Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-03-19
BARRY.


brown old maid, who lived in little
brown old house with her cat, Debby,
and her woman-of-all-work, Pru-
dence, sharp of tongue, long of
visage, browner and older than the
mistress herself. There was nothing
of grace, nor beauty, nor sweetness
about Miss Abigail's life: every
thing was dry, and hard and husky.
Indeed, some people were so unchar-
table as to say that her heart was
like very-much-dried-up kernel in
a nutshell, and would rattle if she
were to be shaken hard enough. But
| / never quite believed that. [ always
said there was soft spot in Miss
Abigafl's heart, to be found when the
time came to find it.
One spring twilight boy opened
Miss Abigail's garden-gate and walk
ed up the path between the rows of
struggling lilacs. He was not boy
who lived about Caperstown, OF he
would not have dared venture, / am
sure, for Prudence's sake, besides
having nothing to venture for. He
was an unkempt, starved-looking lit
tie specimen of humanity. His coat
\
was world too long, and patched
at the elbows; and his trousers were
a world too short, and patched at the
knees. His hat was guiltless of
brim, and through a hole in the
crown bobbed a little tuft of hair
which had once been brown, but was
now wofully faded. He went straight
up to Miss Abigail's porch-steps.
Miss Abigail was sitting on the porch
in her high-backed rocking chair, so
intent Oh binding off her stocking
heel that she heard neither the click
of the gate-latch nor the footsteps on
the hard-trodden path; and she did
not look up until the boys figure in
terposed itself between her work and
the fading sunset lights.
He doffed his tattered hat-crown.
eff you please, ma'am, will you
may | have something to eat?''
1t was not at all tramp's manner
of asking there was a manliness in
the voice which Miss Abigail could
not help but notice. Perhaps that
was the reason she looked at the boy
sharply for moment before she
answered. In that moment, Pru-
dence, tall and angular, stood in the
door, with shawl thrown over her
head, and her right hand swathed
with soft cotton.
''I'll have to git Jonas Barrows'
man to do the milkin', Miss Abigail"
said she. II can't I've burnt my
hand that bad
The boy looked up quickly, "Can't
I-could ] milk for you?''
AS / have intimated, Prudence
did not like boys; and that she some
times expressed her dislike in a very
forcible manner, many of the village
urchins could testify. Now, she
surveyed this boy, standing by the
porch steps, from his bare brown feet
to his bare brown head, not forget
ting the faded little tuft, in dumb
astonishment.
"You might let him try, Prudence"
said Miss Abigail, thinking rather
obviously of the nervous, mouse-col-
ored Alderney in the yard.
: II chored on q farm all last sum-
mer,'' explained the boy eagerly,
glancing from mistress to maid. 81
want some supper, and I'll be glad
to do something to pay for it.
"Well, you kin try it, said Pru-
dence, after a momentary delibera-
ton. It's better'n beggin' a favor,
anyhow"
She led the way to the kitchen,
and took a shining tin pail from the
S dresser.
$ "Here's the milk-pail," said she
to the boy. who stood waiting san
It the cows in the yard yonder. Pay.
u day comes when the works done.''
And Prudence smiled grimly, as
; she went about setting out a lunch
of bread and butter and cold meat
n She felt morally certain that the
e fiighty Alderney heifer, used only tt
woman-kind, would be much more
d likely to spread a pair of bovine
e wings and fly away, than allow her
self to be MIXED by boy.
&c s'He can't do it, she said to Mis-
Abigail, who presently brought he
knitting-wo into the kitchen. eth
Sc heifer'll send him sky-high !"
le But he could and he did. Soon h
id appeared in the doorway, his pa
brimming with snowy foam.
rb "Well / neverp' calculated Pru
'e dence.
L. 1
. ssYou didn't think [ could?" sal
the boy, smiling brightly.
r. sNo, didn't" admitted Prudence
Il and straightway, in her astonisf
g ment, she added to his fare, sec
'e' ment of rhubarb pie.
Wasn't there bit of cheese Lei
pa from tea?" asked Miss Abigail.
it
be Prudence thought there was an
he while she was fetching it from tt
Dr. cellar, the boy gave himself health
scrubbing at the pump, coming
ith from his ablutions fresh and rudd
les as rose.
we He was very hungry; there W: