Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-09-06
The Blind Spinner.

debt, disgrace, rum, vain feinorse, and before
long three fatherless ones-girls, reared in q
foolish luxury, now left to face all the trials
OF grinding poverty.
The mother had died many years back
of a broken heart, people said, for the worst
errors Of the father were mercifully veiled
from The childreu's eyes, and SO then he was
always "poor papa who kissed them as he
lay dying, and then turned his face to the
wall and wept for the wasted life he could
never now expiate e-wept for his helpless
children, rendered homeless 10y his own
grievous fault.
This happened a long time ago, or il
seemed so TO them-for sorrow makes time
seem long TO US all--and now it had come to
this
This was furnished lodgings in an un-
fashionable suburb of London-that great
sea into which so many troubled hearts
plunge to hide from the eyes of those that
have known them in better days.
We must now sketch these three sisters.
in whom ! would fain hope to interest my
readers
Bessie first she was the eldest, now Just
eighteen tall aud slender, dark haired dark
eyed, and grave beyond her years.
Then came Katie-and Katie was blind.
It was the prettiest sight to see the devo-
tion Of the other two to this afflicted one.
They are my two eyes she would say
with that sweet smile often seen on the face
of the blind-a smile that seems 10 hold all
the light the sightless eyes lack.
She had an intense nature, this poor blind
child; nature that suffered more than
Others in pain, and rejoiced with more ex-
ceeding joy and gladness. She was now
seventeen, and Alice, the willfu naughty
darling Of the other two, was two years
younger.
Alice was a beauty aud bewitcbed you
with her saucy violet eyes and ripping
chestnut hair and cleaning pearly teeth.
They were very friendless, these three Sis
ters. For one thing, the father had not been
a man to make friends, or, ii he did make
them, lost them again with remarkable
promptitude, and their mother had been a
foreigner, so that English relatives were few,
and the few had offered help in somewhat
offensive manner.
So the girls came 10 London and took up
their abode at Mrs. Busby's furnished lodg-
Jugs, II Paradise Place.
The stairs were steep and Katie often put
her hands TO her side after mounting them
the rooms were small, and Bessie's room, up
at the top Of the house, had a slice cut off at
one corner, and a window so low that it gave
anything but satisfactory light TO dress
your hair by--but then, was there not a mir
ior in the parlor in which you could take a
glimpse of yourself, and if it depicted you
with a swelled face, aud one eye up and the
other down, why, you learned to make allow.
ances for these peculiarities and to know
whether your bonnet was straight in spite OF
them; so, take it all in ALL it was not q bad
sort of mirror.
Bessie was the clever one of the family a,
| far as accomplishment went. She hoped
| brave heart, to make " something comforta
BILE by her musical powers, for she hac
been told that London was Just the place tC
get on in, but for all that the sisters had
been nearly six months in Paradise Place
and yet only now had Bessie got her first
pupil
I've got pupil on the brain, my dears,
said Alice, her pretty eyes sparkling Will
merriment as she looked at Bessie gravely
pouring out the tea. 81 Oh, it's too delight
ful, Bess, my darling Sure and it's proud
am of you this day"
And after all the pupil only represent.
five shillings u week but then it is be-
ginning, you see, aud will pay half the rent
The cold weather was going now, aud
Katie and Alice were glad of that for il
would be less trying for Bess, you see, going
in and out, when that crowd of pupils they
so confidently expected should become a
reality.
So the snow melted, and the little town
sparrows, in their sooty jackets, chirped aud
twittered as merriy as any country bird
could possibly do and Katie sat in the sun.
shine at Mrs Busby's front parlor window,
and thought it very pleasant TO listen to a
street piano, playing " II Bacio."
How often Kate thought OF her dead
father. Naturally she from her afiliction
had known the least OF his wrong doings
and tenderly she loved his memory, calling
TO mind the feeling of his hand laid upon
her head as he lay helpless in his bed OF
pain, while creditors, like birds of prey,
hovered about the house that ought to have
been hushed and silent.
"The sun shines warm and bright the
music out there sounds cheerful to me and
poor papa lies in his grave" Thus ran the
thoughts of this gentle, loving heart
As time went on, though the crowd of
pupils so confidently anticipated by Alice
and Katie did not make their appearance
three or four more were added 10 the orig
inal one, and things seemed TO 90 on passibly
I
we're that the others (supported by the
opinion of Mrs Busby) would not let hel
leave the house. Then an event happened
visitor came to II Paradise Pace-a young
man in yeveteen coat, and soft, wide
felt hat that shaded an honest, manly young
face, with grey eyes and silky, brown beard
This was Phil Washington, struggling
artist, striving hard to make that some
thing comfortable" of which mention ha!
been made before. Phil taught drawing a
school where Bessie, too, had some pupils
Now may as well say once and for all, a
this state of my tale, that there are no vii
lalns in this story, and that Washington wa
an honest, chiyalrous young fellow, who
treated these three solitary maidens now
and ever after with the reverence all tru,
women should command from all true men
With chiyalrous, tender grace, Phil Lush
ington greeted the three sisters, as he stoo1
at the door of their dingy parlor, hat il
hand, his bonnie brown curls clustering
about his forehead and his honest eyes rest
ing on Bessie's face. Yes, he was an indi
vidual " in whom there was no guile" wa,
this young artist of mine, and, like the sun
flower, gazed openly at the sun that had be
gun TO shine with such bright beams upor
his life.
1t was rather hard on Bessie, though, a,
with a pretty bashfulness she presented hel
visitor TO her two sisters.
:" know | ought 10 have called earlier il
the day." said Phil, still drinking in the sigh
of Besse's face, " but have not had mo
ment TO spare since ten o'clock this morn
ing. ! was sure you must be i'll, as did
not see you at Beech House for five whole
days, so | asked Miss Minerva Byorott, and
she told me you had a hard cold"
Phil had not thought before he came that
he should feel as if his advent needed SC
many apologies and explanations, but some
how this all came upon him now, and Alice
perceiving that Bessie was evidently not
capable Of much iluency of conversation
rushed brayely 10 the rescue.
"And now you have found us all sitting
in the dusk We do that, you must know
10 save the gas. of course it would sound
very pretty to say we love the cleaning and
all sort Of thing, but the gas is the real
reason"
Bessie looked imploringly at her sister, as
| il 10 stem this torrent of domestic conf
dences, but their visitor seemed wonderfully
set at ease by these matteroi-fact remarks
on the part of downright Alice, aud soon
they were all chatting pleasantly together.
Presently Phil told them that he and his
mother lived quite close TO Paradise Place.
and some day 'might he bring Mrs. Lush
ington TO see them Z"
A. phil uaid thia Rassia's haaI Irnn,,aI