Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1877-04-27
HEBE's JUMBLEs.


"Twelve, thirteen. foarteen-just enough !;
Oh, am so glad !" said Hebe Gladney,
gathering up that fortunate number of PEN
mics aud giving them misery rattle. "a
pound of white sugar will be just fourteen
cents, and l can work out the eggs and
-four"
Having made this satisfactory financial
review, she addressed herself to the broken
bit of looking-gass on the wall, and finished
braidinR her hair. Auburn braids look well,
passed, circlet fashion, around a small head,
brought close to the forehead and tied with a
knot of blue ribbon. Hebe acknowledged
it, and gave an innocent little sigh of salts
faction. She was very tired. Her checks
had an uncomfortable flush as different from
their morning freshness as pink morning
glory just opening, dewy, well-poised, re-
spending to the lightest currents Of air, is un-
like it's same pink dropping self at noon.
She had weeded the garden and scrubbed
the pantry shelves from top TO bottom. be-
sides her ordinary round of kitchen work.
"Aunt Liza knew | wanted to make some
thing for the donation party, aud she locked
up the sugar and let the FIRE go out on pur-
pose :" and Hebe gathered up the pennies,
twitched her sun-bounet from the wall, crcpt
softly through the kitchen and garden, climb
ed the fence, and took the shortest cut to the
village store.
Miss Liza Stebbins had not locked up the
sugar accidentally; there was method in her
madness always. AS she turned the key
that morning she said to herself, with grim
satisfaction, There whether, it's crullers,
or waffles, or gooseberry- tarts that mink has
got on her mind to make, | reckon they'll
stay on her mind. Minister Bliss and his do
nation party amt going to gorge on my but
terry when he's eat some OF his own words
TO me, sauce and all, it will be time to think of
coddliDg him like the other girls in the
church." and Miss Stebbins tossed her head
with q virtuous air that plainly admitted no
compromises with the Delilahs Of the parish !;
aud, houncing through the kitchen, she
scowled al her little grand-ueice Hebe who
was up to her pretty elbows in -four. over the
kneading-bowl.
The painful inference here asserts itself,
that Miss Stebbins was in highly infamed
state Of mind toward her spiritual shepherd.
Aad yet time was when the new minister
counted no disciple more ardent and devoted
than Miss Stebbins. She paved his way to
dyspepsia with pies of deadly pastry, aud
then deluged him with boneset-tea. She
worked book-marks for him on ribbons of all
imaginable bues, which taken collectively
formed complete concordance Of the word
Lore a; she was in herself perennial dons-
ton party, until rumor had it that she was
ready to donate herself aud all her charms to
the minister on the slightest provocation. 1t
never came, however. On the contrary, Mr..
Bliss cut himself off from further pastry tri-
butes by making Miss Stebbins a pastoral
call, and mildly reproving her for slandering
Miss Marsh, the district school teacher.
"Love thinketh 60 evil" said Mr. Bliss on
that memorable call, as if suggesting text
for book-mark which she had overlooked,
''If come folks is minded to walk 10 bin
ders and tongue-tied all their life, they're
Welcome to- believe in seeing truth, and
speaking truth," replied Miss Stebbins.
"My friend" said Mr.. Bliss, with tender
solemnity, "look into the hearts Of men with
eyes as clear and piercing as our Lords. but
beware offailing to see the good He saw,
and beware Of passing judgment less loving
and charitable than His"
Four Sundays had passed, and Hcbe was
the only worshipper in Miss Stebbins' pew.
She sat there with her soul in her eyes and
her eyes on her minister, her round cheek
flushing and paling as she joined in the
hymss and once, when she lifted her head
after the last prayer, the minister himself re-
marked the tremulous lips and wet lashes,
and wondered what they meant.
al tell you, wife, shouldn't be sprised if
the speFit was working in that young Heby,"
remarked Deacon Bidde, going home from
church. ....
"Father, it's my belief it's an evil sperit,
and that sperit is Liza Stebbins," replied his
wife, emphatically.
Of course rumor was not dumb on the sub
ieot of Hiss Stebbns' sudden withdrawal
from sanctuary privileges; it made shrewd
Ruesses at the truth, and it looked forward to
the donation party as test occasion: "lf
she holds out against that, we may as well
give her up" was the village conclusion
This was a wretched time for Hebe. She
loved her Westinghouse and minister with
all her innocent heart, and she could not
bear 10 feel that shadow had fallen on their
pew, accommodating them, as it were from
the sunlight Of Gods favor.
And then to give up the party-all its fun
and merry making, the loaded table, the smell
of coffee over the whole house, the dazzling
brilliancy Of lamps everywhere, the good
old games of blind.man's-buff and fox-and-
geese, and then to put such an open slight
on the minister Oh, it was heart-breakiug
and Hebe decided on her knees, --she had
way Of solving such little problems of life 10
the middle other prayers that go she would
and with full hands, too. Then she wound
up with the petition,-hardly to be found in
the prayer-book, that Aunt Lizas heart
might be moved to let her make some jun
blea.
The next day, however, doubling whether
Providence intended TO interfere in the mat
ter Of the jumbles, Hebe came to the despe.
rate resolve, as we have seen, Of investing
her entire worldly fortune in sugar. She came
softly up the garden-walk, swinging her sun
bonnet by the strings, and carrying fourteen
cents worth Of sweetness under her apron.
Her forces were quickly brought together
and arranged on tho buttery sholf-hOur,