Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-12-15
Kitty's Risk.

What III the world are you so sly oyery"
asked llatty Ward of her sister Kitty. Here
YOU are consulting the newspapers morning
and night, writing letters and sending them
off going about in such an distracted mood
that everybody has TO speak twice before it
is possible TO secure your attention. You're
not a bit like our merry, sociable Kitty
What is the cause ?"
Nothing and you've no right to ques-
ton OF to speak to me in that way" said
Kitty sharply
Her sister looked at her. Could she be-
lieve her own eyes, to say nothing of her
ears Was this Kitty, the sweet-tempercd,
the self-sacriiicing, the merry, happy Kitty
Hastings
She shook her head little sadly as the
girl left the room, and tried to think OF some
reason why this mood had come over her
sister Could it be a school quarrel No;
the same old mates came day after day, and
with them Kitty was her own pleasant self ;
but when with the home folks only, then her
manner was changed
Perhaps she was wearying OF home aud
home duties. Some of the girls-among
them kitty's prime favorite, Helen Mercer
were tainted with what Ilatty called griey-
Gus errors Helen was very bright and viva
cious, and little inclined TO be wild. She
was very pronounced in her opinions and
declared that women ought to break away
/ from the bond that had SO long fettered
/ them, and be something else besides house
keepers aud wives. For her part, she said
She had made up her mind to 90 ON the stage
as soon as she was old enough, and pictured
! TO herself brilliant career, in the most glow
| ing language.
Poor llatty pondered and worried till she
was almost i'll. Meantime, Kitty continued
| in the same foggetful, absent-minded, fault
finding mood, making absurd mistakes in
the cooking, answering questions very
vaguely, and conducting herself in so strange
manner that Hattie was seriously fright
ened
Meantime, Kitty, if she had secret, kept
| it securely She carried the newspaper TO
her room to read in solitude. If her sister
had opened a little shell box that stood on
her bureau, she might have seen, carefully
folded up and put in an envelope, several
such advertisements as the following
Grand Gift Concert, in aid of the Great Public
| Conservatory. Every ticket draws prize
/ Grand cash gifts from $40 TO 100000, Price Of
tickets - cents etc, etc. - " How Ia make FIVE
dollap day-rcmit stamp aud fifty cents 4"
Wonderful Information, by which any ordinary
person can make fortune directly etc, etc.
These are but samples of the numerous
advertisements that the unfortunate girl had
collected from the papers.
\ tow months previous her grandmother
had given each of the girls hundred dol
lars, to he used for clothes during the year
They had both been taught not to spend
money foolishly, and it was considered safe
to trust them with the use of it. But lately,
as Hattie had said, there had been much
M stsrit Of l.tt.
Poor Kitty had taken The lottery fever and
it was going very hard with her
To make the matter more fascinating, she
had dreamed a dream. 1t seemed that she
was in some isolated place, where everything
was the color OF gold, and thousands of lit
tie boxes on every side opened TO the touch,
filed high with the shining metal.
How her heart beat rs she thought of the
riches in store for her She had always
longed for money aud Injuries Her father
was comparatively poor man. She had
heard It said more than once that her mother
had worked herself to death, and she aud
her sister might be in fair way to do the
same thing, Not il she could help it, how
ever, she thought.
For months it had seemed to her as ii
wealth was just within her grasp, and this
dream decided her. There was only one
number on the box she saw in her vision.
That number was four hundred and twenty
one, She was so persuaded that this was
the magic key to fortune, that she immedi-
ately sent half her little store to buy ticket
for the Grand Gift Concert and she was
waiting impatiently, bat still hopefully, for
the drawing to take place.
Bat this was not the whole extent of her
folly She had also invested in some other
ventures less snowy, and less expensive, so
that the drain upon her little purse was very
heavy.
II was while she was waiting so anxiously
for returns that her sister spoke TO her, and
received the unsatisfactory reply given at
the beginning Of my story,
Wouldn't You like a dress like Lou
Meredth's ?" asked Kitty, that evening, as
the two girls sat sewing, after having tucked
the little ones snugly under the bed-clothes
Lou Meredith's !" exclaimed Hatty,
aghast DO you know what that dress
cost 2"
"ot course it was very expensive. The
goods were imported, and all that but don't
laugh when say that mean to have one
and so shall you"
" Are you crazy, Kitty" queried lIatty
" That dress Of LOUIS cost one hundred dol
lars. You know well enough what we are
expected to do with our one hundred dollars"