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

form dilatod and her eve kindled with sud-
| den light. ut is mine. Whore did you
get II, Laura3 And what right haye you
to show my poncillings TO Mr.. AldenH"
at Is not yours-it is mine," repeated
Laura, trembling like a leaf and pallid as
ghost. 81 drew itto-day-this II very morn
ing"
Cindy colored painfully. She had spok-
en- involuntarily; but now she shrank,
with womanly sensitiveness, from expos
ing her cousin to Mr.. Alden's contempt.
"Let it pass, them" she said, and would
have turned away.
But he stopped her, laying his hand up
on the portfolio. "This can hardly be
mistake" he said gently. at is better 10
have an understanding on the spot. Do
you say this drawing is yours, Miss Gin
dy2"
She looked at Laura imploringly, but the
latter stood sulen and silent as a statue.
SIS it yours, Miss Clndy?"
She took the paper from his hand. Down
in one corner, following the outline OF
plantain leaf, she showed him certain mi
mute characters.
"Read that" she said. And he read
aloud-"Cinderella."
"Would she be likely TO have written
that" she asked.
Laura had vanished.
What passed for the next hour Cindy
could never have told. 1t was all n bewil
dering dream. Every sketch in the port
folio was her own. They had been taken
one by ono from the bureau drawer. She
had missed them; but supposed she care
lessly mislaid them herself, and had had
no time TO make thorough search. In her
sweet humility she would not have dared
to show them to Mr.. Alden. But now he
had seen them, and praised them, had
spoken the kindest, dearest words OF hope
and encouragement. He had recognized
in her pni--sht, unframed as she was,
something akin to his own genius. Was it
any wonder that at last she laid her head
on the table and cried for very joy? Or
that he should have smoothed back her
brown hair and whispered:
"Don't cry, Cinderella. You have sure
ly found your fairy godmother
When they went into the house in the
deepening twilight, Elizabeth met them at
the door.
"Laura has told me all about it," she said
in constrained voice. "If she is my sis
ter, am compelled to say that it was
shameful, dastardly. But, Mr.. Alden, 1t
was 10 gain your good opinion that she did
it, and she has gone away that she may not
see your face again. / do not think she
fully comprehended the baseness of which
she was guilty. Be as charitable as you
can"
at shal! be secret between us, never 10
be spoken Of" he returned kindly. "Her
exile will not be for long, Miss Elizabeth,
for am going away Tomorrow"
She gave him quick look of thanks. 81
have something to say to you, too, Cindy,"
W armly clasping the hand extended to meet
hers, land l want Mr.. Alden to hear it.
am not in the mood for many words, but
have been abominably selfish and unwo-
manly, Cindy. I see it all now, and from
this day forward there is to be a new order
OF things in this house. That's enough,
isn't it?"
What Cindy whispered, as she threw her.
] self into EiZabeths arms and kissed her
burning cheek, there is no need for me to
| tell.
You all think Cindy married Mr.. Alden
and as did not set about telling love sto-
ry, may as we'll say that she did. But it
was not at once. His friendship, and that
of his sister, to whom he did not fail to tell
Of the rare and beautiful gin be had found
hidden in a Milthorpe kitchen, opened
doors for her which she might have found
it difficult to open for herself; and the
brave, strong little hands that had worked
so faithfully and so patiently there, labor
ed no less assiduously when the work Civ
en- them to do was no longer task-work
but the delight of an eager soul. 1t was
not until she had accomplished much that
she longed to accomplishment until, girl
no longer, the wand of her fairy godmoth-
or had transformed her into lovely, grace
ful, cultured woman, in every sense his
peer-that she became the wife of Win
throp Alden, and moved her easel into his
studio.-Ihe Aldine.