Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-10-13

Again as Of oll hear ihe saviour lnY.
She hath dome what She could while here"
Deb.
mruunrm .tr,ni rmtr..
The solemn Andro.coggin bell was ring
| ing the mill-girl, ia 10y broad sunlight, one
noon. when there came q knock at the door,
and behind it the young lady Of whom /
heard. Deb was startled 10y the knock, and
frightened by the young lady. IL was not
often that visitors came 10 Brick Alley, and
it was still less often that Brick Alley had a
visitor who knocked.
This was young lady for whom Deb's
mother did fine washing. Deb's mother
wiped her hands and placed a chair, and the
young lady sat down. She was q straight
young lady, with strong feet, aud long brown
feathers in her hat, and soft brown gloves
upon her hands, She had come, She said,
with that Cluny set, which she found she
should need for party this very night in
deed, she was in So much haste for it that
she had hunted Deb, mother up-which
was matter Of some diihculty-as she never
had the least idea where She lived before,
and how crooked the stairs We're But the
lace was very yellow as She saw. and would
she be sure TO have it done by nine O'Clock
tonight and
And there, turning her head suddenly,
the straight young lady saw poor crooked
Deb IN her high-chair, with the wonder in
her eyes
81 wonder ii frightened her" thought
Deb. But She only wondered, and did not
speak.
"ls this your"
yes" said Dsb's mother " the eldest.
Fifteen. I'll try my best, maam but
don't know as ought to promise" She
spoke in a business-hse tone, and turned the
Cluny lace--a dainty collar and a pair Of
soft cuiis--ahout in her hands in a business
like way. A breath of some kind of scented
wood struck in little gust against Deb's
face. She wondered how people could weave
sweet smells into piece of lace, and if the
young lady knew; or ii she knew how much
pleasanter it was than the onions that Mrs.
McMahoney cooked for dinner every day in
the week but Sunday, upon the first floor.
But it gave her quite enough to do to Won
der, without speaking.
Fifteen repeated the young lady,
standing up very straight, and looking very
sorry. &" How long has she heeu-like-
that 2"
Born so," said Debs mother " She's
Jest set in that chair ever since she's been
big enough to SET at all. Would you try
gum on these, Miss z"
But you never told me you had a crippled
child :"
The young lady said this quickly
You have washed for me three years, and
you never told me you had a crippled child ="
You never asked me- Miss, said Deus
mother.
The young lady made no reply. She came
and sat down on the edge of Deb's bed,
close beside Deb's chair. She seemed to
have forgotten all about her Cluuy lace.
She took Deb's hand up between her two
soft, brown gloves, aud her long brown
feathers dropped and touched Deb's check.
Deb hardly hreathed, the feathers and the
gloves, and the sweet smellsof scented wood,
and the young lady's sorry eyes-such very
sorry eyes were so close To- the high-chair,
Fifteen years 90 repeated the young lady,
very low. In that chair-tlat nobody ever
poor little girl But you could ride 20
she said. suddenly,
S. don't know, ma'am,' said Deb. "I
never saw anybody ride but the grocer aud
the baker. | amt like the grocer and the
baker
you could be lifted | mean" said the
young lady, eagerly " There is somebody
who lifts You q
Mother sets me, generally" said Deb.
d" Once, when she was very bad with lame
ankle, Jim McMahoney set me. Hes first
hoor-Jim McNlahoney."
81 shall be back here" said the young
lady, still speaking very quickly, but speak
| ing to Deb's mother now, in just an hour.
| shall come in an easy sleigh with warm
4. 4.
TO take a ride with me, shall he very much
obliged to YOU"
The young lady finished her sentence as
| if she did not know what TO say, and 50 said
the truost thing she could think of, which
we are all in danger of doing at times
Well, I'm sure 81 said Drb's mother
." Dabitra, tell the lady
But Dabtra could not tell the lady, for she
was already out OF the door, and down stairs
and away into the street. And, indeed
Deb could not have told the lady has never
told the lady-cau never tell the lady
If all Of the Llue summer skies, and The
gold OF summer sunlight, and the shine oI
summer stars, fell down into your hands al
once for you 10 paint scrap-books with
should you know what to say
Into the poor little scrap,book of Deb,
life the colors ofheavcu dropped aud blinded
her on that bewilderlng, beautiful blessed
/ ride.
! In Just an hour the sleigh was there, with
/ the easiest cushions, and the warmest robes
and bells--the merrie,t bells and the
straight young lady. And Jim McMlahoney
was there and lac carried her down stairs Ia
set " her. Aud her mother was there, and
wrapped her all about in an old red shawl
for Deb had no "thiugs" like other little
| girls The young lady had brought the
prettest little white hood that Deb had evel
seen. and Deb's face looked like a bruised
day-lily bud between the shining wool, but
| Deb could not see that aud Mrs. McMa
honey was there, pairing onions at the door
TO wish her good nok and all the little Me
| Mahoneys were there and all the children
who did not wonder, and the grocer turned
| in at the ally corner, and the baker stopped
as he turned out, and everybody stood and
smiled 10 see her start. The white horse
paved the show, and held up his head-Det
had never seen such handsome horse-and
the young lady had gathered the reins int
her brown gloves, aud the sleigh-bells cried
for joy-how they cried --and away they
went, and Deb was out of the alley in
minute, and the people in the alley hurrahed
and hurahed, and hurahed TO see her 90.
That bewidering, beautiful, blessed ride
How warm the little white hood was How
the cushions sank beneath her, and the fun
robes opened like feathers to the touch OF
her poor, thin hands How the bells sang
to her and the snowdrift binked at her, and
the icicles, and the slated roofs, aud sky
aud the peoples faces smiled at her
Whats the matter - asked the young
lady; for Deb drew the great VOLTS robe
over her face and head, and sat So fort min
ute, still and hidden. The young lady
thought She was frightened
+" But | only want 10 cry q little " said
Deb's little, smothercd voice. 81 must cry
a little first
When she had cried little, she held up
her head, and the shine of her pretty white
hood grew faint beside the shine of her eyes
and checks. That bewildering beautiful,
blessed ride
Streets, aud crowd and church spires
were in it-yes, and wedding and a
/ funeral, too all things that Deb had seen
/ in her high-chair IN the daytime, with her
eyes shut, she saw on the sleigh on that ride,
with her eyes open wide,