Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-05-22
The Leisure Hour.
TIT FOR TAT.

Eunce Bateman was sitting at the parlor
window working on a muslin dress,
thing of infnitesimal tucks and rufi1es
Her mother, a fat and fair lady Of forty
five, sat opposite, talking to an afternoon
visitor, a spinster of her neighborhood.
Both takers were also busted with sowing.
"Well, Nix said the spiuster, living
Eunice "A glance as she shifted needles,
81 suppose you and the doctor II go to the
parish picnic next week ?"
Nix supposed so," in nonchalAnt fash
ion, as she brushed the curls out Of her
eyes and settled a rufile straighler.
Getting that dress ready for the occa-
sion, aren't your
Not particularly" Nix answered with
a shrug of her shoulders that beloke. cd
impatience of the questioning. Nix was
not especially fond Of Miss Clarke.
"Well, well, | wouldn't spend Too much
precious Time over dresses. Tho doctors
sure TO think you pretty, Whatever you
wear, and you shouldn't think too highly
of the opinion of other gentlemen. When
girls engaged"
Nix flushed with anger, and she gave the
muslin dress an impatient twich as she re-
sponded:
Ppm not in the habit Of thinkin. too
much Of gentlsmen's opinion of me, Miss
Clarke. l suppose, if a girl is engaged,
she can still try to make herself look nice
| ly."
Speaking of the dpctor," said Mrs. Bate
man, there comes his office boy now-with
a note for you, Nix, guess. Sit still I'll
| open the door"
| Mrs. Bateman presently re-entered, and
tossed a sealed note into Nix's lap, with the
remark,
81 told you So"
The latter took it up, her round cheeks
deepening somewhat in color, for her en-
gaSement was as yet only a month old,
opened and read it, watched by the curious
| eyes Of Miss Clarke. The letter was in a
bold, careless handwriting, and ran thus:
"MY DEAR NIxIE,-Tm called away to
| the city suddenly, and have but five min
Utes 10 write you in. It's a consultation
case. | hope TO be back by Sunday-at any
rate shall be on hand for tho Tuesdays
| picnic. I've only known of going within
the last hour, or l should have come up
and bidden You good-by. A week seems a
long time TO lie away. BE good little girl,
and write to me every day, or l shall throw
up the case and come home to You.
"Hours hastily, but in all affection,
JAMES.
"P. S.-Rcad The inclosed slip of paper ;
you will find news in it,
The printed slip had fallen to tue floor.
Nix reached for il with girls eager curl
osity, and read, with dilaling eyes, one of
the quack advertisements of the day:
"Use Johnson's cream while for the COM
plexon. Warranted To remove freck les
and botches, Sold by all druggists"
Nix read this paragraph through three or
four times, with such blank look of Won
der on her face that the attention of her two
companions was attracted. She finally
calculated, after the fifth reading, finding
the advertisement still riddle,
"What does this mean?"
"Mean? WhalP" exclaimed the curious
spinster, dropping her knitting.
"Whaps the matter?" ask ed her mother.
But Nix was too busy with her own won
derment and conjectures TO reply. She sat
with the slip still in her hand, staring
straight before her, only reiterating, with
additional emphasis,
"What can it mean?"
There was large old fashioned mirror
on the opposite wall, and just at this mo-
ment Nix's puzzled eyes caught the rehec-
ton Of herself therein-a clear reflection,
made more vivid by the slant rays of the
afternoon sun that fell upon her. In an in
stant her cheeks, brow, and neck were suf-
fused by an angry tide of crimson. The
little hands that held the slip of paper
! loosely tore 1t into pieces with sudden and