Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-08-04


ciated woman, with sunken eyes and pal
lid features, who was lying on bed in the
corner, were its occupants. The floor was
bare, the furniture was plain and poor, and
everything indicated that its tenants lived
on the very verge Of starvation but on all
their faces was cheerful look, that show
ed that somehow they had imbibed OF that
divine elixir which gives TO the most
wrotched comfort and contentmont. Curl
Gus to get at the secret of their happiness,
the stranger asked the old woman ABOUT
her history.
Twenty years before, she said, her two
sons and her husband had died, leaving
her destitute and alone, with one remain
ing child-a little daughter. Too weak to
work, and unwilling to beg, she then re-
sorted to street vending, and, by twelve
hours of daily toll, managed to support
herself and bring up her daughter. At
twenty the latter married worthless fell
low, who broke her heart and then cast her
penniless upon the world with u young
son, the little boy who was then setting the
table. The old woman took them in, and
about this time also adopted the little girl,
who was the orphan child Of n poor neigh
bor..
"And were you able to support them all
by vending apples ?' asked the gentleman.
'No sir" she answered. 81 tried to, but
couldn't. My darter was sick and could
mt do nothing, and we soon got into debt
twenty dollars. Then, as if TO make bad
worse, was took down with the rheuma-
tics. / was down with them a fortnight; (;
and when got up cOuldu't get round like
| could alore so, no: knowing what to do,
| went with my basket onto a bench nigh
the Frog Pond. Folks came to me amaz-
in that day, and at night had two dollars
clean profit. Then ! saw the Lords hand /;
he knowed couldn't make a living going
round, so he gave me the rheumatics, TO
show me it was best TO open stand on the
Common"
"And since then have you made both
ends meet?"
"Yes, sir; since then I've been prospered
wonderful. I've paid off the debt, and
now when want to can lay in stock of
ten dollars, and that, you know, brings ap-
Piles cheaper"
'But nave you no lear lof Winter
"No. sir. It's two months of; | can
make thirty dollars afore it comes, and
that, with what sewing and washing | can
do, will take us round to warm weather"
"And how old are your" asked the gen.
tleman, looking at her furrowed face and
white hairs, which seemed TO say centu-
ry.
"Seventy next Christmas. But ye would
ut think it to look at me. feel amOst as
peart as when | was thirty"
"And at your age, and in such poverty,
can you always look hopefully at the flu
ture?'
"Yes, sir The Lord is my Shepherd, |
shall not want. lie maketh me to lie down
in green pastures. He leadeth me beside
the still waters
The stranger looked at her with wonder.
He had heard those words before, but now
they they had to him a new meaning. All
at once it dawncd upon him that "the poor
are the blessed" because of their faith
which, of itself, is the "Kingdom of IIeav-
en-" Drawing a roll of bank notes from
his pocket he handed one of them TO the
old woman. She took it, held it up curl
ouslv 10 the candle. and then said. with a
smile that made her ugly features absolute
| ly handsome: -
at is more money than | ever saw at
once afore ,two,Ild take MS clean through
tbc vinter We isa GOOD gentleman and I
thank We. but we can oct along and while
,yo con I don't like to take money from
orylodv
Tbis cho s,id in a gontIo wov ne If she
coorod to vound his feelinos lie made no
ro,I, Ian, nutti,o his noto hock In his
nnol,ot roso and bode bor GOOD ovoning
when bo roocbod tbo door ne turnod and
sa,,ino ..I coraot ,ho cbildror >, ,ool, botb
or ,hon, mn in his arms and kissad thom
rho, no wont down tbe long stairs and
vail od slowly bomeward lie had pron-
ed in the dark for thirty wears. and this old
woman had piven him his first living rev.
clation.
After that he kept his eve upon her. Ey.
cry morning and evening he passed hei
stand on the Common. and he never went
Inv without saving a cheerful word. or paus.
inc to ask after her sick daughter and chill.
dren
"The children il well. thank Won. sir
and Eliza is as well AS could be expected >
was her almost inyariable answer. But on,
sultry day in August she said: "She seem.
! to be sinking fast. sir. WAY up where VIC
live we don't get none but hot air and tb,
sun don't come in till into the afternoon
Pears TO me weneed sunshine as much a.
the plants and flowers"
The next day the gentleman went nom,
earlier than usual and a. ne came near tn,
old woman's stand he caught sight of th,
invalid daughter. seated in a hand wagon
nronned nm Inv inflow and shaded bv th,
lilo nnbralla Tho attontion of the al,
,,o,,on ,Yos enorossed nv , iuvonile ems
80. I'm, ,,o dauoh,or notod his an
nrooob and coIlod to him no bo made ne
80, w.. ,,,,,,,a,,, .oo1.,.