Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-05-03
Easter Apple Blossoms.

Easter Apple Blossoms.
Never q prettier maiden trpped home
from church on the blessed Christmas
morning than winsome Celestine Odea
Her sweet bright face. cncircltd by the fur
lined hood of her scarlet cloak. was almost
, as brown as a sipsy's; her large tender
eyes were quito as brown MS the hazel-nut
when it first falls from the tree at au-
tumn's bidding; and her hair ripping
over her low forehead nearly to her lovely
arched eyebrows, with hero and there
CLINT of gold appearing and disappearing
IN the most delightfully."- unexpected man
ner, was browner than either. And with all
this wealth of warmeSt brown was min.
gled q wes tn of glowing crimson. tintiDg
tho small chin snd the tips of the little
ears with faint hue like that which the
early orchard flowers know, but making
the softly rounded cheeks and prettily
curved mouth to rival in beauty OF color
tho summer red, red rose. Sho wa
n poor little maiden, the only child of
widowed mother, this charming Coles
tino; but Miss Pauline Stah, tho rich
f,rmers daughter, albeit just returned
from fashionable boarding school, was
not half 40 graccful-nay, nor hrlf so re-
fined-as she The sound Of Paullne'S
vnico ilJated back 10 her. as she hasened
nomeward this frosty, sunny Christm IS
morn. from the sleigh in which the farm
er's daughter and tho handsome young
gentleman visiting at the farmers house
drove by. 1t was merry sound. "And
81 it should be-" thought Celcstine. "Shc
Is rich, and almost q beauty, and has Il
dear father as well rs n dear mother to
care for and love her. And OIL what q
splendid lover she has!-tor I suppose he
IS her lover. They make fine pair, both
ot the same height q wish | were q few
inches taIler), though think it would be
nctter if she we're little darker. She is
almost as lair as he, but his hair is bright
+ and bis eyes arc darker blue. lie has
h"aven-born eyes"
From all Of which it will be seen that
our gypsy faced maidon must have studied
the face Of tho stranger thoroughly, shy as
had been the few glances she had cast his
way as he had sat opposi her in the
village church. "IIeigho!" the girl sighed,
still communing with horselfas she rapidly
left the dainty tracks Of her little feet on
the crisp white snow. wonder if any
one will ever come accounting me-any
one, mean, that should like to conc a.
courtinG." And then she bushed, and
threw a quick glance about her as though
n thought could be heard, and if it could
have been, by the occupants of sleigh
mile away, or any of the various friends
and neighbors who had turned into the
lanes and roads leading to their homes,
len ing her the single figure in the land.
scape-for hers was the last cottage on the
road from tho church. Bruno, tho big
dog, flew to meet her at tho garden gate
and pausins a moment under the leaess
branches of the old apple trco TO pat his
shaggy head, she suddenly remembered
the quaint superstition of which her mother
had told her the night before, how the
young girls in that part of sunny France
from which her grandmother came were
wont to pluck tiny apple boughs on Christ
mas morning, place them in TASKS OF wa.
ter, and hang them in the windows of
their own rooms, to be watched eagerly
until the Faster drow near, and then if but
ono apple blossom came to gladden. the
sight of her who watched,so surely would
she be bride before tho year was out;
and. standing on tiptoe, she broke slcn-
der branch from the tree. and carried il,
hid beneath her scarlet cloak, 10 her
cheerful cozy room beneath the cottage
caves. Here she took tho only pretty
flask she had (rom Pray had given to her, ,
filled with roso perfume, for New Year S
gift, two years before), and filling it with
table, she planted the bough therein, and
| :t r;l hot
snow white curtains Of her window. On
this window Gt faced the south) tho sun
shine fell almost all day, and CLEANED and
glowed and rainbowed in the cutglass
task, and warmed aud cheerod the only
wee branch. until, forgetting its parent
tree, it began to grow and bud, and 10 and
behold the very day before Easter, sub
tie fragrance 1oated through the attic. and
the buds had burst into dolicate pink-whitc
blossoms
Away went Cclcstiue with the flask 10
her hand to seek her mother from whom
sho had never kept u thought since first
abe could give thought speech.
I The widow, brisk, brigh eyed body,
proof of whose French origin was found
in every irregular feature of her dark face,
a. kneadinG the bread in the ktchon-a
pleasant room that opened on the back
porch. Outside in tho garden tho fowls
were growing and oluokrng, and every Low
and then n strong breeze swept through
the kitchen door. aud entering the room
by the open window, touched the cap
-trings of the bread maker and made them
to float like streRmcrs upon tho air.
Celestine hastoned to close tho window
and set the door little q jar instead, as
her mother, looking up from her work,
said, smiingly: What have YOU been
doing so long, lazy onep Why havo you
not come TO tho help Of your poor old
mother beforee"
Poor od mother!' repeated the girl
with a merry laugh. You are younger
and brighter this moment than your
daugtcr. But see mother dcar, one, two,
three apple blossoms. and there need be
but one. l am sure to DO bride before
the year is gone
"And arc you so glad Of that, Tina?"
asked tho mother with mock rcproach
80 glad to think of leaving mo and tho
dear old cottage where you were born?
And pray who is to be tho bridegroom
81 shall net leave you, and | do not
, want to leave tho cottage. And who the
10 W w 4 hoNoh tuO
J idea" replied Tina, with another merry
, laugh. "Thero is no one in this place /
should ever care to have for sweetheart
not even Tom Pray. poor fellow, who has
, been SO kind to me for many years-since
t we were children together. Oh. mother,
: if could only dare to dream Of lover
} like Pauline's! He was at church with hor
, again yesterday, and ] peeped at him q
long time over my prayer-book."
"That was n naughty thing TO do" in.
, terrupted her mother.
, Yes, mother, but hope to be forgiven
j for it," said Celestine, demurely. And
7 oh, mother. he looked even haudsomer
than he did on Christmas morningi He
/ has lovely eyes, and they are full Of good.
} ness--iust such eyes as Bruno would trust
the moment he looked into them. And
: his smile, mother, 10 like the smile of the
saint in your favorite picture. They look