The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1877-11-21
LOUIE'S SUCCESS


" L can't see whatever we will do with
her. She's delicate, sickly little thing,
and hasn't either the strength or the de-
sire to earn her living as the rest of MS
do-eh, Louie ?"
Motherly old Mrs. Simmonds smiled
alf approvingly, half indulgentIy down
In the pale, wistful face of the girl who
sat so quietly beside her, listening to the
conversation going on between Mr.. Sim
monds and her guest Farmer Alwyn's
wife, who had just run over with her
knitting for an afternoons visit and to
stay to tea"
They were the very ideals of comforta-
bic, contented, well-to-do farmers wives;
they were portly, rosy and bright-eyed-
such contrast, physically, to the slim,
sallow, hollow-eyed girl who spoke never
word unless specially addressed. ,l
Her name was Louie Harland, and she
had been member of the thrifty Sim
monds family for years-ever since bit
ter cold December day, thirteen years
ago, when forlorn, half-clothed baby
OF three years, she had come to the
hitohon dOvr orytng, sn1ver1ng, anu IN
barely intelligible words told them she
had lost father" and was SO cold and
hungry.
Mrs. Simmonds' big, warm heart had
been stirred to the very depths by the
sight of the forlorn little waif, and in
mingled indignation against the cruel
wretch who would permit such baby to
become SO ragged, suffering and neg
lected, and great, tender pity, took the
little one in, resolving to keep it in
warmth and plenty until "father "
should search for it, and it had now
been fourteen years, and Louie Harland
had come to be almost regarded as a
genuine Simmonds by father and moth
er and the half-dozen rosy, plump chill
dren who loved Louie so dearly.
For she was loveable. and although,
as Mrs. Simmonds tenderly declared, the
child was fit for nothing-not even COM
petent to earn her salt, yet she was a
favorite with them all fer her sweet.
gentle ways, and her patience and will
ingness to do what little she could.
Only Louie could not work. 1t seemed
to her that of all terrible things the
routine of housework was the most ter
rible, and yet she never hesitated an in.
stant to obediently perform whatever lay
within her power, however distasteful
the task was. ........
But-there was one thing Louie loved
to do, one thing that made the Simmonds
girls and boys sometimes laugh, and
sometimes cry, and sometimes feel awe
struck; that made farmer Simmonds
often lay down his pipe in rapt amazed
interest, that made Mrs. Simmonds wipe
her eyes and sob audibly-and that was
when Louie would read aloud of winter
evenings, or recite some exquisite poem
she had mernorized, or render some
side-splitting moroccan from some hui
morist.
Then Louie would seem to lost hel
identity. She would flush with excite
ment, and her fresh, sweetly-intone6
young voice would fairly vibrate will
the intensity of the enthusiasm hel
fragile form would seem to dilate with
intensest interest; her dark, intelligent
eyes would shine with inspiration, o.
melt with pathos or glow with humor
and from farmer Simmonds down to LITTLE
Nell they all considered Louie's reading
a genuine treat.
Only that they never dreamed of ap
4 preciating it as they oqght-none of then
except William Dayton, Mrs. Simmonds
younger brother, who, would hang Of
Louie's enraptured words with interes
scarcely less intense than her own.
He came gradually to care very mucl
for her; until, one day, when she wen
to him with all her heart in her big blacl
eyes, and told him, breathlessly, tina
Mrs. Lecount, the great lady who wa
staying at the hotel, had heard her re
citing one day when she was driving by
and had instantly come in, and had
long, long talk with her, and the resul
was she was to go back to London wit
her-When William Dayton heard tina
lie knew for sure that he cared, very
very much for Louie-that she had com con
pletely filed his heart, and that withou
4 her life would lose very many, il not al