Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-08-15

If she were doing still for Bessie. All she
had laid by during the FIVE years went in
Bessie's burial. Anxious TO have some.
thing beforehand again In case of her own
Illness, or in preparation for little Steve's
futuie Q Jacket and trowsers or schooling, she
spared herself no pains. Her eyesight
had failed so, what with years and what
with tears, that she could no longer do fine
sewing or starching. She was Obliged to
go out TO the rougher labor OF the tub, and
another old woman from the other part of
but TO hinder the baby from rolling off tn
bed-used 10 come in and keep watch for
her while her poor old arms were in the
suds. But people hardly liked to employ
! her, not only because she could not see
well, but because it seemed as If they had
| better be doing the work themselves than
imposing 1t upon that gray headed woman.
Her proud, keen spirit felt that il was more
In charity than anything else that she was
hired at all. And she hailed the fact as If a
miracle had been wrought in her behalf
when rents grew so dear in the town that
she was at liberty to receive twenty five
| dollars more year on the other part of her
little house, of which she now reserved but
Cne room and a closet for herself; and so
was allowed TO leave the wash-tub.
TLus on one hundred dollars year old
Margaret lived and reared her child. 1t is
that which seems the miracle 10 you but
her wants were very few, and she was not
uncomfortable. She asked no aid of any
for little Steve-least of all of the Falcon
ers, who never knew from her that such a
child existed. Her bread and milk was all
he wanted as yet, and he wore, as have
said, almost anything. The Old Ladies'
Society of the town gave her monthly al
lowance of good Oolong tea, and she ac-
cepted IL as public benefit of the same ma
ture as the streets to walk on, or the use OF
the corner pump, or the ringing of the
nine o'clock bell, to none of which she con-
tributed tax money. And now, with moth
| ing to do but TO keep her two rooms and
her two people clean, TO teach little Sieve
his first steps and first words, she abandon
ed herself TO her first real bliss in years,
and when I was plying her most she was
needing.it least. Her first real bliss, for
not fear disturbed it. "God takes care of
the sparrows," she would say, "and he will
take care of little Steve"
"But when he is bigger" croaked the
old grandma from the other part of the
house, nearly as fond of the boy as Mar
garet was, though quite disproving Margar-
cts devotion, she will want different food
| from your bread and milk. He will need
red meat, and where is he to get ?"
"Where the young lions get theirs" said
| Margaret, and went on joyously; and it was
| in the days that first saw her, taking her
morning and her afternoon walk with the
child in her arms, talking gayly to him all
| the time, and kissing him at every other
| step.
What visions she had of little Stevca
future, and how she used TO confide them
tothe child as they went! And the boy
would lift his little head and pat her cheek
| approvingly, rs if he understood them all
and gave her now and then great wet kiss
| of his rosy mouth in return-a kiss that
knew no difference between her shriveled
yellow check and the blushing velvet o
youth.
How, after her hard experience of life,
Margaret could have had such thing as q
vision. passed conjecture; but she was so
light-hearted in her love that she believed
in everything that another might have seen
to he impossible and unattainable. The
clothes which little Steve was to wear when
he went to school the erranGs he was to
run in order TO get the money to buy the
A 10, ;.l l,,, 10
no common school at all, but one where
| her care of the rooms was to balance his
| term bill the prizes he was to win; the
| dav he was to graduate and speak his piece,
| and he applauded by the people and bc
| mentioned in the morning Herald next
| day the apprenticeship he was to serve in
| a lawyers office; the cases he was some
| day to plead the lives he was then to save
the good, the glory; and by-and-by Presi-
| dent-what dazzling structure it was that
| she built up on the foundation of her little
| span of life and strength And meanwhile
as she waited for the time when all these
things should be accomplishing, she took
her pleasure in her boy.
Perhaps Bessie's babyhood had been as
| lONtlN, utl app, uci az
quick, as little Steve's were now; but Mar
| garet had had no time then TO enjoy any u
| ii all-now she bad nothing else to do. II
seemed TO her that no cherub slumberinG
in beds of amarinth and asphodel inside
| the sculptured gates Of heaven could be Sc
| beautiful as little Steve was with the dew
| of sleep upon him as he lay in the ole
patchwork quilt. The day that the boy
| laughed heartily and intelligently she fel
that she assisted at fresh creation of th,
human soul; and 10 her mind nothn;
more remarkable in the race had ever oc
Cured than the first articuate sound tha
| little Steve uttered. His recognition of her
self was an ever-reourring miracle; she
snatched him up each time and covered
| him with kisses, as if ii needed a specia
act of gratitude the detestable old cat from
whose back he pulled handful of hair be
came Il sacred being-she wondered that tn,
cat did not like it; he was welcome to as
many handfuls of her own gray hair as h,
would take! "Do not talk about this earth
being dark place y she cried to the OLE
grandma OF the other part of the house
"ior it seems to me as bright as the sun ii
self! II must he bright when all the chill
dren born meet 1t with such gay heart.
used to pity them all. But now-look n
him He smies at everybody, all tho
world are frends-it Is beautiful The an
gels must feel just so. Oh, you don't thinl
do you, that he is too bright and good t
live? Oh, my darlingw she would cry
that single CLEAN of trouble bringing baci
the one dark thought of her life, ''lf onl.
knew that you had right to the nam
you bear"
And so the days passed on, each one
festival, each new one bringing II new fea