St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-10-20

head and looked more birdlike than
ever.
'Well, Amy, to tell you the honest
truth, he didn't" blurted out Fanny.
ale expected an ogre, dragon, an
old cat, didn't you, Jack ?"
Fanny ~
"Now, Jack, yOu know you did !;
there's no use denying it-but isn't she
jolly ?"
''Very," said Jack, in tone the hon
esty of which there was no denying /;
and then felt like biting his tongue off
when he saw the gentle reproachful
look she cast at Fanny.
''Pray forgive me-" he began, ''pray
do, gr-"
"Call her Amy he may, mayn't he ~
and Sue looked at her appealingly.
'Certainly, if my-if yOur-if Mr..
Wetherell doesn't object. Here he is
now"
As the old gentleman entered the
room, she ran up to him and kissed
him dutifully, while he patted her
cheek, and then holding her ont at
arms length, said proudly to Jack,
''Well, sir, what do you think of that
for a grandmother ?"
"Way up-bang up-I mean lovely"
stammered Jack, flushing up redder
than ever
''If you please, SIR" said Amy shyly,
"can-can Mr.. Jack call me Amy ? The
girls seem to think Pm too little to be
Il grandma"
''Not to say too young" laughed old
Mr.. Wetherell. "Well, why rot Call
her Amy, of course"
/ hn il
said Mr.. Wetherell. Jack and the
girls will excuse you for little while.
Jack, you rogue, get your traps moved
back into your own room before dinner
time. Come, Amy"
sweet ?" exclaimed Fanny, as the door
closed upon the elderly bridegroom
and his treasure.
"Not in grandmOthers never"
"You know you said grandpa must
be all gone. Well, Jack, he is all gone
on her, and no mistake"
''But. how did it happen? | can't
take it in, yet"
"Oh, it's regular romance-like IA
story out of il book" said Sue.
eyes, indeed" chimed i'll Fanny.
"I'll tell you all about it,"
"Of course you will" and Jack
pinched her pretty ear. "You're al
ways ready to contract for any talking
that's to he done, aren't you, Fanfan ?
But fire awayw
"Gou don't deserve to hear IA word, y
pOuted Fanny but she returned and
began: "You see, Amy and her moth
er were living on this place in the
south of France that grandpa went
over to see about. In fact, they were
sort of hundredth cousins of ours
They were very much reduced, and the
mother had been an invalid tor years
All they had i'll the world was the
right-or privilege, rather - to live
there until the estate was settled. We
know what grandpa is. OF course he
was kind to them-sO kind that when
the mother died, as die she did in i
few weeks, she consigned Amy to his
care, intimating that if he would make
her his wife it would he the one thing
in the world that could insure hel
daughters happiness and enable her to
die in peace. Amy idOlized her moth
er and had learned to love grandpa
''As grandpa" interrupted Jack.
"Well, yes | suppose sO-fOr all his
goodness, and she did exactly as sh,
was told
"TOo cussed Obedient by half" nut.
tered Jack, between his teeth.
"She did exactly as she was told,
went on Fanny, ''and became, without
further ado, our grandmother. Now
what do you say to that ?"
'I say it's cOnfounded shame"
: "Why, Jack ?"
"Well, it is, and you know it, sale
Jack, stoutly. "It's unnatural. Ma,
= and December don't belong together il
. matrimOny any more than they do il
the calendar
And unnatural Jack continued t,
= think it, the more so as time went on
u and, indeed, it seemed that they all fel
it, though perhaps not quite conscious
4 ly. Amy herself gradually fell into TIN
l habit of calling her husband grandp;
5 with the rest of the children; an(
i though to her his manner was ever ful
of chivalrOus pOliteness and gentle def
t erence that seemed to set her apar
h from the others, he soon came to trea
= her as Il child rather than as wife.
= Jack had come back to the old hOus,
e and found it pleasanter than evei
5 The young people were very gay
+ home, and dances and parties abroad
: not to speak of plays, concerts and al
h exhibitions. At first Mr. Wetherell al
II ways accompanied them, but he sool
d found evening entertainments quite be
- yOnd him. With the approach of win
e ter change had come to him. With
e out really suffering physical pain, h
II grew old and feeble, and at last KEEP
! -. ,1, IL
When Amy and the girls propose
!" to give up any of their pleasures for
= quiet evening with him he pooh
d pOOhed the idea.
"Stay at home OF course not
Y shall he happy here with my book
e and old Tom told Tom was his favor
% ite cat). What foolish old fellow
was to think of trying to keep up wit
- you youngsters. But run away now
e. and he would send them off with
le laugh and kiss but sometimes, as
Il watched the bright faces or heard til
I'll happy young voices, pathetic shad
IL of melancholy fell upon his face, an
'e he shook his gray head sadly and re
"a gretfully. Poor old man he realize
too late that union between yout
and age is not only unfit but impOssi
BILE.
T. Jack, as we have said, found hi
u home pleasanter. He did not quit
- understand it, but there was a subt
charm in everything very a
seemed different. He had alway
,d spent much of his time with his sister
L but now he was never away from the
=. an evening. 1t was not until the pO,
e. old grandfather, who had been agiI
DO rapidly, actually broke down and too
D. to his bed that Jack realized how dal
'h gerously pleasant it had all beel