Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-06-25


ing, Just wait until 1 can get certifi-
cate in arithmetic, and Ill see the end
of this hard work and no pay!'
"Baby leaned his ear down on my
neck, and said, 'Thum day I'll buy you
gold horthe.' Little dear 1 had to
laugh as 1 replied, Bless your heart,
little man I'll knock him in the head,
and cut him up, and melt him into dub
looms in no time and then [ had to
fling him around in my arms and give
him good hug for his generosity.
"I'd give more for genuine baby con-
dolence any time, or for the touch of
their little hands. wiping my tears in
their bungling way, than I would for
the cold, formal sympathy of the world
ly-wise.
pretty soon my sister came out to
where 1 was wading around in the dewy
grass, and hailed, We'll, tell me what
luck you. had oh, l don't know wheth-
er we ought to be glad or not, said she,
and her face was set for both laugh and
cry. i coaxed him, l said, "oh, come
now, fad, let each of your house keepers
have new dresses. and if you don't want
to let us have black, why let US choose
the kind. some quiet gray, or brown
with dot or sprig in it" and don't you
think we wouldn't give up, but told Lu
to get whole web of deep blue, that
sort old women's aprons are made of.
Plague on it, I've mind to tear mine
all to gibbets, and use it for kindlings.'
"I abominate blue said 1; but let's
pretend we like, and make the best of
it; maybe we'd be proud if We had our
own way, but, dear me, l do hate to go
about looking worse than an old washer
woman. If had the chance I'd work
out and earn something. 1t sticks to
me what Fred Stanley said, that he'd
rather have me for partner at a con-
cert or party, than any girl about here,
only that l dressed so shabbily, but I'll
study, and learn, and read, and think,
and I'll show Mr.. Fred Stanley that it's
not the dress that makes the woman
I'd rather have my soul we'll dressed
than my body any time.
"And so we patched up our poor lit
tie longing desires with this ill-ftting
theory, and we made our father proud
of us in his way. He had good sense,
and his judgment was correct, although
he was ignorant of human nature, and
he had no knowledge of how to deal
with those who could not clearly see as
he did.
$50 we made suits of the hated blue
calico, even to sun-bonnets, little, cord.
ed starched ones. We had entirely out
grown our chip bonnets with the pink
bows, they hardly covered decently the
great frizzly twists of reddish brown
hair that piled up on our big, round
heads.
Before l was sixteen our father mar
ried, and then 1 began to think l would
like to work away from home and carr
something for myself. Next to books
my highest ambition was a lustroui
black alpaca dress. All the girls o
my acquaintance could afford them, anC
they all looked so pretty in them.
81 said nothing about it, however,
but as l sat one day sewing, maxim,
with my eldest brother had long desir
ed, "a coat with two tails to it, 1 re
solved that the very next man VIII
came along with carriage, sleigh, wag
on or bob-sled, on the hunt of hiret
girl, 1 would really go.
"About eleven o'clock the same da
there was gruff rap at the door by
sturdy hand in a mitten, and re-
faced man asked, in a fine, squeak
voice, if we could tell him of any famil
in the neighborhood whose daughter
worked out.
81 said, well, don't know, sit dow
and warm while | think about it. o
inquiry, he proved to be a Mr.. Burns
who had married Johnny Dike's sister
and lived about three miles distant, O
the Sunset hills, we called them. b
cause they were away to the west of U
and at night the sun seemed to 60 righ
down into them.
Il said. maybe l would suit yol
: Mr.. Burns of course you would
, said he, but you don't want to wor
out; you're making fun I replied,
don't want to work out; would hal
to be separated from the children;
don't know how to do many kinds
r work, either, but 1 do want a new a
: paca dress, and, Mr.. Burns, if you
take me, I'll go with you, and my vol,
r trembled and the tears choked me.
: "Well. I'll cheerfully take you N
, child, and you have a silver doll;
every Saturday night, and I'll fett
f you home on Old Gray every time. tc
i I'll warrant you know how to do our Ii
s tie common bit of housework.'
: HE stayed till after dinner and b;
d his horse fed. and when 1 began to q
ready had to cry, because loved n