corner or skipped, frightened, upon the
smaller bed of the two; and still figure in the
window would have presented only bowed
head, but busy fingers, and worn and faded
print
But if your tread had been heard on the
stairs and mistaken for that of an old man, jus,
before you reached the threshold, you would
have heard springing step upon the attic floor
the door would have scraped open with good
natured growl a pair Of black eyes would have
shone at you from a face wreathed in smiles
and possibly, in the shadow and haste, you
might have got pair of arms about your neck
AT any rate, you would have followed tall
little figure into the room and on taking YOU
seat would have found yourself vis-a-vis witt
as expressive and proud face as ever shont
from voluptuous plush, airy laces, rustling silk
and sparkling diamonds.
Indeed, while the tear-drops were falling un
der the pressure of thoughts which the hear
could not possibly hide under its lifting lid,
step was heard upon the stairs, the staircase die
creak like the stagc-drver's horn, with the new
of coming, the door did open and pair o
white arms were flung passionately around tn
neck of a white haired old man.
Jennie had been crying of thoughts aroused
by brief walk in a populous street that after
noon.
She avoided these better thoroughfares whel
she could, hulrying along where the streets ar
narrow and dingy-were the glistening OF sill
and the trembe Of plumes is seldom seen
where bright eyes and fair faces radiate onl
from faded and worn surroundings. But thi
afternoon her errand to the store had taken he
through one of the comely streets. Indeed
stood on the very corner of Main street, aroun
which human tides swept, eddying, every houl
She had seen poverty, comfort and wealth
plainness, comeness, beauty-stupidity, sens
intellect.
Sitting at her low window in the dull, VI
seemly room, worn, tired, discouraged with th
labors and forebodings of life Jennie's though
could do less than bring tears. She was thinl
, ing of the happiness which tloated about her
! the crowded streets of the laughing eyes
the naughty tread of faces brimming with car
= less merriment and conscious beauty. She ha
seen hundreds in that one street-hundreds
maidens to whom she was consciously superio
And this was not egotism in the weeping gin
Does the doe imagine itself snail, or the eag
l. fancy itself blue jay? Was it wrong that
this b iauty, all this innate refinement, all tn
: spirit, and taste and mentality, should pine an
u sorrow for want of that appreciation for whi'
u we all long and strveP And if Jennie wei
+ that her scant and faded calico had drawn fort
J. sneers, as though it were herself and not u
a accident of covering; and il she wept that SIN
ple-minded and narrow -thoughted girls carr. .
themselves proudly, and won attention. whl
she slipped meany into by-ways, ana Snrul
e from the observation which was only cold al
= contomptuous, can we blame hor one WAS
mower. But, alas Jennie was Gagged by ci
IL eumstanees, her Jewels covered with the dust
labor, her young life hidden, and dull, and sa
Q Besides an incident at the store had woun
D. ed her severely, and re-awakened her conscou