The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-07-04
A Strawberry ShOrt-Ca

make strawberry snort-caKe
Little Robert Converse had been run
over by great cart as he was trying to
dispose of lot of evening papers, and
the life had been almost crushed out of
him. But he was better now, and though
he could never walk again in this world,
and must always be cared for and waited
on by somebody, he was nevertheless quite
cheerful and at times almost joyous.
al guess l could make a strawberry
ehort.cake," the boys sister replied, if
now mind you, Robby-if had the straw
berries and the other things, and if l
knew how, but"
Three ifs and one but" the invalid
interrupted. "That isn't bit like you,
Janey. l have got twenty-five cents, you
know, that Boyd's friend gave me. Won't
that get the strawberries and things
Why, could stir up a short-cake in two
minutes and half"
elbow would you do it ?" Janey in
quired, her pretty forehead puckered a
little as the magnitude of the job doomed
up before her.
"Why, l should take some flour, and
water, and strawberries, and stir 'em all
together. Then | should put the stuff in
the oven and bake it till it was as light as
feather"
"You mean till it was as heavy as lead,"
Janey replied, laughing heartily. "No,
no, Robby, that's not the way to make
short-cake. But if you can trust me, and
promise not to be disappointed, if don't
succeed, I'll see what can do"
ooh Janey suppose this money isn't
enough to get the things with ? Won't
it be too bad, now that I've set my heart
on it'll"
The boys eyes were full of tears as he
handed the fondly-cherished silver-piece
to his sister. But Robby was only nine
years old, and was still very weak from
the terrible pain he had so lately under
gone.
"Now, Robert Converse, you don't
mean it," said Janey, as she took the
money and tossed it gaily from one hand
to the other. aft anything should hap.
pen, it is not likely that you would cry
: over short-cake."
"But, Janey-"
"You don't like 'buts,' you know.
Say, Robby, suppose soldier should sit
down and cry because he couldn't have
strawberry short-cake for his supper, what
would you think of him ?"
Robby laughed quite merrily now.
/" should say he'd better run home and
stay with his MOTHER" he answered. "But
isn't this different, Janey 2"
"There is not so very much difference"
said Janey. "You're soldier, are you
not ?"
"A funny kind of soldier am I"
Robby replied.
"But didn't you tell me the other day
that you'd try to be soldier, Robby ?"
eyes /; but you Just think, fancy, of a
fellow being sololer and an enemy too !
There isn't so much fun in that"
al guess there isn't much fun in fight
ing anyway" Janey responded thought
fully, "but mamma used to say that
every day brought its battle with it. To-
day, Robby, strawberry short-cake is the
enemy"
"Oh l can conquer any amount of
strawberry short-cake," Robby replied
with bright smile, and then his sister
took off her little white apron, put on her
hat, and hurried out to make her pur.
chases.
Janey Converse was father, mother, and
sister to her two brothers. Boyd, fifteen
years old, was clerk in hardware store
and earned four dollars a week. Janey
mended stockings for several families, and
did little fine washing and ironing, and
sometimes earned two dollars in the
course of week. But Janey, with all
her capability, womanliness, and philos.
ophy, was not quite fourteen, and the re-
sponsibility of her position seemed en-.
tirely out of proportion to her years and
strength. But Janey was courageous, faith.
full, and trusting. When her mother was
dying she had said to her weeping little
daughter, Remember, Janey, that moth.
ing can really hurt you from the outside.
You may be perplexed and troubled, but
you cannot be destroyed unless you de-
stroy yourself. If you do your duty, and
are cheerful and unselfsh, you will be
happy yourself and make those about you
happy. Keep the windows of your soul
open to the sunshine, and your heavenly
Father will see that you have light and
love as long as you live"
All this Janey understood perfectly
and, better still, believed it, and so wa;
strong to do her duty. There had beer
some doubt in the young house-keeper''
mind about her duty in this short-cakt
business. A very small matter, one might
say, but it was only by the closest calcu
lation that Janey could provide the abso
Lutte necessaries for her little family. The
following week Boyd must have a new
pair OF shoes and hat, and these things
had to be arranged for. Twenty-Five cents
What trifling sum to most people, and
what fortune to poor little Janey I'm
der the circumstances, strawberry short
cake was certainly piece of reckless ex
travagance, but Robby had not slept wei
the night before, and had seemed unusu
ally weak and restless all day, and Janey
decided it was her duty to be extravagant
So she hastened from one store to another
and when she had made all her purchases
consisting of a pound of -four, five cents
three cents worth of lard, half a pint O
milk, two cents; and a box of strawber
ries, seven cents; half a pound of sugar
five cents-she stopped for moment at
house where she was in the habit of goinJ
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