Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-12-31
ONLY Fifteen.

That was a rather cruel, unieeling
remark Of Mr.. Earle to his daughter
Sadie, or Sarah, M she now wished Il
be called, because, "at least, she wasn't
baby"
"No, sis, you're neither a little girl
nor q woman +; but just between hay
and grass, rs one may say
Sarah gave IN extra push to her
already well ,ied-back ovcrskirt, and
sta, ted for school with smouldering
spark in her eye.
ats true what father says" she
soliloqu,zed, as she walked along
"Im too old to wear my dresses short,
and too young to wear them long
too old to let my hair 60 loose and
comfortable, and too young for frlzzes,
puffs and coils. And as the cows iu
the spring, when hayis gone and grass
not we'll grown, have TO put up with
odds and ends, so / have 70 take all
Hats and Jen's cast-vf dresses and
hats or if there is anything awfully
unbccoming TO them get that,
whether like it or not. Then, in the
work, what have is just what every.
body else hates to o,--like washing
the dishes and cleaning the lamps
just what nobody getr trcredit for, either,
only blame for not dcing WELL"
BY this time this ambitions girl OF
ours bad reached the school house ;
but the teacher had an engagement,
80 the card attached to the door
handle told the scholars. Sarah start
ed at once to retrace her steps tor it.
was a two-mile walk, with only here
and there a few old apple trees to
shield her from the suns glare.
As she walked her thoughts revert
ed TO the mornings conversation,
partly perhaps, because the scent OF
the new.mown hay greeted her
Like any girl Of her age, 1t struck her
as queer, backward sort Of COM
parison to speak of childhood as the
time of hay.
. "Oh. yes y she exclaimed, aloud, as
a thought struck her; II see how it
is and she at once resolved to write
the coming weeks composition on
that very subject.
"I'll say" she soliloquized, that
childhood is cared for by the general
love Of father and mother. That's
the hay, you see. But at last, the
youth goes outintothe world and gath.
ers love for himself. And shall give
it a moral turn; for somehow, I think
young people ought not to be selfish,
even if I am so-but ought to gather
love by loving"
"Whatis the use oftalkiug, thought
If I really wanted to be useful 1 could
not. Who'd ask me to sit up and
watch with sick people, fer instance :!
] couldn't even keep awake all night.
| wish could be sure Id be the right
sort of woman, and then, seems to
me, it might be beautiful to be wrinkl-
ed or gray for, by that time one is
sure OF ones self"
Then she suddenly stepped down
from her mount OF moral enthusiasm
IA feat, alas so easily accomplished,
so hard to account for often.
"Before I get to be good and gray
I'd like some nice times and some
nice thingr. This muslin overskirt
and waist are pretty enough, and for
once, new but-why-what J."
She sprang quickly out of the road
10 sudden terror, for she thought a
loose horse was plunging fuliously
down the road behind her. She had
not scrambled half way up the steep
Lank before he came in sight bnt to
her relief he was not riderless. Squire
Waits boy reined him in with diff
Guilty, just within view, and turning in
his saddle, shouted at the top OF Biz