Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-01-20
Un,potIcd from The World;
Or I'M nr,ufY on cnrisrlAS ExANrlr

on THE Dr,uE or CHRISTIAN EXAMrlr.
Il was q delicious autumn afternoon, and
all the cay world Of New York was abroad.
arrayed like lilies of the field, on the prone
nade Or The drive 4 richly attired young
lady ran mp the steps of am elegant mausion
aud pulled the bell
" Miss Alison at home?" she asked Of the
servan, who answered IT,
" Yes, maam, said the man. walk into
the parlor, if you please, and will take NJ
your name
"Oh, no, you needn't trouble | know
she will see me and | shall Just run up to
her room," said the young lady, and She trip
ped past the pompous waiter up the broad
staircase, her silkcn hounees puds and sashes
rustling as she went and knocked at the door
Of the young lady Of the house
"Come in, said a pleasant voice, and the
visitor entered and rushed up to greet her
friend with all the e6usireHess so much in
vogue.
" You must excuse my rushing right up to
your room," she began at once "but ! pos
itiyely could not wait another instant to see
you after heard that you had got back to
town, Ii seems an age since we parted at
Sharon, aud was telling mamma only the
other day, that | had never met any one
whom | fell so ia love with at first sight l
met young Cadwallader, your devoted, You
know, at a matinee on Saturday and he told
me you had got home This is only Monday
and here | avn isn't this devotion? For /
declined a drive in the Park behind those
glorious bays of Colonel llnuton's on pur-
pose TO come early, before YOU would get out.
" And how well you are looking She rat
tied on again after moments pause for
breath and what lovely room you have.
| thought mine was pretty, but yours is q
thousand times handsomer. The effect Of
these rose-colorcd hangings is delicious, so be-
coming 10 your brunette style. | expect they
give me too much color. being blonde YOU
know; and the pretty. giddy young creature
glanced coquettishly into the great mirror,
and tossed back the long fair trcss which
Aoated naf curled over her dainty shoulder
" But what in this world are YOU doing.
may ask2" she began again in tone Of
CONSERVATION, her rowing attention having
been just arrested by her hostess occupation
-" You don't meau TO say that y0N, Miss Ali
son--the belle, the heiress, the very topmost
layer Of the creme de ia crcme--alter orer
yoilr oira dresses ''
The last words were brought ont in such a
low, prolonged tone Of horror, that the lady
addressed could not refrain from burst of
amused laughter, though there still fingered
on her check the faint flush of annoyance
which had dawned there at the unceremoni-
Gus intrusion of mere waiering-place ac-
quaintance into her own special apartment
q" am sorry if you are shocked, Miss
Seymour she replied in selfpossessed and
still amused tone but | really do, some
times"
Oh, please don't call me Miss Seymour
you called me Rose once at Sharon, don't you
remember and it made me so happy Aud
don't be offended, but really am oycrwhelm-
ed You, who set all the girls nearly mad
with envy Of your elegant toiottes--you are
surely never going 10 wear this again?' and
she took up in her daintily-kidded fingers
some breadths Of merino faded in some pla-
ces, and worn in others, which lay across Miss
Alison's lap.
The girl was so young so sincere IN her
devotion, and so evidently innocent Of any
presumption in her childlike persistence that
Miss Alison could not assume with her the
stately dignity with which she would have
met some peoples impertnenee. So she an
swered pleasantly,
No, | don't think | shall ever wear this
dress again, though it was once a fayorite
wrapper. If you notice, you will see could
hardly get into it in its present shape" And
she held up the waist, which had evidently
been made over for child.
"Oh, | sec. You are altering it for lit
tie girl, But you wouldn't let your sister
wear secondhand dresses and besides, you
have no little sisters Ah | understand
some little cousin--poor relations. They're
the torment of my life, but | didn't dream
you had any. thought the Alisons were
blue blood, and rolling in wealth, all the way
back as far as any one ever heard of them. "
Miss Alison laughed again. 81 don't
know but that the Alison blood is the same
color as other peoples; | never noticed any
difference" she said; though we have nc
relatives who need our assistance that | know
Of If We had, | don't think they would be
the bane of my life. 1 think it would be a
great interest and occupation to me to help
them
"Would it, really ?" said her young visitor
in a surprised tone " | never thought Of such
thing. 1t is always horrid bore to me
when aunt Emily comes to make one Of ber
/ long visitations She's widow with ever SC
many children, and her husband was a grand
scamp, and ran through all her property, and
papa has to help her, you know; and mamma
ana ,;vo hor onr dresses when we have done
with them. And that brings me to what VIC
were talking of. Why in the world do yor
sit here poking over these old things, wher
everybody else is out this lovely afternoon ?
Miss Alison paused before speaking. -
Should she unyeil her heart" she thought
" before this thoughtless girl, and show he
the motive principle of her lite2 Was /
worth whie2 Could she understand--appre
ciate it? She would risk it. The younl
creature had taken strange fancy to her
she was responsible for her influence, aud sh
might win in her another aborer for he
Masters work" So she said grayely an'
softly, Rose !" and the young girl colore'
with pleasure at the kindly familiar tone.
Rose, you know--everybody knows
that there are plenty of poor people in tn
world wretched, starving, tcicked' poor peo
pie some Of them, | grant you, though W
are none the less bound to help them 10
which of us can say zoe should not be wieke'
too if we had been born and bred as they
But there is another kind ofpoor people 70
whom my heart has always gone out 10 sym
pathy. Decent motherso Of families, who striy