Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-12-31
TILE NEW CINDERELLA.

THE NE W CINDERELLA.
When the widow of General Spicer mar
ried my father she swore that l, his only
child, should be her first care. Unfortunate
ly, promises before marriage are proverbially
unsound, perishnble as pie.crust. Those
made by the Widow Spicer were singularly
light pastry; before the honeymoon was
over She forgot she had made any, and
thenceforth her maternal care Of me was a
dead letter.
My father was an embarrassed man. Mrs.
Spcer brought him nothing but ready
made family one son, Jack Spicer, already
in the army, and two daughters. When
they first Joined our domestic circle Cornelia
and Adelaide Spicer looked TO my juvenile
eyes full grown women and yet 1t was Gu
rious fact that five years later, when had
changed from a child to missy of twelve,
they were still in their teens and five addi-
tional years only seemed to have the effect of
making them younger.
The Spicer girls were no beauties. They
took after their mother; they were large
nosed, shril-toDgued women like her; they
spent their lives dressing and dreaming OF a
possible marriage, but each year seemed to
make the struggle more hopeless Between
them they led my poor father miserable
life. He had always been q meek little man,
but the moment he fell under the yoke Of
the Spicers he seemed to lose his identity
and be merged in them. 1t was quite enough
for Mrs Spicer to say in her stentorian voice :
MY girls must have a season in town, Viii
liam Cindy's schooling must stand over for
another year; = and so it stood over alto
gether. How l picked up desultory dduca-
tion Heaven only knows. The only branch
that received any attention was millinery
the Miss Spicers conceived that had nice
taste for trimming and kept me pretty busy
and by-and-by Clementine, the French maid,
| transferred her work to me! She could moi
stand the temper Of "ces oitlles .ftleS" she
said and after she left it was not found con
venient to FIJI her place. The constant drains
made by the Spicers generally on my father
purse were beginning to empty that long-en
| during article. The seasons in town were
becoming matters Of great difficulty and eacl
took a slice out of the poor residue. My
stepmother was killing the goose with ven
geance, and the golden eggs were spent fol
| no good Each season saw the return of tn,
Miss Spicers crosser, older, thinner, sourer
Sometimes they would bring with them som'
man who was supposed to have taken fan
cy to either Cornelia or Adelaide, and it wa
hoped that country house life might fan th'
languid flame into healthy fire. but the ole
saying: Opportunity and importantly,
seemed to have the contrary effect on th
Miss Spicers' admirers; they made great in
roads on the larder, but no progress towar'
matrimony.
During these visits l had strict orders t,
remain in my room. My stepsisters had
strong dislike TO any of their So called admir-
ers seeing me. Men have, unfortunately,
preference for fresh young faces, and, il
spite of all the nostrums that the Spicer
| 10 aa.b Hav ipareag
ed the difficulty of keeping up the fiction o
girlhood. To do them justice they worke,
hard. If they had been little kinder to M
| could have found it in my heart to pit
them, for surely no laborers put in severe
days toll. Morning, noon, and night the
were digging in ungrateful soil, and the har
vest never seemed ripe.
Adelaide, being the youngest, was tn
most gushing; she adored dancing, lawn
tennis, picnics, and billiards. Cornelia, o.
the contrary, was, as her mother remarked
steady as a church. She haunted the recto
ry, where the Rev. Alfred Pringle dwelt,
solitary widower. She made his life bur
den to him, and marriage almost necessity
it was miraculous how he held out.
MY eldest girl is such help in the pai
ish," my stepmother would say, her wild
nostrils shifting the air; "she leads tn
choir, and teaches the infant school, and
president of the mothers meeting, the cot
bag, and the Christmas dinner; you'd find
hard to get on without her, Mr.. Pringle."
ITS wonderful how the children ODE
Miss Cindy," the Reverend Alfred says, shy
ly.
'Do you mean Sir Williams unfortunat
daughter, Mr.. Pringle That girls hear
break" answers nay amiable mother. "a
the pains my girls take seem to do her
good"
"Shes perfectly incorrigible," says Co
nelia with the air of martyr.
"A perfect tomboy," chimes in Adelaide.
"A horrid little bear" continues Cornell
with more acrimony than before. She hi
an intuitive feeling that the rector does NJ
agree with these structures. Something
his expression rouses the jealousy which
always burning in such natures as hers. n
} sooner is the door shut upon the rector tha
she burst out:
Mamma that odious girl has been tan
pering with Pringle -
Nonsense, Cornelia as if he would loo
: at such a child Men of his age like senf
, BILE woman for wife"
, They do no such thing, and you kno
that very well. What's the use of making
t fool of me that way 2"
/ "Cindy is as forward as she can be" r
marks Adelaide viciOusly; "and she's II
t such q child either. l noticed old PrinR
watching her at the school feast.
And why didn't you tell me 2" retorts Cc
= nelia fiercely, "and l would have sent h
T home. It's just like your ill-nature, Ad
T. laide. You are as jealous as ever you c.
/ bel"
81 Jealous of such a buzuz as old Pring
0 Oh, thank you. hope l shall get SON
to thing better than that.
S 'Sour grapes, my dear" returns Corne
5 laughing scornfully. "Oh, you needn't be
y proud. 1 can tell you old Pringle doesl
= care twopence for you, there :"
D "You ill-natured creature" cries Cornell
g dissolving into tears.
: "Hold your tongues!" says their moth
d hurriedly; there's some one driving up I
?. avenue" At once the Spieers fell into po
a ton. Their training was perfect; the Ge
o erals widow understood washing the fam
, linen in private.
a Just about this time young Lord Layend
Il came home to the Hall Report said
l. meant TO give a series Of festivities-bal
lawn-tennis parties, and what not Il
6 whole neighborhood was in hutter. "Y
r must call at once" my stepmother said
10 my father "there's no time to be lost.
must get up a dinner. Old Lady Tumb
o towers told me to-day he is musical-At
d laide, you haven't practsed lately"
% 81 wonder if he will take any interest
le the schools ?" remarked Cornelia musingly
G. Jack Spicer winked at me-he was alwa
teasing hi0 sisters, and there was no love L