Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-01-13
DORAS TRIAL.

ana Two CAMEO dresses year.
Mrs. Prudence Hall had sprained her ankle,
and was forced sorely against her will, to sit
day after day in an upper chamber, with a
terrible consciousness that everything about
the farm was relapsing into chaos and old
night for want OF her oversight. Her pretty
sister Dora had come to stay with her but
she was only child, you know"
There are two kinds Of love in this world, ="
said Mrs Hail. after a pause, in which she
had been taking counsel with herself whether
Dora was old enough TO be talked to on such
matters at ALL and il flashed upon her that
'the child was nearly twenty years old.
"Perhaps you like Seth well enough TO marry
him, only you don't know it."
"1oll me about the two kinds of love, said
Dora innocently. II thought love was love
the world over"
81 have never known but one kind. l think,
Dora When l married David Hall, he was
the most well-to-do young man in these parts
and we never had quarrel while ho lived.
He was a good, practical sort Of q man, and
never asked me to do anything unreasona-
BILE"
"what If he had 2" asked Dora.
"Wen, / guess / should have argued him
out OF it, But there is kind Of love that will
draw women through fire and water. 1t makes
them throw themselves away on poor shiftless
men that will never provide for them nor
their children, and they know it as well as
anybody else does. 1t is the greatest wonder
to me why such a useless feeling should ever
have been created"
Dora bent low over her work TO hide her
roguish smiles at her sisters discourse but
at this point she fixed her deep gray eyes on
Prudence, not smiling, but simply earnest.
Such love brings happiness sometimes, l
suppose" said Dora.
Next to never" said Prudence with great
decision. 'We amt made to be happy, and
any thing that's too good always leaves n bad
taste in the mouth. Comfort is a bird in the
hand, and you don't gain any thing by letting
it fly on the chance of happiness"
Did you ever know any one about here,
Prudence that threw herself away for love ?
1t seems to me they wont look at a man un-
less he has house and farm already for
them"
That's where they're right" said Pru-
| dence. "You are rather given to high flying
! notions, and it's time you found out that
bread don't grow ready buttered Yes, did
| know one girl, who was pretty and smart and
had no end of chances to get married Il think
my David courted her spell, but he never
would own it, and she would have that shift
less crtter, Joe Raymond, who never could
make one hand wash the other. Even when
she was a. dying she pretended that she had
been happy and wouldn't have done no other
way if she had it TO do overiagain."
''WGs she our Joe's mother 2" asked Dora,
quickly.
YES, TO be sure and when she died we
took him TO bring up and work on the farm.
He's more than paid his way, but he's roll
ing stone like his father aud wont never come
to anything / forgot to tell you-he's 60
| ing TO morrow"
''Going tomorrow !" cried Dora, with a
| great start. II thought his time wasn't out
for another month"
"well, it amt out rightly till he's 2l but
he was in such hurry to be off that gave
him the last month"
Then silence fell upon them.
These two women had the same father and
mother, though a score of years lay between
| them. Prudence had been born in the early
married life of her parents, when they were
struggling with stony New England farm
and there was work for even baby hands
The lines of duty and patience were deep
graved in her rugged face, which yet beamed
| with kindly common sense But Dora had
| come to her mother late in life, as an old tree
sometimes blossoms into loyeliness after every
one has forgotten it. Her little feet had
walked in easy paths, and Prudence yearnet
over her like a mother.
She sat now by the open fire, bending hei
graceful head over some delicate work tina
| Prudence would never have found time for
her red dress and the hiokering freight madi
her picture too lovely for that dull room
Prudence" she said suddenly, 'as this il
Joes last night, think I'll go down and sa!
good bye to him"
'You might call him up here"
mo 1 think will go myself"
81 believe l haven't ever told you, Dora
how much you pleased me- by giving up tha
childish way of going on with him that yol
used to have. 1t did very well for you to b.
fond Of each other when you were little, bu
of course it is out of the question now"
1t might have been the red dress and tn
freight that brought such a vivid flush Il
Dora's cheek as she listened aud turned away
She ran lightly down stairs and opened tn
door of the great farm kitchen.
young man sat by the dull fire, LOOKING
into it as one looks into the eyes of an enem
before the fght,-an Overgrown farmer boy
in home made clothes, with nothing about hin
to fall in love with, least of all for the brillian
little figure that stood waiting for him to loo
up. He was too intent on his own thought
TO notice her, till she went swiftly across tn
room, and, taking his head between her sol
hands, turned his face up to hers. "Joe, ba
boy, were you going away without letting m
know 2"
The hard lines of his face softened an
frightened under her gaze till one would nc
have known him for the same man. q
thought l should not see you tonight" b
said.
''You know better; you know would hay
crept through the key-hole for one last littl
minute with you"
GLOW long will you wait for me, Dora ?"
''rill you come back"
'If it we're seven years, think how long
would be-"
'If you loved me as you make believe,
said Dora, ''you would not 60 away at al
but work here till you could build litt
house, and then we would rough it together.
mo, little Dora, that is not my kind {
love my mother tried that, and she lived
slaves life."
! ''Dora, Dora !" called Prudence from u
stairs ..'what on earth are you doing dow
, there ?"
81 must go now must truly" said Dor
as she felt herself locked in arms that woul
not give way. 'If 1 live without you fC
r seven years shall be homely old maid, an
you will not thank me for waiting for you
: He put her away then and looked at h
ouriously, as il he had never thought of h'
4 prettiness before. "Do you know what yol
+ name means ?" he asked earnestly. ~ sa
il in the paper that Theodore means Gift
God ; and you have been just that to me.
4 had never seen you, should never have
8 notion about days work and nights slee
: will write whenever l have any luck al
1 come home on New Years eve, when l {
come and if you wear this red dress l sha
? know you have waited for me-"
: 81 think / shall live to wear it when "
! come home, if it is seven times seven year