St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-01-08


The December sun >tIcamcd pleas
antiN through the large window OF
Alice ClaNton'> claSS-I Dom. and. though
late in the afternoon and the close of 4
tIlr>uInr laN. her face wore i strangely
gladsnnc expression. The m"nthl!
report which she Was making ont was
enough to have drawn wrinkles ovci
her forehead : debts and credits would
not balance the average. proved Il
fraction too small :: Yet She worked
patiently away. pau>ing only NOW and
then to rest her head upon her hand.
while the gladSomc smile grew brighter
still a> she whispered. "l'm IA very child
in my anticipation.
Once the pcucilling on her sheet
showed marks ol dollars and cents.
which certainly had naught to do with
Buhby'> attendance nr JcrnN' absence,
and from an envelope in her drawer
She took IL roll of bills and counted :
"TwcntV V-fiVe. thirtN five. fuItN-iiVc.
/ fifty YES. | can surely spare ten this
| month that. with the fifteen at home,
| will just do it. and he must know moth
! lng of it till Christmas cVC--deaI
| Earnest he shall he proud OF me iur
once. and something made tine tear
! drops fall ON Il little band of gold that
| looked too new to he Il wedding ring
Poor Alice ;I> if She needed to lin
ger those Soiled grrrnhackS. " hen she
received exactly that amount for :,
many. many pdN-dayS. Perhaps You
will he a>toni>hcd to learn that it had
taken three months to save the tittccl
dollars. and now thai the VIII lc amount
was laid up she felt richer than yor
could guess. Alice Clayton'> dress wa,
always gentccl the simplest dclain,
or cheapest gingham fitted her with /;
grace that others could not feign. Sh,
liked pretty things. and it WAS not easy
to pass the piles of heavy camel's-hail
or silky grenadine to the counter Will,
she bought Il material that cost half IL,
much but, with the spirit that per
vadcs all true hearts, she numbcre,
the blessings she had rather than thos,
beyond her reach.
When Ernest Dent placed the be
trothal ring upon her finger and said
For better and for worse, my darling,
she marveled at his choice. He ha,
been brought up in ease, if not luxury
and moved i'll gay society till buSines
called him to the city. where peculia
chain of circumstances led him fire
quent visitor at her aunt's.
Ernest" she had said, Il can Civ
YOU nothing but myself. would scor
Il love which should be less because
am plain and unpublished poo
teacher. You laugh now, but remcm
bcr. dear. binding Yourself to me, yo
will he obliged to make many Il Sacri
: flee, and to bear with my life in its SUI
rnundings. Aunt james home is yer
humble. hut YOU will find weIcom
T. whenever You come. | cannot go int
the circle to which Nou have been ac
customcd. and would not if it lay i
my power. for my aIm-OUrS now, dea
is higher one than mere pleasur
seeking. Will you he content with m
as | am. save as | improve under yoU
, guidance ,
Ernest Dent felt that he was maxim
no sacrifice. and wondered that Alic
could have even fancied any change o
his part. She did not doubt his Low,
only with her woman's eye folsaw houl
when he might wish things ditferel
around and about her.
A noble fellow, he was working b
own way. because he had preferred
business other than the protessio
, marked out by his father, and Alic
was the very one to stay his hands whe
they faltered. He never realized no
Il she hid her own WEAKNESS and shove
a ii CHEEKY countenance when he came
or knew how far the warmth of Il
L little home was due to her influence ii
she was sick then the blinds wei