Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-10-25


trife older and uglier still to poor Jemima
now, though she scarcely knew why.
She turned it about on her hand, and
fell to wondering a little drearily why it
was she never had anything new-any-
thing all her own. 1t seemed to her that
all her life she had been obliged 10 build
upon other peoples foundations, to make
straight where others had blundered, and
take up things where others had stopIs s1.
Her work never came to her in raw mate
rial; it was always what somebody else
had used. or spoiled, or begun. Back
through the twenty. eight years Of her life,
so nearly as she could remember, 1t had
been the same Housekeeping cares had
fallen early upon her childish shoulders,
when her invalid mother died. Then there
had been a constant planning and working
to procure what her careless, imprOvident
father did not provide, to economize where
he wasted pretty sister to work for and
be snubbed by, until she made runaway
marriage with a gentemanly scamp; and
the same sister to console and care for du-
ring what remained OF her brief life,
when she came back, deserted and broken
hearted Rob and Teddy were the lega-
cies she left. Well, they were not Jemi
mas own, either; but they were a Won
derful comfort to her. The very thought
of them made her pause suddenly in the
midst of her questioning whether she
would not have builded better and more
successfully if she could have laid her own
corner-stones, reared structure of her
own instead Of filling breeches IN the bro
ken walls Of others. Those two little
faces stopped the train OF might have
beens,' aud made her murmur, woman
that she was, " Dear boys wouldn't
give them up for anything -
" 1t can be whitened, pressed into shape,
and made very presentabIe,' broke IN
Aunt Hester's voice
True" answered Jemima, slowly.
% Yes, | hope it will be made presenta5le
at last, though it does not look 50 now
Why, its the best OF braid, inter
poted Aunt Hester, with some severity.
She fancied the remark was u slight dis
paragement Of daughter Susan's taste-a
a thing not to be tolerated.
That one aroused Jemima from her
reverie at once. She discovered the good
qualities of the braid Immediately, aut
Aunt Hester, somewhat Modified, took her
departure.
Send 1t to the miiiners, an1 have it
bleached and made over" Advice very
easy to give, but not 50 easy to take. un-
der the circumstances, commenced Jemi-
ma, left to herself again. " No. most cx-
celIent bonnet, you Will have to submit to
being sewed over by my own fingers, ana
no others, and take such bleaching as |
can give you. Pity, considering your past
grandeur, but it can't be helped
She was an energetic littie woman, ana
50 in very short space Of time she had
arranged in the back yard a closely COW
cred barrel, with a pan of Goals SprInklei
with birthstone placed in the bottom OF it.
and the antiquated straw fastened near
the top, and left to whiten ia the smoke
Rob anl Teddy were duly advised OF the
contents Of the barrel AMI warned not to
molest it aud then Miss Jemima went
cherriIy back to the house aud her work
Of darning small stockings aud planning
for diminutiye jackets
The out-ot-door world was very lovely
that spring morning. and she stole gances
at it now and then through the little win
iow-delighti in the fresh, green grass
and bloSsOm-laden trees of the tiny yard IN
front, and watching with kindly. human
interest the occasional passers-by on the
road beyond. These last were not many,
for it was only quiet, village road; but
presently there passed q team with an
unusual load-a large, heavy milestone.
The driver walked beside it as il moved
slowly along, and following it a short dis
tance behind was another person, whom
Jemima scanned more closeiy-a man
some thirtp-three OF four years of age,
medium sized, bronzed aud bearded, aud
dressed in plain suit Of gray. There
was nothing very remarkable IN his APP
pearance nevertheless, he was a person
of some interest to the villagers as being
the new owner Of the mill over the hill.
The former owner had faiad to make it
and for year or two it had
stood idle When, therefore, it was known
that it had been sold, and was to be re-
paired and put IN running order, there was
a variety Of opinions and shaking Of heads
among the sages Of the little place. There
were some who carried their disnterested
kindness so far as to inform the new COM
er that it " wouldn't pay he would " sink
money" &c, to all Of which Cade Bar
clay listened good-naturedly, answering
but little, except with his frank, sunny
smie, and then went steadily on his way,
quite undisturbed by their pre-
dictions.
OF the merits Of the question or the
man Jemima knew nothing but there
was a quiet, resolute air about him, Ger
tain self-reiance and determination betray-
ing itself even in his firm, quick step as
he passed, that gave the impression that
he saw quite as clearly into his own af-
fairs as others could see for him, and made |
her fancy that she should trust his judg- |
ment as soon as the wisest of them all. |
The road wound around the little house, !
and up over the hill at the back of the |
garden, Sc that the great wheel and its |
owner disappeared from her view at the |
front window while she was still thinking |
Of them. So little of new came to dis |
turb the serenity OF the place that it was
not marvellous that the people INDUCED in |
speculations concerning this enterprise, or |
that Jemima, in her nook, should feel some |
interest in it. Her meditations were still |
tending in that direction, when suddenly
there came a rushing, rolling sound,
crashing as of breaking bushes, a scream
from Rob and Teddy, that would have
done credit to two Indians, and then some
thing struck the corner of the house so
heavily as to make it all jar and tremble
L. e.,
at the door in an instant. The boys were
certainly not killed she saw that at
glance neither were they injured in lung
or limb, for the shouting and gesticulating
were wild aud furious.