Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-04-27
A Daughter Worth Having.
BY MRS. ANNIE A PRESTON.

Di nhO. hNNiE "a EhEoIpN
Harvey Mills has failed! " said Mrs.
Smthson, one chilly spring evening, as
she ran in to see her ncxt.door neighbor
and intimate friend, Mrs. james. "My
husband just came home, and he says that
what we supposed to he n rumOr only, i
sad fact; the assignment was made yestor
day | threw on shawl and ran right
over to tell you. They are to keep the
house under some sort of an arrangement
but they have discharged all their SER
wants, and what in the world the Mills
will do, Mrs. James. with Mrs. Mills's
invalid habits, and Miss Helena with her
dainty ways and refined bringing up Is
more than | know" and pretty shallow
Mrs Smithson looked at her nerve loving
friend and neighbor with the air of IN
epicure regarding some lavorite dish.
Il heard about it late last evening"
said Mrs. james, adjusting the pink rib
bon at the throat of her black silk din
ner deess, land this morning presumed
upon our cousinship so far us to drive
over and see how they were getting along.
And really, Mrs. Smithson, You will be
surprised when tell you that, although
expected 20 find the family in great confu-
sion and distress, | never saw them in such
comfortable way and in such good
spirits. The worst was over of course,
and they had all settled into the new order
of things as naturally as could be. My
cousin, Mrs. Mills, was sitting, rs calm
rs you please, up there in her sunny
morning room. looking 50 fresh and dain.
ty rs she ate her crisp toast and slipped her
coffee.
"'Our comfortable and cosy appear
ancc is all due TO Helena said she. That
dear child has taken the helm. never
dreamed she had so much executive
ability. We were quite broken down at
first, but she made her father go over all
the details of his business with her, and
they found that by disposlng of HeIenas
grand piano, the paintings, and slabs, and
costly brio a.brac her father had always
indulged her in buying, we could pay
dollar for dollar, and so keep the house.
NY husbands old friend, Mr., Bartlett, who
keeps the art store, you know and who has
taken great interest in Helena, bought
back the paintings, statuarv, vases, etc.
ut Il small discount, and Barker who sold
us the piano year ago or so, and who is
another old friend and knew of course,
lust how we were situated took il back,
deducting only twenty-five dollars.
- Helena has just gone into the kitchen
What she will do there | don't know, but
she says she needs the exercise that she
has not attended the cooking school here
in the city for nothing, and so long as the
meals are served regularly and properly,
tho housn Ennt in nnpI ,r1nr hap
father and | are not to worry After she
told me that, | drew my call to II close,
and ran down into my cousins kitchen TO
see her dainty daughter there. And what
do you thlnkP | found that girl at the
sink, with her sleeves rolled up, an i'm
mense water proof apron on, washing Il
kettle!
Washing kettle?" repeated Mrs.
Smithson, holding up both her soft, white
hands in unmeasured astonshment.
Yes. Mrs. Smithson, washing great.
black, greasy, iron kettle that meat had
been boiled in, and that had been left un-
washed and gummy when the cook
left And do you knowP she was
laughing over it all, and saying to her
Youngest brother, who stood near by, that
she really liked it, for she now felt she
was making herself useful"
The idea! Liking to wash kettles!
and the two fine ladies looked at each
other in openeyed wonder.
"It seems to me as if Helena Mills
was trying to make the best of her faith
ers altered fortunes, and was simply
doing her duty in the premises" spoke
Miss Carlton, IA James's new drawing
teacher. who was thai evening engaged in
giving her pupil IL lessen on the opposite
side of the centre-table She spoke ear
nesty and yet in II modest way, and i
being the vogue in New City Just then t
patronize Miss Carlton, the pretty ant
accomplished graduate from Vassar, the
two ladies looked ut her amlably, and sh'
went on:
Somebody must WI sh the kettles, anC
it is always best when one has Il disagree
able duty to perform, to do it not only a
once but cheerfully."
" Yes, perhaps" replied Mrs Smi'hson
q" but how could IL young girl OF real ma
tive refinement (both sides of thu
Smithson family were of the "old stock y
take so kindly to washing pots ant
kettlesP The fact of it is, people hav,
been mistaken in Helena Mills. Sh,
never possessed that innate gentility sh
has had credit for. But every one find
their level sooner or later--he, he!
These two women having thus sum
marily disposed of Helena Mills socially
they repeated their belief that the lovely
dutiful young girl had now found he
proper level over and over in their Sc
until it was the common talk in New
City. Miss Carlton, in her round of profes
sional calls among the so-called elite, wa
entertained in nearly every household
with the information that Helena Mill
had given up her studies even, and gont
into the kitchen to work" and, If you'll
believe it, she likes i'll" Then woul
follow reflection upon the natural abilit
and bias of mind of II young woman VIII
was fond of washing dishes.
This sensible, accomplished little draw
ing teacher was the only one to be fount
, who mingled in the upper circles {
, New City, who said word either
-. praise or defense of Helena Mills's ne
vocation Miss Carlton always an
| everywhere protested that the young girl
e con, Sc was not only praiseworthy. bl
u beautiful She maintained that evel
woman, young or old, high or low, wi