Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-11-29

inously when she tried TO take her.
She couldn't stay long with them, how
ever, for Fanny's beef tea, as every one
knows, can't be made in minute, and
meantime the Doctors orders were not be-
ing carried out. Fanny had had none that
morning, aud ought not to be left without 1t
any longer. What was to be doneP Sud
denly Jenny remembered the "eXtract oi
beef Of the "Santary Commission days,
and writing down the name on slip OF
paper. sent the housemaid TO the nearest
chemists in search of it. She came back
in few minutes, with the little package of
aueer-looking, leathery, brown stuff, and
in an incredibly short space of time Jenny
had bit of it Clipped up fine, dissolved
in boiling water, seasoned with pepper and
salt, and beheld with satisfaction cup OF
smoking beertca, guiltless of grease, which
she triumphantly carried up stairs, inward
ly calling down blessings on the head of
the man who invented the extract.
Poor Fanny could not have taken much,
o.en il It had been nectar, for fever time
Mas coming and Jenny was really alarmed
as she saw the pale face getting crimson,
felt the scorching heat of the hands, and
tried everything she could think of, with
out success, to alleviate the racking head
ache and dreadful rcstlessness. She SEEM
ed so very sick that Jenny longed anxious
lv rorthe Doctors afternoon visit, and when
he came he evidently thought her worse,
for he look ed grave as he said, "More fc-
yer than Yesterday" and added something
lowed him down stairs and asked If he
thought there was any danger? "No inn
mediate danger" said he, "but Mrs. Wes-
ton requires very great care and must be
kept very quiet = AID he left Jenny feeling
quite weighed down by the responsibility.
Mindful Of the Coming man." howev-
er, she rang the parlor bell for Bridget,
and made her carry away the withered
flowers and bring the dust-pan and brush
to the Uttered carpet, while she told her
about the dinner-table arrangements in n
few clear, simple words. Fanny had an ir-
ritable way of talking to the servants, con-
stantly finding fault and giving confused
orders, which made a simple, well-moan-
ing person like Bridget unable to do any
thing right, while Jenny's sweet manner
was so reassuring and quieting that people
were always able to DO their best for her.
The weary afternoon wore away at last,
and precisely at six O'Clock, as Jenny was
tanning her patient, she heard the latch
key in the front door and james and
Georges well-known voices.
George was tall, handsome man, with
great strength and splendid courage, which
had been well proved in the battles before
Richmond, but so shy that Fanny used to
say she believed he would rather face Il
rebel battery than room full of strangers.
He was such q domestic, home-loving fell
| low that James and Fanny, finding that lie
spent all his evenings at their house, aud
seemed to be very lonely and forlorn at a
hotel. had proposed his coming TO live with
| them, much to his comfort and satisfaction.
He was uncommony fond of little chill
.dren. and Fanny's little ones adored "Uu-
Gle George" who had the sweetest temper
in the world, and had never been known
to be cross. lie had plenty of intellect,
and could always say something worth
hearing, provided he was with people he
knew and ked, but his shyness made him
do himself injustice in society. lie thought
Jenny the sweetest girl i'm the world, and
his iavorite castle in the air was a pretty
house of hi own. presided over 10y a sun
ny-tempercd little wife, with rosy checks,
brown eyes and a saucy little turn-up nose
But whether he would have the courage to
tell her so was really matter of doubt, foi
the more he thought it over the more inn
possible it seemed to him that Jenny could
ever like him well enough to say "yes;
ard | really think he would have been
thankful if, like the Parsees' with their
prayers, he could have deputed some one
else to do it for him.
Fanny had guessed his secret, but wisely
kept her own counsel. only determining
that, should matters go so far as to neet
one little friendly push to set them al
right, hers should be the hand TO give it
Little did she think what was to be her par
in Georges love-making.
Poor Fanny The long list of her noble
qualities did not include either patience o
self-conlrol and as the weary days went by
and the novelty Of Jenny's presence wor,
off, she began to find fault even with hol
favorite sister-in-law and, although, lsh,
had been asked, she would have said tha
there never was such dear, good nurse
she yet scolded at everything she did in
way that was very hard to bear.
Fortunately for her, Jennys patience
was inexhaustible, and she was generous
soul who would have scorned the mean
ness of losing temper with a sick person o
| ,I,t n,,t
strength did sometimes, and n week o
days of incessant activity and nights o
broken est had made her look much pale
aud thinner.
1T was sultry morning, and she had jus
finished getting Fanny ready for the doc
tor's visit, and was putting away SOM
things, when in some unaccountablc way
she let fall goblet on the hearth with
loud crash.
"Jenny, | can't think how you can he s.
awkward r. burst out Fanny, startled b.
the noise "I declare you are just as ba,
as Bridget. l do wish you would go ava
and let me have some quiet"
II was the feather that broke the camel
back, and poor Jenny, who had been u
two nights, burst into tears.
None Of the Westons had been brougl
up on "systcm of weeps," and moItitle
and ashamed, Jenny hurried out of tn
room, muttering something about "back i
a minute" and rushing past her own room
which was in the chaos of "sweeping day,
she flew down stairs into the cool, darken
ed parior and throwing herself into a col
ner of the sofa, sobbed as If her heart woul
break. Her violent efforts to stop cryin
seemed all of no avail and she SCENE
horrilied at the thought of the doctors con
ing and finding Fanny excited by her ali
surd behavior.
"a pretty nurse, indeed" said she
herself "What would mother say TO this
But at any rate, George and James are OF