Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-02-15
LOVE AND MONEY
III ROSE TERRY COOKE.

~ i'-''i- AAaiti'A ''N-Ai-'
Clemontine Kent was very pretty girl, and
as sentimental as she was pretty. Her pale
oval face, with plastic features that looked as
if some easy hand had moulded their fluent
curves from a soft pallid clay that never hard
ened- her yellow gray eyes and deep brown
lashes, her full lips, her forehead, and delicate
brows-al seemed surcharged with a sort of
vague pathos that was very effective; an
abundance OF light brown hair, waving and
silkcn, and beautiful teeth half disclosed by
the languid mouth. added also to the charms of
a slight and graceful figure.
She was one of those girls who suggest Il
vine always; not sturdy grape laden with
bacchant punches. or u classical evergreen
ivy but rathera morning glory, adorned with
pink blooms-howcrs of an hour, that fade
when the hot sun strikes them, and close for
ever under twilight shadows.
Her romantic name fitted her very well :;
and nobody ever thought of shortening it into
robust ''Clem. or familiar "Clemmy;' if the
syllAblcs were too long for any lazy tongue. it
degenemted at once into Tina"
At school she always had at least eleven
bosom friends, who We're horribly jealous of
each other, rs each in turn happened to be the
confidante of the day. There were girls who
called Clelnentine Il fool, and treated her with
judicious scorn but they were mistaken
Clem6ntine was not a fool at all she had the
ordinary sense of girls Of her age not COM
mon sense. which is the nrcst of all possess
ions, and beyond genius; but m average
share of understanding. To be sure she wrote
poetry-reams of it-and very poor poetry at
that. though being smooth, melodious and
harmless, it was greatly admired by theroad-
ers of the Canterbury journal. and her candid
school-mates But if she did write poetry
she learned her lessons fairly we'll and was
a. n, l..
Monsieur Bourdaloue was desperately enam-
ored of Tina, and gave more than the pre-
scribed hours teaching to the class in which
she belongod-a class of two-which may ac-
count for her progress.
The worst thing about Clementine was her
fearful tendency not n day passed that she
did not cry, and cry huently; good honest
showers of crystal tears that soaked her hand
kerchief and washed her pale cheeks like II
spring rain,
Nobody ever knew what she cried for; she
said herself she cried because she couldn't
| help it. Nora Jones. one of the strong mind
ed girls who called her silly, said she was cry
ing for the moon certainly there was no other
| known reason for those tears. She had n
good home. n very loving father and mother,
one sunny, saucy sister, as unlike her as possi-
ble, yet whoregarled Tina with deepreverence,
and said the editor of the Canterbury Journal
| had been heard to call Clementine IA child Of
genius" and she guessed she was. After n
| great while, Tina, i'll moment of confidence,
| owned to her chief dearest friend that life was
| a burden, love n vain dream, friends "A delu-
sivc fiction, and she herself should certainly
| die young consumed by inward fires to con-
firm which sentiments she quoted Mrs. He
mans, Byron, l.. f. L., and NJ. F. TuppcI
with great fluency and convincing aptness,
| and scared poor Molly Hayes out of nights
rest by asking her if she should return from
| the sprit-land to tell her of its heavenly joys.
Molly did not like ghosts, and protested We
hcmcntly but she need not have been fright
cned, for Tina did not die Mt all, though she
ate enough pickles. candy, and loaf-cake to
hasten her end if she had been naturally Il
! wholesome hearty creature
No; this morbid sort of girl does not die
young she grows mp into n weedy, useless
woman, and for all practical purposes might
as well be kept in cellar with other sprouts
of more useful vegetables
Clementine finished her school-days in hei
usual health, graduated with some honor
looking extremely pretty in white muslin anC
blue satin ribbons, with her hair in long loose
ringets falling about her shoulders, and one
white rosebud caught in the shining meshe'
above her little ear In this cheap and lovely
costume she sung pretty little song of long
ago, lIoNt lllt noAs WIN hhNll AANhlhAbhn pa
thos that the audience almost cried, and sever
college students at the extreme end of til,
hall felt very queer under their waistcoats
Then Tina came out into society. NOtthatther,
was much society in Canterbury, but whatev
er mild dissipation that town afforded sh,
shared in. Her father was well to do ant
Tina was always nicely dressed. She hat
good taste, and affected soft clinging fabrics
sometimes of delicate tints, but never neu
trails The instinct of n woman of her sort il
apt to be correct in such matters, and she fel
that drabs and grays and dull browns did no
suit her; warm yet light rose, turquoise blue
apple green-a tint unknown to those abom
Unable anilne colors that have SO cruelty su
perseded the old artistic dyes-all these, re
lieved against feecy white, or sometimes
whole attire of softest lilac, made her lOol
like "a gentle flower" MS one youthful adore
declared in the burning words of a valentine
Nor did she show less fair; when winter came
in robes of deepest crimson, emerald green
or gentian blue purple and yellow were no
for her, but she looked her lovelest in a Ia
of black velvet with tossing plumes, unde
which her fairness of skin and glitteTing hal
shone resplendent. theoretically it may b.
singular, but practically it is most common
that woman of Clementinas clinging sigh
ing helpless, beautiful type, should be attrac
tive beyond all others to the opposite sex
but even in nature was there ever wild bind
weed that did not find hundred supports OF