Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-08-20
Her Reward.


nant and distressed.
Il did hope we should never come
to that" said Fannie in an injured
tone.
ssAnd to think that father was
once the richest man in Barville p al
most sobbed Louisa.
II know it is very hard, girls"
said Helen Marsh, as she carefully
darned long rent in a pillow slip,
ssbut it most be done, and we might
as well face the fact first as last.
We are in sore need of money, you
will all admit, and the only way we
can make it, is by taking boarders.
We have four unoccupied rooms in
this house, and we ought to have
made something out of them long
ago."
- eft does seem such degradation,
| though, for US to take boarders,' -
.
moaned Fannie.
"And of course Helen will think it
improper to take in any one nice,"
said Josie.
eff by nice you mean young gen.
tlemen, Josie, you may be sure [ will
| think it decided improper"
"And imagine waiting on stuffy
old women, and catering to their
whims,' said Louisa, plaintively,
cor having the house overrun by cry
ing, dirty children" ;"
"The fat has gone forth" said
Fannie. "we must make up our minds
to the inevitable. When Helen says
a thing she means it, as we all know
by experience; but /, for one, shall
see as little of her boarders as possi-
BILE.
'sIt is a shame that our Aunt
Emma didn't leave us her property" J"
cried Josie. ''My sonl burns with
indignation whenever L think of it.
If she had spark of natural affec-
tion she would never have been gull
ty of leaving it away from us, and
we would not have been reduced to
such a strait as this
Henel smiled, for "Aunt Emma's
lack of natural affection was Josie's
hobby, and she rode it almost daily.
Aunt Emma had been their fathers
only sister, rich old maid who had
gone to Europe when Josie was an
infant, and never been heard of
since. That she was dead no one
doubted, but how she had disposed
of her fortune remained mystery.
But having been very eccentric
woman, full of absurd crotchets of
every sort, it was generally believed
that she had left her money to found
hospital for lame eats and dogs, a
home for aged spinsters, OF some in
stitution of that kind.
The four sisters who lived alone in
the great old-fashioned house, the
only piece of property which had
been saved from the wreck of their
fathers estate, would have been only
too glad to have received only a
small slice of their Aunt Emma's
fortune, for there was more pinching
economy in the old house than out
siders ever imagined, and it was only
by exercise of the most careful man.
agement that Helen contrived to
make both ends meet. Helen was
the oldest and most energetic, and
consequently by far the larger part
of the care of the household fell upon
her slender shoulders. She was
thoroughly unselfsh, and so sweet
tempered that her sisters could i'm
pose upon her with impunity. They
never seemed to think that she could
grow tired, or have head ache, but
: appeared TO look upon her as ma
chine that went by regular winding
through it's allotted work. They
were even jealous of that portion OF
of her time taken up by the visits OF
! young Tom Harding, and looked
upon the hours she spent with him in
s the dimly lighted parlor, or the sweet
t old orchard, as wasted, not caring
+: that they were source of relaxation
,, rest and happiness to her. Of course
(the girls argued) since she coul(
: never marry him, there was no ust
il or sense whatever in clinging to he
r engagement to him. For Helen act
: ually was engaged to the struggling
young physician, whose practice wa
OAieeil sto .JOC, stuO Ou WuOSC SuOuIuCli
: rested the burden OF. support of al
o invalid aunt and an unmarried sister
d The engagement was already fiv'
:, years old, and there was still no pros
l. pect of wedding. But Helen love-
Tom, and clung to him, deaf to th
reasoning and arguments of her
y worlderly-wise sisters.
h Helen had not arrived at her de
5. cision to take summer boarders with
: out many inward struggles of whic
T. she said nothing. 1t hurt her pride t
IS take strangers into her dear old HON
for the sake of the money they woul
IN pay her, and she dreaded the troubl
k and additional labor her large famil
he would entail upon her. She kne'
- better than to expect help from he
sisters. She knew she must shouldt
er alone the care and responsibility {
n, her venture, and she would neyt
re decided upon it, had not the sma
l. - H. - h.