Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-08-21
A Receipt i'm Full.

every one of them J; the window-panes
polished until they sparkled, or had
sparkled-for it was now twilight
in the bright June sunshine the sill
yer FURNISHED until neither spot nor
speck marred it's mild lustre; the
loaves of bread baked until each
crispy crust took on the right shade
of tempting brown; and Molly was
scrubbing the only unscrubbed cor
ner of the kitchen-when Miss Cam
eron's deep, harsh, precise voice came
to her from the dining-room "Mary,
are you not through yet?"
"Almost, ma am, answered Mary.
ST think it is high time you were
quiteY' declared the voice, ''You
must make haste. We are going to
the lecture this evening, Miss Georg-
cite and / and as Mr.. Malcolm also
wishes to go out, we will be obliged
to lock up the house. Therefore it
is necessary that you should leave as
soon as possible. %
eyes, ma'am," said Molly, meek
ly, and finishing her scrubbing, with
her tears falling fast and thick.
Poor little girl she had tried SO hard
to please her mistresses, or rather
her mistress-for Miss Georgette was
but a reflection of her elder sister
and her efforts had been met with a
grim silence that betokened be-
grudged satisfaction, until the last
few weeks; that is, in fact, until
Mr.. George Malcolm came there.
Mr.. Malcolm was a sort of STEP
brother to the Misses Cameron (his
father, a widower with two boys, had
married their mother, widow, with
two girls, and they inheriting moth
ing in the way of property from theil
own father, he generously made them
an allowance from the moderate fort
une left him by his. Generously and
forgivingly-for they had not render
ed tithe of the respect, to say moth
ing of affection, which was his due
to their indulgent and kind-hearted
step-father, choosing to look upon
their mothers second marriage as al
insult to the memory of the parent
whose not-at-all all-amiable character
istics had been his only legacy t.
them.
The cottage in which they lived
situated in the prettiest part of Mead
owville (the furniture therein being
their own, the bequest of materna
grandmother,) belonged to Mr.
George and here he had come il
search of solitude and quiet, for th'
first time in twelve years or more, t.
spend month or two thinking ou
and arranging plans for starting ;
large business in a neighborinS city
And, as | have already intimated
things had changed much for th'
worse with Molly, the servant-maid
since his arrival. The grim silence
had given place to most open fault
finding, when Mr.. Malcolm was no
in hearing. The coffee was to,
strong, the tea too weak, the chickens
underdone, the steaks burned, tn
eggs boiled too hard, the rooms badl,
swept, the shirts poorly ironed; ant
all these complaints, with many more
the elder spinster, confirmed by tn
younger, gave her to understand orig
mated with the guest.
"What hard man to please b
must bep' Molly said to hersel
many times. "And yet he has on
: of the handsomest and kindest face
l ever saw; and he spoke pleasant
to me the first day he came, and eve
offered me his hand chow Miss Cam
eron did frownD but / pretende
, not to see it, for | knew it was nc
5 my place to shake hands with him
1t is strange he should become S
; fractions. He was so good and mel
ry and kind when I was a little gir
I've heard father say often he'd ratf
er shoe horse for him than for an
one else in the village" And the
l she would fall to thinking how gran
D he used to look to her childish eye
when he came riding up on his ba
horse to the smithy, where she sper
half her time watching her father {
the forge. And he always brougl
t her gay picture book, or prett
4 ribbon, or box of candies, or brigf
new silver piece-one Christmas
was gold one-and claimed kis
for payment when he rode ava
e again. How happy, how very happ
she had been then, with that des
: father and dear old Aunt Nanny !
a so happy that she had scarcely eve
y felt the loss of the mother who ha
;, died in giving her birth. But whe
Molly was fifteen, the blacksmith, S
1 strong and ruddy that it seemed in
" possible, that pain or sickness coul
ever come near him, fell sick, an
o after lingering, sorely crippled, fc
: nearly two years, died, leaving notl
, ing to his darling daughter but hal
: work. Yes, there was one altern:
|. tive: to become Mrs. Jake Willoy
o and mistress of the forge again; bl
" Jake was rough, vulgar fellow, an
Molly, inheriting the delicate tast,
. and gentle ways of her mother (wt
had been a shy, pretty young COVE
ness before she married the hant
= some blacksmith), shrank from I'll
: | 1ond voioo and ru6a lauUhtar of h,