Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-11-09
The Head OF Apollo.

acrid voice.
Felicie came slowly up the stairs to where
Mrs. Monson stood talking volubly with her
ledger, Mr.. Thornton.
"Felicie, walk little faster" said Mrs
Monsoon sharply. Here is Mr.. Thornton,
that has missed his finest cameo You were
in his room busting, yesterday"
at was head of Apollo" said Mr. Thorn
ton. I" 1 bought it in Naples. Could you have
swept it behind the furniture ?"
At the first mention of the cameo, Felicie
put her hand in her pocket, she turned
deadly pale, and half cry escaped her.
Have you got it 2" cried Mrs. Mon
son, shrilly. "If you have, out of these
doors you shall pack Trouble, enough |
have had with you already-and all your
relations"
She seized her by the shoulders, and at
tempted to put her hand into her pocket.
Felicie resisted desperately. She was as
white as ghost.
"Come, come, Mrs. Monson The cameo
is not worth all that" said Mr.. Thornton.
1t was really worth enough to have made
Felicie open her innocent eyes wider than
they had ever opened before.
Mr., Thornton had often noticed Felicie.
He believed her to be honest, and saw that
she was terrified by Mrs. Monson's violence.
"But mean to get to the bottom Of it,
said Mrs. Monson.
Thornton caught her by the wrist and
forced her to unloose Felicie. He gave her
look before which the shrewdness van
ished like smoke.
"You had better go down stairs" said he,
quietly. al will settle with Felicie."
Mrs. Monson walked submissively down
stairs, and left Thornton and the frightened
girl alone.
"Now," said Thornton, kindly, but with
determination in his voice, "tell me how
this all happened"
Felicie put her hand in her pocket and
handed out the cameo.
al know you won't believe me-" she said,
bursting into tears, "but did not steal it"
al believe you" said Thornton, "go on
| was busting in your room. | put my
handkerchief on the mantel-piece When
took it up did not notice that | took any
thing with it, When got down stairs |
felt it in my pocket. | was hurrying to put
it back when found you and Mrs. Monson
here"
She was very pretty when she cried. She
had delicate beauty very different from
Mrs. Monsons buxom daughters. He won
dered how two types so different could be
piOuuCcu III tnt odiuc
care you Mrs. Monson's niece2" he asked.
"No," she answered with ring of indig-
nation. "My mother was Mr.. Monson's
sister, and lady, My mother was French"
And how came you here :"
"My father and mother died, and l had
nowhere else to CO."
She began to cry again.
Thornton had never felt so bad for any
human being in his life.
"And have you never been educated ?"
he inquired, after pause.
GA little. | can read and write, and I
can speak French. My father was French
teacher, and he used to say to me when
was little thing, Felicie, you must study
hard some of these days, and you mnst
learn to play and sing; but l cannot play,
and have not the heart to sing
Thornton looked at her in silence for some
time.
al have never benefited others much, but
this is a chance will not let slip. Felicie,
how would you like to go to school, and then
learn some business that would make you
independent-sucha as flower.making ?"
"Or dress-making," responded the prac-
teal Felicie.
Every WE'LL" said Thornton. al know
Of respectable place where you can live.
Let me see-you are about fifteen 7"
NEARLY eighteen" said Felicie.
Thornton stared.
She was, then, quite woman, and an un-
commonly pretty one, too, he said to him
self.
"You are sure you will not repent? But
perhaps | am wrong in taking you away
from your natural guardian in this manner"
You may take me away or not" said
a1ta a. Dat L.
take me away shall take myself away.
am going now to get everything have, and
nothing will induce me to sleep another
night under this roof"
That settled it. Thornton took a card
and wrote an address upon it, and in less
than an hour Felicie presented herself at
her new friends with a basket containing
all her worldly possessions.
Mrs. Monson came home to find Felice
gone, and no clue to her, while Felicie was
being snugly ensconsed in sunny little
room at Miss Shepard's.
Miss Shepard had been an humble friend
and dependent of Russell Thornton's mother
and was only too glad to have it in hel
power to do anything for "Mr RUSSELL"
Thornton appeared in the evening, an6
fixed upon plan for Felcies future
arrangements.
You shall have certain amount
month";" said he, " above your board With
that you may do as you please. You MAY
go to school, or learn dress-making, or any
thing else you like. / leave for New Yorb
tomorrow evening, and in week sail fol
London. | shall be in Europe certainly fol-
three years, and at the end Of that time
shall look you up, To see what you have
made of yourself"
Felicie looked up to him with her pretty
dark eyes trimming over with tears. Sht
had learned to dread and fear strangers
These two, Russell Thornton and Miss Shep
ard, were the only two who had ever beer
kind to her in all her life.
81 will try; | will try" was all she coul,
say.
Thornton rose to say good-by.
"When / come back / expect to be daz
zled with your requirements"
He shook hands with her as he spoke, ant
then with Miss Shepard, and the next mo
ment saw his graceful figure disappear il
the darkness. She turned to Miss Shepard
"Will he ever-do you think he will eve
come back 2" she asked, with quiyering lips
"Of course. Three years will slip b
easily"
1t seemed an eternity to look forward Il
in Felicie's imagination.
The next day she said to Miss Shepard
Do you know what am going to do wit
the money that Mr.. Thornton gives mel
intend to learn to sing"
"Learn to sing /" said Miss Shepard i
the same tone as if she had said, Lear
TO fly"
EYES," said Felicie. "To sing like til
great opera singers. My mother sang bea,
tifully, and | mean to sing like her."
Miss Shepard interposed no objection, ar
she soon learned TO oppose nothing that F
licie said. She was so bright and so bel
full Miss Shepards dull little house ha
never known any youthful merriment, al
it warmed the poor old souls heart to fe
Felicie's active and magnetic young presen
about her.
She summed herself, as it were, in Felicie
youth and beauty; and Felicie soon -four
herself to be the very apple of Miss She
ards eye
She had begun her singing lessons t
week after Thornton left, and might
heard thrilling and caroling down in Mi
Shepard's stuffy little parlor, and touchil
light chords on Miss Shepard's wheezy O
piano, all day long
Nor did she forget to learn some 9th
things, besides. She never knew herself
be fond of books. Her life had been so ha
and colorless that she really did not KIN,
what she liked except singing. But s
read with steady purpose of improyeme