Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-05-26
"The Riglit-Hand Child"

% wonderful thing il was in the shape Of
box of paints Grandmanma laughed rs she
wrapped it around aud tucked it away in a
snug, safe corner, thinking shall soon be
able to settle the natter
Reds and browns, yellows and blues, all
lying in beautiful box; somebody's eyes
were TO dance with pleasure, somebody's
breath was to he taken away for moment
in sheer wondermcnt and delight But who
was the somebody
Nobody knew. and that was the fun of it;
nobody guessed and that was the joke Of it,
Grandmamma had made up her mind to
settle the affair after her own wise fashion,
and so She tucked the box away close in its
wrapper and that, Ter time, was the end
of the matter
Graudmama was going on a visit. Her
slf, gray dresses, and black and brown
were folded and packed in grand old trunk
and right in the middle of all the dresses
was the paint-box, as snug as could be, in its
wrapper
Grandmamma stepped into a great old
coach. The trunk was strapped on and the
drivers whip cracked, the horses feet clat-
tered, and the dust blew about.
Grandmamma dozcd ON the cushioned seat
and awole to see two little faces, bright rs
summer, looking In at the coach window
There was the hclter-skeltcr of making
welcome, and the hustle of getting tea, and
OF making things comfortable in the guest
room. where the grasses on the mantle We're
ALWAYS fresh, and whore the andirons at the
hearth were always bright, and where, in
frosty weather. good comfortable wood
fire crlcllad and blazod all day long
There was the supper TO get ready, and
then it was that grandmamma thought Of
the reds blues and browns, done up in their
wrappngs down in the middle of her stiff
silk skirts, and her eyes twinkled as she
watched slyly over her spectacles to see who
it WAS that carried the dishes, and trotted
around the fastest, and was mothers right
hand child.
II was then she heard Elccida say shortly
Bring q stick for the fire. Arulia," and
Arula, take mamma the urn, and Arulia,
you surely heard grandmamma ask for
stoye;' and she sitting at grandmamma's
feet all the time, asking questions and
spinning little yarns, unconscious that Arulia
was doing everything, and that she was do
ing nothing.
IT was then, too, that grandmamma heard
the mother say. Somebody look at the
rolls in the oven" and "Try the vegetables
i'm the steamer" at all of which Arulia turned
a word about it.
She heard. and saw, too, when the mother
called plccida. who was the eldest. and said
Run to the well with the pitcher for water"
that plccida wriggled her shoulders, as
though something was the NATTER and
frowned, her eyes almost shut, AMI whis-
pcred very loud, don't want to- and
saw Arulia, who knew the mother was wait
ing pick up the pitcher and be off before
The other could straighten the wrinkles out
Of her forehead.
Grandmamma was so very hungry at sup
per, and so much engaged with rolls and
broiled meats, that it is difficult TO say if She
saw the coaxing nudge given to Arulia when
the mother said Plccida, bring me the
sauce from the pantry" or if she heard
Arulia whisper, "Dear mamma, what can !
get for You 2" when the mother was glancing
around in search Of something
However that may be, it is certain she
both heard and saw when after supper, the
match was to be put TO the spare-room fire,
and plecida was asked to do it, First it was
dark" and then it was cold and then
1 she did not want TO light the fire 10y herself.
Then mother insisted, and she grew ill-tem-
pered and lamented her hard fate most dole
fully, standing in the room half an hour,
fussing and Tuning, when three minutes
might have seen the fire started and seen her
| back again. A litter was made with chips
and papers on the spare-room carpet, when,
in fact, not chip need have been touched,
as all was ready for Lighting; and the moth
ers new rug had hole the size of pea
burned through it, right in the middle OF a
beautiful flower, because, in yeXation, the
match was tossed down, she did not care
where And, being in the pitch and toss
humor generally, the lamp wasupset and the
chimney broken.
So. when grandmamma clinked the trunk
lock, and shook out the dresses one by one,
and hung them on the closet pegs and laid
the lIniclmacks here and there to be given
to father and mother and Minty and John,
the fate Of the reds, browns and blues, folded
up in their wrappers, close and safe, was
quite decided, In fact, probably, the matter
was fully known the evening before inside
OF grandmamma's ruiied night-cap, as the
unfortunate fire ilckcred aud cracked, and
grandmamma fell asleep, thinking :" 1t is
easily settled who is the mothers right-hand
child"
So, when grandmamma lifted a brown
paper bundle out OF the trunk and asked who
would run with il 10 mother, Plecda nudged
Arulia, and Arlia held out her hands
grandmammas eyes twinkled with merri-
ment, for she knew somebody-the right
somebody-had got the box, and she knew
that the blues and the browns had a worthy
owner
For grandmamma thought, like great
many other people, that the willing hearts
are the hearts to make light aud the willing
hands are the ones TO hold gifts while idle
little people-too idle to carry pitcher and
too idle to carry a tray-should be left with
their own idleness TO amuse them, and not
be helped away with their useless hours by
such beautiful things as reds and blues and
yellows and browns, done up in handsome
polished boxes, that look just fit TO be folded
in wrappers, and slowed away safely in
grandmamma's lockers.-N. y. Observer.