Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-09-22
Instead Of the Wedding.

And Dolly extended the dainty lavende
periumed sheet TO Cousin Laura, in the Ian
guild, Indifferent way that was becoming
habitual to her
"Oh, how delightful You1l 90, Of course
And Mr. Devereux elegant. the ncom
parable Sidney-wil be groomsman. VIII,
couldn't fate be so kind to me2 VIII,
should you have siler an gold, when YOU
don't care straw for them. and had moi
a sixpence to buy my hair-pins wiih-until
you gave it 10 me-when | would so like Ia
be rich 2"
81 don't see that the siller an gold have
much TO do with what you consider my hap
piness in this particular case" laughed
Dolly.
"Why. if you hadn't been rich il you had
been obliged to play Sweet Simplicity in
nuslins, and faded-out, made-over silks at
Newport last summer as did, Miss rtia
Hazelton would have turned up her nose at
you-its horrid pug, any ay-and though
you are pretty, quite pretty in your way,
Dolly, yet | am not quite sure that Mr.. sid
ney Devereux would have been so struck. if
he hadn't been previously informed with re-
gard to your golden charms Not but that
he has money enough, if report speaks truly /;
but IL is pleasanter to double than TO divide.
to say nothing Of the prestige of marrying
an beireSs. You know it must be so. Dolly.
or somebody who is worth the while would
some time, look at me" " And Laura pointed
her sentence by complacent glance in the
mirror opposite.
Dolly did not answer. Her head was
dropping, and her thoughts were evidently
wandering Laura's first words had sent
them straying back to the time when her
only possession was a stout heart, moderately
clever brains. and two rather small, plump
hands, very much accustomed to dish-wash-
ing and darning.
Her father had been a country minister,
whose door the proverbia wolf had con.
tinually besieged. A donation party, thrust
once year into his capacious Jaws, was all
that saved the little family. When Dolly
was eighteen her father and mother died
within month Of each other; before year
had gone by her, two sailor brothers were
drowned, aud Dolly was all alone She had
not a relative in the world of whom she had
ever heard, save Uncle Joshua, her mothers
brother, who had gone to California when
Dolly was baby, aud had ceased all com
munication with his sister years before her
death.
When, only a fortnight after her fathers
death, new minister appeared 10 claim the
parsonage. Dolly was aroused from her stu
por of grief and began to look around her
More than one home was offered her in the
village, but Dolly had no idea Of being de-
pendent She counted up her possessions
those bestowed by nature, which have be-
fore enumerated-and resolved TO 90 into
the factory. But O, such hue and cry as
was raised in the town when she told of her
intention 1t was a disgrace to the parish
hn ilta T.. L Al
tory She could teach the district school,
even If she was such little mite of a thing,
and so shy. Deacon Spencer, who was on
the committee" said that the little timid
" schoolmarms always got along an amaz-
ing sight better with the great, rough boys
SO Dolly tried the school teaching the sum
mer term first, and then, having succeeded
well enough TO support Deacon Spencer's
theory through the winter when the big
boys went. Looking back, that year seemed
to Dolly the happiest she had ever known
so bright and blessed, that all her life since
seemed dark and dreary waste beside it.
Not that the little red school house, at the
foot OF the hill, was so pleasant place, nor
the interminable round of lessons, from a, b.
alb, and the multiplication table to algebra
aud philosophy, so delightful TO teach, but
when school was over for the day, there were
the lovely summer twiights, or the long win.
ter evenings and Robert lvors, the young
foreman at the factory, boarded at Deacon
Spencer's, too.
Good Mrs. Spencer was dretful 'fraid
they would take to one another from the
first as Sue contided, in strict privacy, to
her neXt-door neighbor.
Not but that Robert was as likely "
young man as there was in Greenbush