Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-09-13
The Reward of Kindness.

the table at ner DlO0mlng uaugnVeTs anu
two tall handsome sons, she said in
doleful tone
"Your Aunt Sabina is coming, and
has invited herself here without cere-
mony."
"When ?" asked Arabella, with an
intonation of intense disgust.
"She will reach here this afternoon.
Wilbur, you will have to meet her."
"Sorry, ma, but promised to drive
Miss Caldwell to the park. Fred can
CO."
Certainly, will CO." Fred said
gravely, though there was hot flush
on his forehead. 81 am very fond of
Aunt"
Nonsense !" said his mother. "You
have not seen her for fourteen years. l
never went to the detestable old farm
after your father died."
Nevertheless, l have vivid recol-
lection of Aunt Sabina's kindness while
we were there"
dear me, Fred" drawled Lucilla,
don't be sentimental. l wish the old
thing would stay at home. can't imag
inc what she's coming here for"
"She is our fathers sister," said Fred
'and l cannot find anything surprising
in her looking for a welcome among her
brothers children"
Mrs. Gorham shrugged her shoulders.
If she had spoken her thought, it would
have been-"Fred is so odd Just like
his father" But she only said.
81 may depend upon you, then, to
meet your aunt, Fred ? l will see about
her ROOM"
1t was source of great satisfaction
to Mrs. Gorham that all her children
were like herself. every one 'Greers'
except Fred" she would say, congratu-
lating herself that the blood of "Gor-
ham pere" was not transmitted in the
features of her eldest son Wilbur or any
of the three girls.
The Greer pride meant intense sell
fishness that Greer beauty was cold,
hard type; that Greer disposition was
tyranical and narroW-minded-di not
trouble Mrs. Gorham. That the son,
who was "all Gorham." was proud to
the core with the pride that knows no
false shame that he was noble in dis
position, handsome in frank, manly
type, generous and self-sacrifcing-shc
could not appreciate. His hands and
feet were not so small as darling Will
bur's, he had no fashionable affectations
and no "Greer" look. So his mother
thought him rough and coarse, and his
sisters declared that he had no style at
all. But outside the home where
great show of wealth was made by many
private economies, Fred was more ap-
preciated.
When he became man, and knew
that his fathers estate, though sufficient
to give every comfort, was not large
enough for the extravaganza his mother
INDUCED in. he fitted himself for busi-
ness, and took position in counting
house, thus becoming self-sufforting.
Darling Wilbur had studied law, but
his first client had not yet appeared.
and Mrs. Gorham supported him, trust
ing his fascinations would touch the
heart of some monied belle. Miss Cald-
; we'll was the present hope. She was
her own mistress, an orphaned heiress,
4 and very handsome. That she was
: proud and cold III manner was only an
additional charm to Mrs. Gorham and
l Lucilla, Arabella and Corinne were en-
thusiastic in their admiration of "Cor-
nelia Caldwell's queenly manner"
Nobody suspected that Fred, blunt.
straightforward Fred. hid one secret in
1 his heart, confessed to no .living being.
And that secret was love, pure and
true, for Cornelia CALDWELL love that
!, would shut itself closely away from any
), suspicion of fortune hunting-that only
!, dropped and mourned thinking of the
], heiress.
- By four o'clock Fred was at the sta
. tion, waiting for Aunt Sabina. What ;;
: little, old fashioned figure she was, il
Il her quaint black bonnet, and large
;, figured shawl But Fred knew her kinC
! old face at once, though he had moi
n seen it since he was twelve years old.
/ "You are aunt ?" he said, going quick
e ly to meet her.
She looked at the handsome face ant
: caught quick gasping breath.
"Ycu must be one of Johns boys,
o she said. "How like you are to you
father"
n 81 am Fred" he answered.
!, Dear heart How you have grown
: Is your mother here ?'
L "She is waiting for you at home"
The good old country woman ha
4 never had the least doubt of warn
h welcome at her brothers house, anC
:. Fred certainly confirmed her expecta
h tions. He found the old black leathe
u trunk, the bag, the bandbox. the grea