Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-01-01

Loes glance followed Mi. wise and his
friend till they were out of sight; then he
turned aud paused no more till he reached
an out Of the way grocery store, in the
window Of which were displayed samples
Of fish, and soap, and calico, and kerosene
lamps, and dreadful brass icwery, among
which was frightful breastpin in the
shape OF a crescent, set with red and green
glass, and further oruamentCd by chain
of the most alrocious description imagin-
able. Before this thing Of beauty, which
to him had been Joy for weeks, Joe paus-
ed and fingered, and sniote his little black
breast and sighed the sigh Of poverty.
Then he went in. "What mout be lie price
o. dat gents pin in dc corner oh der win
der ?" he inquired
81 don't see any gent in the corner Of
the window" said the proprietor Of the
store.
JOE took the mild pleasantly, aud in
quiring "what mout be de price o. de pin p
was told that it might be anything-from
nothing g--but ii could go for scvenly-hve
cents.
lie stood again outside the window,
looking sadly and refectiyely at The at
tractive biJOu, then seated himself on tue
curbstone, his clutches resting in the gut
ter, and thou Ihtfullv smooihed lctwcon
his finger and thumb the twenty-five cent
note Mr.. Wise had given him. "Ef I take
die, an de one Mas Tom cwine 10 gimme
mex week, datl be liny cents, bat it won't
be seventy five, so got to make quarter
on dc two. EG Miss Mollie knowed, I
spec she would wait anodpr week 10 git
married, an den would run no resk o
desc but 1 an't gwine 10 tell her, cos l
know she couldn't help telin' Mas Tom,
an want to sprise him. Mas Tom il
made me feel good many tihe | want
to make him feel good wunst lie don't
nuvver came dis way, an ain't seed that
pin, or he would ha' had ii forerow.'
Then Little Joe bestirred himself and
obtaining the assistance og a fliend, took
his dry goods box up to Capitol square.
There he turned il upside down, spread a
newspaper over the top. and proceeded TO
display his wares.
A pyramid of ,hree apple. ,to1d in one
corner; small stack of peppermintlcandy
was Its vis-a-yS; tiny glass Of peanuts
graced the third, aud was confronted by a
! lemon that bad seen life, aud was more
sere than yellow. But the GROWING glory
| WAS the center.picce--an unhappy y-looking
| pie OF visage pale and thin physique, yet
how beautiful to Joe lie stepped back
his crutches, turning his lead from side TO
side AS he surveyed the effect, took up a
| locust branch he had brought with him to
brush away the flies, and leaning against
the iron railing, with calm dignity awaited
| coming events.
His glance presently fell on the figure OF
n negro boy, who stood gazing with long
Ing eyes on the delicacies Of his table, and
II was with a strange feeling of kinship
that Little Joe continued 10 regard the new
conner, for he, too, had been branded by
misfortune. He appeared about Joe's age,
and should have been taller, but his legs
had been anputated nearly up to the knee
And as he stood on the pitifu. siumps, sup
ported By a short cane in one hand, his
head was hardly as high asthe iron railing
He had none of Joe's brightness. but look
ed ragged and dirty and hungry, and evil
dently had no Mas Tom to help the gooC
Lord aud the birds Of the air to take car,
of him. His skin was Of a dull ashen hue
and the short wool which cluug close t,
his scalp was srnburnt till it was red ant
1 e. 4 -. l. I