Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-08-09
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Jenny's Lark.
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Jenny sat in one corner Of the great fam.
ily sittinp-roonl. bending her curly head over
her slate, aud trying very hard to keep her
mind upon the long column of figures be-
fore her But this wasn't very easy. when
Frank and Charley and Grace and Alice.
at the other end of the room, were laughing
and talking and planning such delightful
things.
At their end of the room it was all so gay
with gas-light aud freight and bright col
ors Tor, it being a rainy evening Grace and
| Alice had betakeu themselves TO the sitting
room TO hurry on the making of their pretty
new dresses which the dress-maker had left
that afternoon There was the pale blue
silk for the blonde Grace, and the pink tarle-
/ ton. with all those white puiis for brunette
/ Alice No wonder Miss Jenny, over in her
corner, was distracted and disturbed away
/ from her column of figures by this fascina-
/ ting brightness and dazzle.
/ Five and two are seven, and three are
eight. nine, ten" she would say TO herself
counting her fingers diligently in the effort
to get it right; aud just as she had got so
! far, perhaps, swish, swish, Grace's scissors
wonld CO. cutting into the silk trimming,
aud Alice would hold up her beautiful robe,
and make some exclamation about the party
next week, when these beautiful tineries
were to be worn.
Grace and Alice were by no means little
girls like Jenny. They were two grown-up
young ladies', Of sixteen and eighteen. Beau
tifu tall young ladies they were, whom
.Ienny-this little Jenny Of eight always
thought Of, though they were her sisters, as
lovely princesses, whenever they We're made
ready Tor a ball or party.
She forgot for the moment her " five aud
two are seven, and three are ten, to plunge
into these usual fairy thoughts of hers as
Grace flung a sash of the blue silk over her
shoulder, and cried,
"Oh it's 10 be a perfect scene of enchant
ment the rooms are TO be decorated with
flowers, aud there is TO be hidden band OF
music and outside the grounds are to be
lighted up with colored lanterns y
At this, Ienny's column of figures van
ished completely, and in their stead sh'
saw this scene of enchantment, with its Ian
terms and its flowers. aud heard the mys
FERROUS music She was recalled 10 reality
very sharply by the dropping of her slate
pencil. Bang, snap it went upon the floor
the beautiful long pencil she had bough
to have fairy vision and real treasure breal
? in one breath If Jenny did not give utter
, ance to Just this, she thought what amounted
to the same thing, as her long-drawn sigl
indicated. At that sigh Grace paused anl
; looked across at her.
"What is Jenny doing - she asked o
| her brother. 80 Doing her sums, answered
Frank with laugh.
, Those long rows of figures had no terror
for n young collegian. But Grace hadn
forgotten the days when she, too, had ben
e over her slate and found the long rows o
o figures very trying so she said softly am
entreatingly
i go and help her Frank that's goo
e fellow"
q And presently Jenny. who was counting he
# fingers over those fves and tens in Yer
r disconsolate manner, heard Franks cheer
- voice SO close to her ear that she talrl
jumped.
All, it was another thing now. minut
ago Jenny had compared herself to Cind
rella, sitting away in her corner, while I'll
IL two beautiful sisters were preparing for I'll
$, ball Now, with Frank by her side
m Frank. who was like a young prince in he
,t eyes, she forgot all her Cinderella thought
:, and even the broken slate-penci and I'll
Ill magic under Prince Franks eyes and in h
to helpful company. Like magic, and it didn
ir seem a minute before the dreaded sun
were all done the slate put aside, and 81
'o was sitting in the midst of the lightne
III and dazzle, gathering up bits of blue siI
b. and pink carleton aud white lace for doll
,b dresses, and listening to Grace's and Alice
talk and Franks and Charleys college st
100 ries. Kind beautiful Grace was the fan
IS princess, and Frank the fairy prince wi
ir had wrought this magic change.
pt You see we do not have TO 20 back in
:, the old days for the kind fairies who pc
. form kind deeds we have them with
as always and when any need comes up thu
ut appear 10 us with the magic wands of syI
lis paihy and love, and straightway we a
of helped aud cheered and comforted
Jenny did not reason this out in the ma
III ner that have, but she felt quite satisii,
so and happy in the general result, which a
is sure is all that any fairy, ancient or mo
st ern ought TO expect Not the least part
Jennys happiness on this occasion co
nS sisted in the gay fancies and air-castl
or which thronged and built in her little brai
as Grace and Alice talked about the comiI
m. splendors.
:. But what was that that Charley was sa
~ ing
~ alt will only be a big party, that's al
is not half so jolly as lark we fellows hi
, " last Monday"
A lark What in the world was that
"e What could it be that was nicer than Ora
'st and Alice's parties
IRE what is it, Charley? what is lark
ne she asked, when there was pause enough
a the chatter for her to wedge in a word.
- lark Oh, it's a sudden jolly tin
Die got up in a minute, without any fuss, SUI
lily as you girls make for your parties. v
in don't stop Tor our ruties aud friis and fl
400 bellows" laughing still more; we 60 as '
" did the other night, when Jim Mason drO
lis down with the old sorrel horse harness
ng into the hay-cart. We didn't take two mi
In utes TO think about 40, but jumped right
,ve and were of before you could say Jack Re
:, inson. Didn't we have gay time, thong
Went clear TO Nashville and Jim got
ose lot OF his acquaintances together, and we
se. went IN to the new barn and had dan,
NV and feast of pie and doughnuts aft
wards. That's what | call a lark, j,
e'' Better'n all the parties g0u'll ever go to-"
zen "There's something else that belongs
in your lark that's not quite so NICE bro
ear out Grace here, IN tone that made jen
a. look towards her curiously.
Wv - Something else, not quite 50 nice as t
or ride and the dance and the pie and the doug
PSI nuts" Grace concluded.
ng "Go ahead A girl always has TO bri
in in the moral and top OFF with lecture
cried out Master Charley.
ne "No, | shant go ahead returned Ora
II coolly, but ! see you know what meal
use "Oh, what is ~" eagerly asked Jenl
hill aid lac fall out of the Wagon-did I
doughnuts make him sick Z"
es' Charley shouted, and even Grace join
ais in the general merriment at this.
ties "No, Jen, didn't fall out of the wag
in. and didn't come to grief with the doul
-. nuts. III tell you what Grace means"
Jay gan Charley as soon as he could spe
use " She means that | was a naughty
ses That | went off without saying word
,lv anybody, aud so late that father aud mott
- We're frightened and thought | was drown
$50, Grace says | was selfish aud all that sort
oil thing because | went of in a hurry and
hey got to tell anybody | was going. She s.
that spoiled the lark, to her mind. A
nv now you have Madame Grace's sermon
'"y cut aud dried"
all We'll, | do think thoughtlessness |
be- that, forgetting other peoples comfort
mes trely, is the worst kind of selfshness.
,,h don't see how boys can go ON so needles
I'm sure girls would never think of tax
hch matters into their own hands and 20