The Portland daily press., 1877-01-06

WHICH uttle Edtll0 MelVlH OpeuS ueT eyes,
at least four hours after daylight, she finds
Portia at her bedside, with young woman
behind her bearing load of fleecy white gar
ments in her arms.
NOW, my small captive, the next thing on
the list is breakfast, and here is the wedding
garment without which you are forbidden to
appear at the FEAST" And Miss Van Anden
disappears to greet Archie Westervelt in the
Crawing-room.
"What is it, Portia? Where have you
been. and what have you been about?"
Executing your commission, young man.
DO you remember | promised three months
ago to find you wife?"
"Have you really done me the honor to
think about me in my absence?"
"Contraryto all precedent, yes. have been
to the hills, Ardhie-But no, YOU couldn't
understand either. l went anyway, and
while l was there 1 found lovely white lily,
and have brought it home with me for you
to win and year,
At this moment there is vision in the
doorway all shimmering curls and clinging
lace and golden hair.
And now l have no time to tell of the
snares laid by the willy Portia, upon whose
shoulders might well have fallen the mantle
OF her namesake who so deXtrOusly entrapped
| the old Jew. Soon Archie Westervelt began
to find there was no pleasure in life like
watching the delight and wonder expressed
| In pair OF blne eyes, as he led them about
among the marvellous sights and scenes of
old New York. And soon little Hattie Mel
vim forgot there were such things in the
world as uproarlous schoclboys and Latin
verbs, and at the same time the recollection
OF the grave young student who helped her TO
struggle with them paed also.
One day there was a love tale poured into
Miss Van Anden's sympathetic ears by two
| Infatuated young people; and when Archie
Westervelt began to excuse his fickleness to
his old love. his nervous system received a
| shock by being kissed just in the middle of
bis forehead, while Miss Van Anden's strong
hands seized his, and her rich voice ex-
claimed:
GOD bless you, Archie! God bless 7ouw
Then little Hattie Melvin began to plead
with the princess for permission to write to
the Westons-a thing that she had been strict
| ly forbidden to do since her introduction into
| the great house.
''But let me send them some money. You
| or Archie will give me some, l know. And
that dreadful mortgage must be paid on the
| 26th of November, Or"
But Miss Van Arden will not hear th at
"or." She refuses her captive the mon ey,
| and forbids her to write line. All her en-
ergies seem to DO concentrated on the prepar-
atoms that are being made for the great we'd
| ding at st ThOmass that is to take place in
the middle of October. Even when the
little bride starts upon her wedding tour
her benefactress will not yield. She is COM
manded in the most positive terms not to
communicate by word or letter with the
| family at the farmhouse.
But when November winds begin to whistle
among the trees and strip them of their
| guardy livery, and old winter seuds threaten
ing reminders in the way of stormy gusts of
sleet and snow that last but a moment and
are gone, then Miss Van Arden sends for the
| month-old bride and tells her to telegraph
| to the foot of old Monadnock for Sukey.
And Sukey, who would not have stirred hand
| or foot at the command of Jacob Van Ar
denis heiress, come at little Hattie Melven's
call. But Sukey's wrath grew very hot when
| she learns she has only been sent for to cook
| Thanksgiving dinner, and she shifts with
| awful disdain at the ornaments of Miss Van
Arden's drawng-room. Now Sukey is
"nobody's Niger" and she Saint goin' to
cook for no city folks, who put on airs and
| act as 1t decent young waman who comes
in now and then to help was the dirt under
| their feet" Then little Hattie Westervelt,
| nee Melvin, explains who the guests are to be,
snd Sukey's temper is arpeased.
once more telegram goes to New Eng
land from the little bride, signed with her
MAIDEN name, for Portia knows that no ap-
peil from herself could bring Horace Weston
| to Ter side.
Thus it is that when the churches are pour
ing their crowds of grateful worshpers into
the streets on the great day of national thanks
giving, bowed old man, with his care worn
| wife upon his arm, and a grave young clergy
man mount the steps of the Van Arden
| dwelling.
Then they are ushered into the drawing
| room wherd blue eyed woman tells sort
OF fairy tale of peace and plenty and happi-
| ness. And further on in the library, whittier
Horace's steps are soon directed, stands the
mistress of the mansion, waiting to receive
the browning glory of her lite, the blessed
assurance of "a good mans love-"
But everybody knows that, like the bride
| at wedding or the corpse at funeral, the
principal feature of Thanksgiving-da day is the
turkey, and Sukey has charge of him. There
have been frightful rows in the Van Auden
| kitchen; but here stands the feast. Aud just
at present there is a terrible alteration going
on between the New England maiden and
Yellow-legs, because the latter has ventured
| to suggest that the pie should not go on the
| table with the meats.
AS soon as the trembling hands of the old
couple have been laid In blessing upon the
| fair head of their future daughter the feast
ing begins. And old Josiah Weston eats his
turkey and pumpkin pie and drinks his cider
from dishes and and glasses any half-dozen of
| which would have paid off the mortgage on
| the farm; and Sukey sits down with the
family, sjust to show that beast with buttons
| who's who"
Then they adjourn to the drawing-room,
and, when the hour for evening PRAYER ar
rives. Portia finds one place for Horace in the
| great prayer-book that contains the liturgy of
the old church. And as he reads, ''We thank
Thee for our creation, preservation and all
| the blessings of this life,' a soft hands steals
into his, and Miss Van Anden's sweet lips re-
spond, "Amenv'
The old people fall asleep in their arm
chairs by Portals hearth, and the shadow of
care seems lifted from their hearts and peace
rests on the care-Worn faces. Mrs. Hattie
Wostervelt percHes herself upon her hus-
bands knee and whispers, 'sWhat an awful
plot she laid, Archie, to get rid of mep'
And, arm in arm, Portia escorts her prince
around the great house to show him his
kingdom,
Know anything about it my dear?" reply
the Taylors to Celia Minturn two months
afterward. "Of course we do-all about it.
You see, she was after Archie WesteIvelt
seven years and couldn't get him. And
finally when he took fancy to that little
blue-eyed girl he married, Miss Van Anden
was in such an awful way for fear society
would know how she felt that she got her to
come to her house and be married from there,
Then. within two months, she engaged her.
self to that young parson from down East
somewhere. They say she has had a fright
ful time OF it ever since. One thing is
certain The has made her give up the New
York house and half the money is gone to