The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-01-06


brother the last Of ihe week.
He came, this Winthrop Aldep,a hand
s,me, manly looking fellow, ia spite of a
recent Illness Well born aud well bred,
with plenty Of blue blood 10 his veins,
which was yet warmed and enriched BY
the red Of our common humauity-an ar
list, as Cihdy had said. but with so much
Of ancestral wealth that he could afford
time to do work aud to do it well--full of
| all beautiful enthusiasms, with an eve that
was quick to see, an ear to hear, aud a
heart to feel whatever was best worth see.
ing, and hearing. and feeling, was it any
wonder that he was sweet tempered aud
charming, and that he brought into the
quiet house glow brighter than that of
the summer sunshine2
Ii dUcs not seem strange to me that, 10
less than week there was Auttering in
that dovc.cote, Every one Of these girls
mud her own ambitious even Cindy who
had not found it out yet Elizabeth was
only sensible of a vasue longing for some.
thing better than she had kuown' iu Mill.
thorpe-ior higher culture and loftier
living. Laura was beautiful, and she
knew it, aud meant to make tho most of
1t, Beautiful with mere physical beauty
the beauty Of roundness aud ooloring of
pink.aud.white flesh, blue eyes aud golden
hair. She was not going to marry Mill.
thorpe clod-hopper-do her own work,
teud her own babies, have two calico
gowns year--and may be new silk
once iu Gve--nos she She was waiting
Tor the prince to come and array her in
satius, and laces aud jewels. But she Was
not such fool as to say this 10 whispers
aud to all appearance she was sweet sim.
plicity itself, guieless and unsophistcated
as child.
What was Cindy's ambition 7 1t had
taken no tangible form as yet. But God
had given this girl, who had never seen
more than two or three really fine pic.
lures in her life, whose knowledge of the
miracles Of art was confined to few en-.
cravings and photographs, an instructive
love OF form aud color. and burning ca
gerness to reproduce them. The creative
instinct was strong within her. She drew
as the bird sings, from pure love. with no
thought Of what might come Of it. But
upstairs, in her own room, there was one
burcau.drawer filed with scraps. bits
oil card board, drawing. paper, envelopes,
aud what not, covered with pencilings,
outliues-hints Of the glowing life Of the
girl's heart aud brain. There were crude
attempts at color. too here flower, there
spruy of grasses {; now a child's face, ,and
then bird with folded wings. There
were glimpsos OF sunset skies and one
stretch OF blue sea, with lone ship fading
in the distance.
| said there wns hutteriDg in the
dove.cote. The studies that formerly
held Elizabeth lost their attraction. and
she began to fee an intense interest in
all that pertains to art. hapuacI, " uluu,
Michael ADgelo-these became upon her
lips AS common household words. She
never tired Of sitting, mctaphorically
speaking at Winthrop Alden's feet and
being laugh: Of him. Art was the one
thing neediul, aud her very soul did rev.
erence at the shrine Of the genius that
could make the feeting beauty of day
immortal as the stars!
L1ura played different game. She
was arch and saucy and coquettish. She
praised his work to-day, and made fun oi
it to morrow. Then, when she had sue.
ceeded in annoying Or wounding him, her
peulteuce was most bewitching; and with
tears in her sweet blue eyes, and Il quiver
of her childlike lips, she would plead her
ignorance aud inexperience, aud beg his
pa,dun with dangerous humility.
Que day she came running to him with
"A pretty afectstion OF simplicity.
'Oh, Mr. Alden,' she said, claspiug heI
hands, If you would only teach me how
to draw have wanted to learn all my
life. But how could /, away up hers
where there nre no tcachers-no any
thing? Maybe she went on, naively
dropping her eyelids till the long lashe
swept her cheeks, 'mayb be l could appre
preciate your work better il | should try
my own haud at it, aud learn some of it
difficulties.
MIR. Alden laughed outright. 1t seem
ed supremely ridiculous to him that he
Winthrop Alden--should be asked to Civ
lessons to his landlady's daughter, and thu
idea oil her being able to judge Of his dif
iculties by any she was likely to encount
er! But the very simplicity Of the re
quest was SO amusing, that he said;
Very well, Miss Laura. 1t is bar
gain, If in return, you will be my guide t,
all that it is beautiful and picturesque il
this wild region
oh. thank you = she cried. Il hav
been logging TO show you some lovel
views ever siuce you have been here, bu
feared you would think me intrusive
! Shall We go to Sunset Rock to night, MI
Alden. I'd lore to go!'
Poor Cindy! For the first time in he
life she euvied Elizabeth aud Laura. Thi
new hero of theirs was no less hero
her. AS for loving him, she would a
soon have thought OF loving star, or tn
sun itself, But this man was the embod
/ iment OF all her dreams. He did wit
easy careless grace-the ease and grac
a of god, it seemed to her-the very thin
she longed to do. He lived her own idea
life /: was hard to be in the kitchen
f doing the rough work, while Elizabeth sa
in the cool shaded parlor, leading VIII
I thrope Alden on to talk Of his work an
Q its aspirations, of artist life aud its re
n mantle associations-of all, in short, thu
q was dearest to Cindy's soul. 1t was har
t to be shelliog peas for dinner, while Lau
r ra, in the prettiest Of morning dresse
, wandered over the hills, or sought OF
# fairy hooks with her-drawing- master.
c Que day she was washing the dinns
IS dishes. trying vainly to recall tho blith
n couient of former days, and wonderiu
J. whittier it had flown, whom Mr.. Add
5 passed through the kitchen. Pausing f