Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-06-23
necessary to transfer her impediments tc

matter of course. Good-looking and well .
dressed maiden ladies travelling by them
selves rarely lack this sort of offer, and
our maiden lady was unusually good look
ing. Tall, commanding, with bright bldck
eyes, and cheeks whose roses sound health
and bygienic living rendered perennial in
bloom, with thirst fer facts, and certain
frank and kindly ease of manner, which
pleasantly suggested both Boston and Chi
eago, Aunt Sue, wherever she went, attract
cd notice, and fair share Of admiration ;
and as she herself would have phtasod it,,
providence always sent n man to carry
| her bundles" Providence was no less
kind than usual on this OCCASION. bag,
umbrella, shawl, books were safely trans
ferred, and with cordial smile OF thanks
she re-pointed her pencil, and prepared for
n day after her own heart, for digosting
Tho Insect World al leisure, noting her
fellow-travellers and their peculiarties,
and sweetening fact by AN occasional sug-
ar plum from the latest poet.
The entrance of conductor No. disturb
cd her reyerie. She felt for her purse, and
jumped up aghast.
conductor have dropped my purse in
the second car behind this-my purse with
all my tickets in i'll Is there time to go
back and get it?'
"No ma'am, there is not. That car
switched off for Boston five minutes ago."
"Tho purse was lying on my lap. It
must have fallen when / rose to change
cars. What can I do? Could telegraph
--bu: haven't any money TO pay for the
telegraph.
mo matter for that ma'am," said the
conductor politely; "I'll telegraph, and
the answer will reach you at Exeter. I'm
afraid, though, somebody else will have
picked the purse up before the conductor
on the up train gets the message"
"What did he say?" inquired an old wo-
man across the aisle, as the conductor NOV
ed on.
"was he hash with you, or did he act
clever?"
"The CONDUCTOR" said Aunt Sue in her
grandest tone. "Most kind and courteous.
People always are" BY way Of stemming
the tide of popular sympathy which seemed
| likely TO set in, she opened her book aud
began TO read.
at is very provoking" said her inward
thoughts. "How those girls will laugh at
me! wish 1 could recollect how much
| there was in the purse" and she entered
into a mental calculation, which led her
widely astray of the real sum. Figures
were not Aunt Sues strong point.
'Ten-twelve-fiitee dollars it must
be-" she thought. "I'm glad it's no more /;
but to be sure, a good many nice things
can be got for that She began to think
them over, until with what subscriptions
to magazines, donations to one thing and
another, and the purchase Of carbon photo
graphs, chromos, wood carvings, and what
| not, the fifteen dollars had been made to do
the work Of fifty, and was grown corre-
spondingly important in its owners eyes.
Exeter reached, the conductor Ietarned,-
"No message, ma am. leave the road
here, but I've telegraphed to have the purse
sent on if it is found; and if yon will give
me your address, I'll see that it reaches
you safely"
So the address was written, and pretty
soon the conductor appeared once more
Here's paper, ma'am, for you TO show
to the other conductors. l guess it will
take you along as far as Springfield, but af-
ter that / have no influence, and you'll
have to manage for yourself. You under
stand?'
"Yes, and thank you "A thousand times, -
murmured Aunt Sue, eXpressivoly; and
she said to herself, "If that mans hair had
been dark, he would never have eXerted
himself in this way. It's perfect coniir-
nation of my theory, and shall write to
Dora about it the moment get home'
Now Aunt Sues theory was that light
haired men are always attracted and drawn
out by dark haired women, and Uice 0erSd.
She had clung to it under many discour-
agements, and ON the present occasion
found "A certain satisfaction in the oppor-
tunity afforded of testing its correctness.
"Not that it needs proof she thought.
Haven't tried it hundred times ?"
The paper" was Il sort of circular, adj
dressed to whom ii might concern, or ra-
ther to the conductors of the ", NJ. and
@. raj lroad, and setting forth that Miss Su-
san P of Bunbrook, having been so un-
fortuate as to lose her purse and tickets,
those officials would please help her along
as they could, and oblige G.. w. lansing,
I'd Division. 1t was a little like free pass,
little like begging letter; and with
ONE little trepidation Aunt Sue prepared
TO fire it off at conductor No. 3, who now
entered.
"Black hairr' she inly gasped. "Oh
dearr'
"This is all have to offer by way Of a
tic ket, sir" she said in dulcet tones, feel
ing, as she afterward confessed, like hand
organ man, OF blind mendicant passing
round hat.
Black hair proved propitiOus. His eve
brows elevated themselves very little, Ia
be sure but that might have arisen from
sympathy; and his questions were polite
and to the point. Aunt Sue grew more
comfortable, and began to be intensely
grateful to &. w. Lansing, 2d Division
"That dear, good man." she thought, "ir Ia,
does find my purse, declare / must SEND
him something. Such kindness ought 10 b,
encouraged. / owe ii to other women 10 do
so. Let me see. II shall he a book.
think; something practical, and at tn,
81 me time entertaining" She compose,
the note which should go with it, and pass
ed in review before her mind all the books
she had ever heard of, from Koran I,
Froude's History of England. II wish
knew little more about conductors an,
their tastes" she musod, $50 as TO be abb
to tell what he would like best"
No. was also dark haired man, an,
grufl in manner, which though disagIeea
BILE in itself, afforded n triumph to the the
ory. But No. s. a decided blonde, light
haired as Amalric the son of Anal, was s.
much greater that the theory suffered
violent collapse. And when No. @ entered
wn-haired, brown bearded and polite
Aunt Sue became so confused among IA