Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-02-06

to have him comew
"Havo who come, Aunt Tilly2"
ooh, forgot You don't know. Why,
I have just got letter from Miss Alden,
who boarded here one summer. She wants
me TO take ker brother for a few months.
He's a painter, or something"
Cindy's face sparkled all over. "He's
more than that" she said. "Miss Alden
told me AL about him. He's a real artist"
"Whars the difference ?" asked Aunt
Tily. "Td be willing to have him come,
just to oblige his sister, but it will make
so much more work-and-"
"Never mind that, Aunt Tilly," inter
rupted Cindy. "I don't mind the work, il
you think best to have him come"
Brave little Cndy She never did "mind
the work." and the result was she had it
all to do. Those who are willing to be bur-
den-bearers for others, have no difficulty
in finding the burdens. Not that one of the
family meant TO be unjust or uugenerous.
But Elizabeth was "litcrary" in very
small way. She was fond of her books,
fond of study. She wrote verses for the
county paper, and it was vaguely hinted
that she was engaged on something that
would some time, etc., etc. OF course her
time was quite too precious TO be wasted on
house work.
Laura was a fair, placid, indolent beauty.
She did not like 10 wash dishes, for il spoil
ed her hands. She did not like TO sweep,
for it made her back ache. She did not
like 10 cook, for it reddened her face. As
for Mrs. Munro, she was one of those wo-
men to whom be she old, or be she,young,
the grasshopper is a burden.
Money was not over plenty in the house
and to take city boarders-just as an ac-
commodation, you know-was considered
a respectable way to exc out moderate in
come. 1t was an easy way, as we'll, when
there was Cindy to the fore. Before she
went 10 bed that night Mrs. Munro had
written to Miss Alden that rooms should
be in readiness for her brother the last of
that week.
lie came, this Winthron Ald~-, hanu-
some manly looking fellow, in spite Of a
recent illness. Well born and well bred,
with a plenty of blue blood in his veins,
which was yet warmed and enriched by the
red of our common humanity-an artist,
as Cindy had said, but with SO much of an
ccstral wealth that he could afford time to
do good work and do it well-full Of all
beautiful euthusiasms, with an eye that was
quick to zee, an ear to hear, and heart TO
feel whatever was best worth seeing, and
hearing, and feeling, was il any wonder
that he was swcet-tempercd and charming,
and that he brought into the quiet house
glow brighter than that OF the summer sun
shine?
1t does not seem strange to me that in
less than a week, there was huttering in
that doveco Every one Of these girls
had her own ambitions even Cindy, who
had not found it out yet. Elizabeth was
only sensible of vague longing for some
thing better than she had known" in Mill
thOrpe-for a higher culture and a loflier
living. Laura was beautiful, and she knew
it, and meant to make the most OF it. Beau
tiful with mere physical beauty-the beau
~ of Eeund.-s-- aud Ssls+iats, Of Pi.aL and.
white flesh, blue eyes and golden hair
She was not going to marry a Millthorpe
clodhopper-do her own work, tend her
own babies, have two new calico gowns a
year-and, may be, new silk one once in
fve-not she! She was waiting for the
prince 10 come, and array her in satins,
and laces, and jewels. But she was not
such fool as TO say this, even in whispers
and to all appearance she was sweet sim
plcty itself, guileless and unsophisticaied
| as child.
What was Cindy's ambition? 1t had TAX
en- no tangible form as yet. But God had
| given this girl, who had never seen more
than two or three really fine pictures in her
| life, whose knowledge of the miracles of
art was confined to few engravings and
| photographs, an instructive love of form
and color, aud a burning eagerness TO re-
produce them. The creative instinct was
strong within her. She drew, as the bi rd
sings, from pure love, with no thought of
what might come of it. But upstairs, in
her own room, there was one bureau-draw-
er filled with precious scraps, bits of card
board, drawing paper, envelopes, and what
not, covered with pencillings, outlines
hints of the glowing life of the girls heart
and brain. There were crude attemps at
color, too; here flower, there a spray of
grasses now a childs face, and then a bird
with folded wings. There were glimpses
of sunset skies, and one stretch of blue
sea, with lone ship fadingin the distance.
said there was fluttering in the dove
cote. The studies that formerly held Eliz-
abeth lost their attractions, and she began
to feel an intense interest in all that per-
tains to art. Raphael, Guido, Michael An
gel-thesc became upon her lips as COM
mon household words. She never tired of
sitting, metaphoricallv speaking, at Win
throp Alden's feet and being taught ofhim.
Art was the one thing needful, and her
very soul did reverence at the shrine of the
genius that could make the fleeting beauty
of day immortal as the stars
Laura played different game. She was
arch and saucy and coquettish. She prais-
ed his work to-day, and made fun of it to-
morrow. Then, when she bad succeeded
in annoying or woundng him, her peni-
tence was most bewitching; and, with
tears in her sweet blue eyes, and q quiver
of her childlike lips, she would plead hel
ignorance and inexperlence, and beg bis
pardon with dangerous humility.
One day she came running to him with O
pretty aifectation of simplicity.
"Oh, Mr.. Alden" she said, clasplng her
hands, "if you would only teach me how tC
draw have wanted to learn all my life
But how could /, away up here where there
are no teachers-no anything? Maybe
she went on, naively, dropping her eyelid'
till the long lashes swept her cheeks, "may
be could appreciate your work better If
} should try my own hand at it, and learr
som of its difficulties"
Mr.. Alden laughed outright. 1t seemed
+ supremely ridiculous to him that he-Win
, throp Alden-should be asked to give les
| sons TO his landlady's dauqhter and thl