Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-06-04

.
said about my school made me feel
as though must begin tomorrow to
study harder, improve my time better
and be more earnest in my endeavors
than | ever was before
II dare say" drawled Bel, in her
most aggravating manner, "but who
wants to be strung up to concert
pitch all the time?''
''Yet you were SO rude to the man
as to call him Johnny before you
ever saw him." / ventured to say,
quite exasperated by her cool uncon-
Germ.
See turned on me with such flash
in her eyes that I didn't know but she
was going to box my ears, but she
onlg looked at me, and held her.
peace.
The meeting lasted several days
and though our guest was out most
of the time, except at meals and late
in the evening, we were all, unless it
was Bel, more and more pleased with
him. She devoted herself to domes-
tic matters as closely as she could,
and even at meal-times when the
rest of us were enjoying his CONVEX
sation, she would insist upon waiting
upon the table. / made up my mind
that unlucky first evening still rank
led in her memory, and she was let
ting it spoil all the pleasure she might
have had.
The meetings closed on Thursday
evening and Mr.. Stapleton was to go
away on the ten o'clock train Friday
morning. l had a nice little visit
with him after breakfast, and then
told him goodbye and went to get
my books together for school. Moth
er was in the milk room at work, and
Bel busy in the kitchen, so Mr.. Sta
pleton strolled out into our flower
garden, shorn of its beauty by the
frosts, but still boasting a few hardy
blooms. Looking back as l turned
the corner on my way to the academy
| saw him coming in from the garden
with huge button-hole bouquet of
pansies, and he, seeing me at the
same moment, was just lifting his hat
and bowing to me in his inimitable
way, when the side-door to the kitch-
en- flew open and Bel threw out
upon him dish-pan of water,
drenching him from shirt-front to
glossy boots The door shut as
quickly as it had opened, and Mr..
Stapleton, after shaking himself as a
wet dog might, followed Bel in at the
sano door. Then / hurried along to
school for the last bell was ringing.
What ] could not see was that Bel
rushed into the milk room, and gasp
| ed out:
"Oh! mother, mother, I've been
and thrown whole pan of dishwater
all over Mr.. Stapleton l''
"Well," said mother, after a mo-
ment's deliberate pause, "then you
must clean him up. My hands are
in the butter, and as you did it, you
must undo it,
Bel wasn't the girl to finch when
the call to duty came. AS resolutely
and bravely as ever martyr went to
the stake, and liking the job about
as we'll, she went out to face our
dripping hero. / doubt not her apol-
ogies were as graceful as words and
manners could make them, as arming
herself with wash-bowl, soap and
sponge, she set about undoing the
.
mischief she had wrought.
That half-hour was the turning
point in Bells life, as | see it now.
She just began to get acquainted with
Mr.. Stapleton, and she has confded
to me since that she made up hel
mind then that man who could take
so easily the spelling of his best suit
was a man worth loving. They got
on famously together he says now
that he never in all his life had seer
anything like the deftness and nicely
with which she worked over his un
fortunate garments, and he could no
admire enough her round, bare arms
and dimpled elbows. He felt sur
that so caplable girl as Bel, and one
too, who could rise superior to th
| natural embarrassment of the occa
sion, was just the wife to bless
poor minister.
5 But he didn't tell her so then. Oh
| no! He talked about the flower-gal
t den, asked what varieties of gladio
4 lus she had, and when Sc found b
j. had different ones from hers propos
L ed an exchange.
e eff I'll be a good little boy whe
you get me all washed up clean an
: won't fall into the ditch again" /
said with lisp that might have b.
d longed to Johnny Smithers, "may
It 60 out in your garden and get bul
n of each variety to take home wit
[ me? I shall be very happy to ser
e you some of mine in exchange"
le Of course Bel was only too glad
h consent to the plan, and when, fe
ID days later, the package of bull
/ came, there came also short lett
t, of inquiry concerning some gard
le matter, which necessiated an answe
In And so the correspondence bega
ly which terminated, a year later,
III their marriage.