The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1878-09-26

( thss story would never have been told, for
Z Il was the odd one VITO rAa away.
The odd one was Marola. Joe and
Jenny were twins; they were rocked In
one cradle. and from the day they were
born they always wanted the same
Z ,hiDgs. They looked % precisely alike
TIA, il vas great rclies 10 The neigbbor-
hood when Joe had bis 6rst lrowsefs, he.
cause yoa never could be positively sure
which one you were soolding 50 long As
they beth wore pink calico dresses and
white sun bonnels. Joe and Jenny bad
round, rosy faces, round blue eyes,
tAngles Of yellow cnrls, aud were, as
/ GrpndmA Ellis declared, clear Peterses,
every Inch OF 'em. Bat Marcia, with her
dark skin, straight black hair, solemn
oyes, and quaiat old.iAshioned ways, 20.
body could even guess whom she wss
like, until one day grandma wss looking
over = 10, of very old pictures, aud sud.
denly came upon one which made her ex-
claim:
! Well, do declarel II there isu't the
baby to the very life; eyes and chin and
mouth
/ Let me see, said Mrs. Peters; why,
that is Mr.. Peters stepmother; she's no
more relation than Adam.
The baby's her living image, relation
or no relation, persisted grandma, and
from that day she called her Marcia, after
her step.grandmolber, II there be any
such relationship. The old-fashioned
name suited her precisely you would no
more have thought of calling her Kitty or
Dot or Nellie than Of being familiar with
Mrs. Martha Washington or Queen Vic
toria. She seldom laughed or cried, aud
never wss astonished at anything, SO you
must know she was rather trying to Joe
and Jenny, who took life Ia the most
natural way, and were always in ecstasies
or sgonies. She couldn't make believe
worth a straw, Jenny said, and always
looked and acted precisely the same
whether they we're pretending TO hide un-
der the currant bushes from a scalping
party OF wild Indians or going in their
best clothes to grand wedding 10 the
baru chamber. So It happened that
Marcia was left out Of the play aud ont Of
the fnn, aud more and more as she grew
Older took to going of by herself and TAX
/ fss la. iGa f. III ia al ha
hill. Even grandma said Marcia was
queer, aud her mother declared she dida't
know what TO make of her. When Joe
aud Jenny had their bedtime irolics with
their father, aud went away all flashed
with laughter and all rumpled up with
kissing aud hugglng, Marcia only looked
grayely on, without attempting TO join in
the fun. If her father said, Come, little
daughter, cant you give me kiss before
you go? she would come very obediently
and kiss him, bat she never put her arms
about him, but stood stiff aud straight by
his knee.
Such strange child, her father would
sigh, she either has too much feeling for
her comfort, or none at all.
She isn't like child at all, her mother
would say, there doesn't seem TO be a
particle of affection in her nature unless
ii be for that dreadful old doll that Jenny
threw away. She actually dragged it
out OF the ash barrel aud hid 1t in her bed
and she will have the dirty thing in her
arms every night
Perhaps II you'd pet her little more,
Mr.. Peters once mildly suggested, but his
wife laughed at the very idea.
have no time to pet anybody, she de-
clared, aud as for petiing Marcia, why, |
should as think Of eosseting you.
Mr.. Peters was big, burly giant Of a
man, and be only looked down at his lit
tie morsel OF wife, and smiled aud sigh
ed, aud gave the matter mp.
One day, it was on Friday, the 18th OF
August, abont eight o'clock in the morn.
Ing, Joe aud Jenny sat under the sugar
sweeting tree, ealing wormy little wind
falls and taking between the bites. The
sugar sweeiing tree grew IN The rye field,
and the rye slubble was particularly hard
on bare feet, aud though Marcia could
see them very plainly where she stood
holding Amaranlh aud looking through
the bars, she could hardly make up her
MUD to venture any nearer, bnt il was
easy To see they were planning some sort
of fun. BY aud by they came back, Jen-
ny picking ber way carefully, and Joe
trampiug steadily along with bis horny
little feet that always had one or two
invalid toes.
A house in cave Is bettei'n tent,
said Jenny, and we can make fire aud
cook things. shall take all my dolls.
We shsll want the hatehet aud the old
bnFlo robe, and tin pail and fish pole,
and you get grandma to give you lots OF
gingerbread.
Perhaps we can fnd some kuckleber.
ries; there's lots 10 the north pasture
oh, my snz, now here's Marcia.
Joe and Jenny stopped short aud look.
ed at Marcia. and Marcia grAsped poor
old Amaranth tighter aud looked si
them.
i Nov she'll come tagging along, said
Joe.
No, she shsn't; won't have her, said
Jenny. II she does, l'll--rll give her 10
the gypsies. shouldn't wonder I all Il
there were gypsies 10 those woods; don'I
you s'pose 20, Joes
Joe nodded with a tnyslerieus air,
Mareia looked from one 10 the other with
her great solemn eyes, but did not sAy !
word, aud abe was still standing there