Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-02-21

spending the larger part Of her fortune In
charity; Early in the second year there was
; an epidemic Of yellow.fever Mrs. Long re.
FUSED TO leave the city, and went fearlessiy AZ
'ne physicians to visit and nurse the worst
cases. But after the epidemic had passed bv
sne herself was taken i'll, and died suddenly
IN hospital ward, surrounded bv Tho very
patients whom she had nursed back to bosltb
Nothing | could say in NV own word,
would give so vivid an idea of the me.t;n,,
between John Gray and his wife, as the FIRST
letter which l received from little Alice: =
DARLING AuNrIE-
II is too bad you did not como too II.
voyage was horrid. Papa was 40 r,noh ~ ~
or than l, that had to take care Of Mn III
'no ''me put my head ached so that kent
seeing black spots if | stopped over to kiss
papa out papa said | was just like another
mamma.
On, Auntie, only think, there was mis-.
'aSe about the letters, and mamma never cot
'he letter to tell her that we we're coming;
and she was out on the balcony of the hotel
when We got out Of the carriage, and first she
saw me ) and the lady who was with her said
she turned first red and then so white the
] -
down among all the people, and looked as If
she was dead and the very 6rst thing poor
papa and | saw, when we got up stairs, was
mamma being carried by two men, and papa
and both thought she was dead and papa
fell right down on his knees, and made the
men put mamma down on the floor, and ev-
erybody talked out loud, and papa never
spoke word, but just looked at mamma, and
nobody knew who papa was. till l spoke, and
| said,
That's my mamma, and papa aud | have
just come all the way from America, and
then gentleman told me to kiss mamma,
and did and them she opened her eyes
and just as soon as she saw papa, she got
great deal winter and her head fell back
again, and | was so sure she was dying that |
began to cry out loud, and | do think there
were more than hundred people all around
US but Louise says there were only ten or
twelve; and then the same gentleman that
told nae to kiss mamma took hold of papa,
and made him 60 away; and they carried
mamma into room, and laid her on a bed,
and said we must all 20 out but wouldn't;
| got right under the bed, and they didn't sec
me and 1t seemed to me a thousand years
before anybody spoke; and at last | heard
mammas voice, Just as weak as baby's--but
you know nobody could mistake mammals
voice and said she, Where is John--I saw
John !" and then the gentleman said, oh, l
forgot to tell you he was Doctor
my dear madam calm yourself land
then cried right out again, and crept out
between his legs and almost knocked him
down and said 1, " Don't you try to calm
| N, r,a,n,na ~ se mana and mn TOO mann
ina !" and then mamma burst out crying
and then the old gentleman ran out, and
guess papa was at the door, for he came right
in; and then he put his arms round mamma,
and they didn't speak for SO long, thought
stould die and all the people were listen.
ing, and going up and down in the halls out
side, and l felt SO frightened and ashamed,
for fear people would think mamma wasn't
glad to see us But papa says that is always
the way when people are more glad than they
can bear and the surprise, too, was too
much for anybody. But said at the tea
table that hoped that should never be SO
glad myself as long as lived; aud then the
= old rentlems-s ..ud a great friend Of mammals
anae Wears gold spectacles-he said My
aoar 's sIa5" E and s2eS t2eSS Sse may be some day
mamma and smiled and mamma aYi,:sa.e.
! cr'sa sein oh, altogether ii was a horrid
T time; the worst ever had and so different
from what papa and thought it would be.
Butts it's all over now, and we're all so
happy, we laugh so all the time, that papa
says it is dsgraceful that we shall have to
90 off and hide ourselves somewhere where
people can't see u.s.
But, Auntie, you don't know how per-
fectly splendid mamma is. She is the pretti-
est lady in the hotel, Louise says She is
ever so much fatter than she used to be. And
the baby has grown so did not know her,
and her curls are more than half yard long.
Louise and Mary have got their hair cut
short like boys, but their gowns are splendid
they say it was such pity you had any
made for me at home. But oh, dear Auntie,
don't think shall not always like the gowns
you made for me. Charlie isn't here he's
at some horrd school great way off for
get the name of the place. But we are all
going there to live for the summer. Mamma
said we should keep house in an "apart-
ment" and / was perfectly Mortified, and
said, " Mamma, in one room ?" and then
Louise and Mary laughed till was quite an
CRY but mamma says that here an apart
ment means set of good many rooms,
quite enough to live in. don't believe you
can have patience to read this long letter
but haven't told you half; no, not one half
of half. Goodbye, you darling aunty.
ALICE"
p. ST. wish you could just see mamma.
1t isn't only me that thinks she is so pretty;
papa thinks 50 too. He lust sits and looks,
and looks at her. till mamma doesn't ouite
like il, and asks him to look at baby a lit
tier,
was too full She said at the end
at s,rrose vou will hotb lou,b and crv
ana. silno,s ls,tsr A, Srs, shouah, ~
Onaa;nu wv, % :, R,, !, a;vss nor ssas
ouPp t;o's n;s,ns 90 ,ha sooea s ,S.; sbaiI lat
-p'S ~ woII ,ha, S.S ,ha e~or.o os