Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-02-20

From the Vermont CongregatiOnalist.
Jessie and /.

with no living bodies besides but baby
and Mrs. Brightie and her young daugh-
ter, Miss Malta-two evenings that began
in clouds and tears. ran on in pleasant
readings and little, bright, sunshiny talks,
and ended in the beautiful sunset of a
happy goodnight, | will proceed to relate.
But | must first tell you just word
about Jessie, because | think it is very
stupid, reading of people of whom you do
not know anything.
Jessie was ten years DID, and for just SO
many years she had been the baby and pet
of the family So, very naturally, she
would be almost spoiled But to show you
that she was not a few months ago, when,
one morning, all the children gathered
around the old cradle, which had been
dragged out of the depths of dark closet
where it had fallen, as is supposed, into its
final rest, and looked so curiously upon
that funny little lump of thing all bur-
ed in bankets-their own baby brother
Jessies nose wasn't broken at all Her
little heart swelled to its utmost with JOY
and love, and she exclaimed, .'Oh . isn't
he cunning? Isn't he darling?" And she
capered for very gladness of spirit
1t was the evening for the church meet
ing, and all the family were to be alb
sent there or elsewhere. Her mamma
wished to go, if somebody could help .Jes-
sic watch the baby But the poor child
had cold and headache, and sore throat
bound i'll flannel, and it seemed very hard
to lose her own dear mother, even for a
little time. As | could not go to the meet
tho thinf, for.
with Jessie So | threw on nv water
proof and ran across. As | entered the
sitting-roon, heard her mamma who was
in the nursery with her, saving. " Aunt
Linda will stay with you, dear. The days
were when my children thought that
there was nobody quite SO nice as aunt
Linda, and visit from her set you all into
an ecstasy. Now | am sure YOU will
find the evening pleasant, and | shall be
home before nine o'clock"
By the dim light | could see Jessie's
little figure, curled up Oh the carpet at the
foot of the cradle, her face buried in the
blankets. There was no sound, but | knew
there We're tears III the eyes and sorrow in
the heart So | went in, and, sitting down
beside her, drew the little fearful face on
to my bosom, saying, =" Yes, Jessie. the
children used to think | was wonderful at
telling stories but since You have all
learned to read them for yourselves. | am
afraid have lost the trick However,
think we can manage to have pleasant
evening together, somehow"
So | lifted her up and placed her on the
lounge i'll the sitting-room, and began rub
bing her head, and talking quietly with
her But she started up, saving - o
auntle, please don't trouble yourself to rub
my head; it doesn't ache much, and it will
be better of itself by just lying still" But
as ii wasn't any trouble. rubbed and we
talked on till Mrs. Brightie who Is .Jcs
sizes especial care. jumped up TO find her
mistress, and, smuggling under her arm,
began, by gentle purr. to invite herself
to 20 TO sleep. The comfortable, dreamy
little sound reached the ear of Miss Malta
who was eoiled up by the freestone stove.
Thinking, | suppose, that the lounge would
be softer than the carpet. she started up,
and, stretching one paw after another,
finally reached us and bounded up in an
instant.
But what Il transformation GOrgons
and hydras dire (it YOU don't know about
these monsters, ask your mothers. chill
dren) were not more terrific than our meek,
gentle-looking Brightie, all in an instant.
The truth is Madame Brightie thinks her
grown-up daughter is altogether too tamil-
lar so she takes or great dignity, a. much
as to say, . Y on need not consider me as
your mother any longer. We will only be
neighborly cats on good terms III the fam
ilv, if YOU behave well-it' not look out -
This invasion of her authority and dignity
was therefore quite too much, and she
went into battle with Il terrible charge.
Miss Malta had as much of the heroic as
her mother, and did not turn tail, assure
you; but right over Jessie, with paws and
claws, with teeth and tongues, with Kisses
and splitting, they drove it most catfully.
Poor Jessie was fairly bewildered. So
L separated the combatants but not I'M
til | had dealtsome pretty hard blows
Miss Malta bounded back to her old COW
er, while Mrs. Brightie, still growing
most ominouslv, retreated under Jessie's
arm.
As Jessie had some discipline further to
administer to her pet, | sat down by the
table and commenced reading in the Sun
day Magazine. But it pretty soon occur
red to me that this was no way to enter
tain Jessie As her eyes began, too, TO
watch me rather hungrily, | said, - Would
not YOU like to have me read to YOU in
something ~
" es' she answered, hcsitatingly, " but
l am afraid it will hurt your throat
i guess not; at any rate | can try, If
YOU have any book
My Sunday School book | haven't read
only partly through. But you would like to
begin at the beginning, and I'd just lief
hear it over again
No, dear, that would not be best. You
can tell me the story far you have
gone, and | will read on
Well, it's about Clemence, Mrs Effing-
ham Oh she was such beautiful lady
and SO good, too And her husband was
kind, and pretty good but he had two
grown-up daughters. Oh 4. they were just
as proud and ugly-yes, real ugly--as they
could be. They did everything they could
to make her sad. They had one brother,
and he naughty, too Well | think
he would have been pretty good, perhaps,
if it had not been for Arabela and Louisa,
for he thought his mother was beautiful,
and he couldn't help liking her sometimes !;
but the girls set him against her. And
there was their aunt Salina Oh. she was
a monster You never heard of such
proud, ugly thing as she was. And poor
Clemence had to bear it all I've got now
just where she is having visit from her
uncle, Captain Thistle. He was all the
friend she had, and oh, he was splendid
| know you will like him