Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-08-22

regard for Jake-mending his coat occa-
sionally, or darning his stockings-a thing
Jake gallantly declared "she shouldn't do
never agin he wouldn't have no ladies
waitn' on him."
Ladies' The girls used TO nudge each
other and smile but for all that they were
very good to Amanda Liza, whose faded
dress and meek ways set her apart from
the noisy youthlulness Of the rest Of us.
We never begrudged the extra polish which
Jake in his capacity OF boot-black bestow-
ed upon her shoes and we did not laugh
when those same shoes made their appear
ance one day adorned with a resplendent
pair of steel buckles, which were after
wards found to have been abstracted from the
coachman's rig, in which Jake occasionally
did duty, and TO which, am sorry TO add,
he was ignominiously obliged to restore
them.
Occasionally, on some rare holiday, we
girls had the privilege of drive out into
the country, when the Squimpses' super
annuated sorrel, covered with an elaborate
netting TO conceal its deficiencies, and
prcking up its tasseled ears with quite q
trot, animated, no doubt, by the prospect
of grassy nibble along the road. Gay
times were those. Jake at his iollest and
we all-old Dobbin includ ed-iorgot our
"short commons and long lectures, and
grew hilarious together. Even poor Aman-
da Liza, quietly slowed away in the back
seat, frightened up in the sunlight, and
was meekly merry. Once l remember old
Dobbn cantered along so friskly that he
upset the whole party on messy bit of
rising ground, and, whisking his long tail
iacetiously, quietly betook himself to pas
ture, while we picked ourselves up as best
we could.
"We might have had worse luck" said
Jake, as he plucked Amanda Liza out of
the heap, shook her out, and wiped the dust
from her black apron, leaving the rest of
the party to look after themselves. Which
we did, scolding and laughing by turns,
and giving, quite by accident, the front
seat beside Jake to Amanda Liza the rest
of the way. All! the twilight that sum-
mer evening was warm and mellow, the
fields were gilded, the meadows fragrant,
and we heard a refrain of the grand etern-
al poem on the iolting seat of the old wag-
on, though Jake was silent all the rest Of
the way, looking furtvely now and then at
the girl beside him, and being very attent-
i've 10 old Dobbin. Poor Jake Amanda Lii
"a had shot up clean out of his reach since
then, and what we wanted to know was
whether the girl would remember him
now in the days of Eer elevation.
~ wealthy uncle, a splendid home and
money on her own account-ah ! no Won
der we had not seen Amanda since.
"They touched her off like a sky rocket,
and she vanished" said Jake, ruefully.
Had she vanished for good? Then poet
ical justice was a myth, and Amanda's
patched shoes and faded dresses were not
more worthless than she. We waited. We
watched the windows furtively. We prick
ed up our ears at every ring of the door
bell. but weeks passed, and the golden
coac h and-six in which our Cinderella was
to arrive did not rattle up the drive to the
Squmps academy.
think we had almost given ii up, and
Amanda Liza's base iorGetfulness and in
gratitude were becoming an cid story,
when one day at noon Jake came rushing
in among u.s. hot and shining, and holding
between his thumb and fOrefnger dainty
bill eli. He looked like an embodied "hur-
rah' at that moment.
But TO tell the truth, Jake could not quite
make out the writing, for with all his sop
portunities," as our worthy principal des-
iGnated his vicnage 10 wisdom and learn
ing in the capacity of shoe black, the lad
was unable TO decipher manuscript-"had-
mt the patience" he declared.
Jenny Smith read the letter tor him a.
midst general applause. Justice and right
eousness had triumphed, it appeared, and
Amanda Liza had proved herself a ''regu-
lar brick" as Jenny, with brimming eyes
observed, handing back the precious scrap
| of paper to Jake, who carefully wrapped it
| in his ragged handkerchief. The lettercon-
tanned brief invitation to the lad, urging
him to come and see his old friend-a day
| was appointed for the visit, and the street
| and number where she was TO be found
were written out in round, schoolgirl
hand. A fashionable and wealthy quarter
| of the city, where Jake was not likely To
| be very familiar.
Jake set himself to work without loss of
time at backing his boots, albeit the ap-
| pointed day was somewhere about week
ahead. But it would take a great deal of
| fixing, he explained contidentially, to get
ready, and he hadn't much to fix with.
Jakes normal condition was not that of a
dandy, certainly. He could only, as gen.
eral thing, be lured by the prospect of q
drive to 'red himself up" as Mrs. Squimps
said. To be ragged and let alone was his
heaven. But this time he rose TO the great
ness of the occasion-he brushed and scour-
ed washed out his sole white shirt, busted
and Strengthened his battered old hat, and
mended his trowsers.
Deeply interested in Jako's fortunes, we
watched the proceedings.
"But Jake" said Jenny Smith one day
"what are you TO do for coat?"
Unhappy suggestion Jake looked aghast
lie hadn't thought of that. Certainly he
couldn't make his appearance iu that over.
grown coachman's rig, in which he wa,
won't to illustrate the academical respecta-
bility on the road. And he had nothing
else. No necessity had ever before devel-
oped itself for anything save shirt sleeve.
and woolen jacket.
An awful pause came over our delibera-
tions for Jake. Miss Smith whistled, and
finally suggested her water-proof-we were
all ready to fling ours at his feet-but Jake
couldn't go mufiled like an Italian brigand
He shook his head.
Night closed without any solution of the
difficulty, but we trusted that somehow
the lads quick wit would find way out o