Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-09-14


to tell him how sweet and helpful she had
been at home all her life. How perfect a
housekteper how faithful daughter, what
a devoted nurse and companion to all her lit.
! tie brothers and sisters But Ida positively
forbade my saying anything of the kind.
III Dr. Harrison chooses to be SO unjust
that he will not believe that ! wish for the
suffrage because l think il will be for the best
| good of my sex, and not because l wish to
| be one OF those coarse, horrible women who
| throw off all restraints II cannot help it, 1
will not stoop to undeceive him"
Il cannot understand, said the doctor to
me one day, how Miss Winthrop can be so
unfeminne when she has such sweet, wo
manly example in you"
but, Doctor" [ replied. 'that is unfair.
| am not interested in the subject, as Ida is.
but can see no good reason why woman
should not have the ballot In fact it seems
a little unjust that men should make all the
laws for US and dispose OF our interests and
our property as they please"
"Oh, dear Mrs. Marvin :" returned nv
young friend, do not allow your gentle, wo
manly nature to become warped and tainted
by such erroneous ideas"
wanted to shake him.
This was the way matters stood at the time
Ida discovered the Whipples. We went to
mako our promised call upon them the next
day. It was truly a touching story. Mrs.
Whlpple was beautiful little creature. Pale
gold hair, large blue eyes, with a complexion
like the inside OF a sea.shell, exceedingly pc.
tte, with the tniest possible hands and feet,
she looked like big doll right out of the
shop-window, Ida said
1t did not need practiced eye to see that
Mr.. Whlpple was past any real help Posi-.
bly, if he had not taken the fatal Journey to
Leadyille he might have been saved, but that
was not probable. He lay upon the lounge
with the hectic hush burning in either cheek,
ana his eyes shining with the preternatural
brightness of the last stages of lung disease
lhey had taken two rooms for Eight house
keeping
Il thought l could best take care of him
SO, said the poor little wife, in answer to my
query.
We afterward learned the whole sad story.
The Whipples had been engaged a long time.
She taught music and had been saving her
earnings to furnish a house when they should
marry. Mr.. Whippe had a fairly good posi-
tion as a bank clerk, but he had an old moth
or and an aunt dependent upon him, and all
his salary was used from month to month.
lie mad been promised increased pay at the
new year, but when the new year came Mr.
Whipple was past work. The bank continued
his salary for time, hoping he would be bet
ter again, but as the days went on no i'm
provement was visible, and at last the physi-
clans verdict came, nothing but Colorado
would save him. But how to get to Colora.
DO There was no money to 60 with and no
one to accompany him. Then the brave little
tancee came to the rescue with her poor
little savings, married him and went away
from home\ and friends, in the vain hope Of
saving the life that was dearer to her than
her own. Mrs. Whpple was absolutely igno.
rant OF the smallest detail of housekeeping
she could sew beautifully, and in music she
excelled, but she did not know how to pre-
pare the simplest article of food. Wholly in
the dark as to the value of money in purchas
ing housekeeping supplies, and entirely inex.
perlenced In nursing how she ever could and
would have lived through those Manitou days
without Ida l cannot tell.
Ida simply took the whole thing into her
own hands, and Mrs Whipple accepted it all
as If Ida had been sent from heaven to help
her bear her burdens. Early in the morning
she was down at Sunnyside, preparing some
thing warm and nourishing, to refresh the in.
valid after his weary, restless night As soon
as our breakfast was over she was there
again, helping to get Mr.. Whipple up. and
make ready the room for DIR. Harrisous visit
aud again later on in the day to see that Mr..
Whlpples lunch was ready, comforting and |
appetizlng So 1t went on all day, constantly |
running in and out, never for a moment for |
getting them or their needs always at hand !
to smooth the rough places and make the |
crooked straight. As We came to know how |
very scanty their supply of money was, Ida |
TOOK their marketing upon herself. Mrs. |
Whippe was so Ignorant of money values
that Ida found it easy to slip in many little |
delicacies without exciting any suspicion or
remark on HRS. Whipple's part, further than |
an exclamation of surprise at Ida's good |
management, hut do the best she could, we |
knew the slender purse must soon become |
empty.
DR.. Harrison wrote about them to the Lead |
vile uncle, who was reputed wealthy. His |
reply came speedily. He said "he never ap- |
proved Of their coming out here should have |
stopped 1t had he been notified in time; he |
should not do anything for them SO long as |
they stayed in Manitou but when they were |
ready to be sensible and go home, he would |
send them money to go with" This was bet
ter than we had hoped for, little as it was
DR.. Harrison put the letter away aud waited |
1t was something to know the money would |
be forthcoming when the time came for them
to go. 1T would be cruel to send them home
now, into the cold March Winds said the !
doctor. Coming from this climate it would |
kill the poor fellow immediately, but by the |
middle OF May they had better 90. He can
live but short lime at best but if we can
keep him alive till then, he can 60 home aud
sec his mother once moro and die among his
friends.
just as the Gnemones and crocusses were
opening their buds, and the hills about Mani
tou breaking out into flowers, poor little Mrs
Whpplo succumbed. We called it acciimat
ing, mountain fever exhaustion was the real
cause. 1t became necessary for me to assist
Ida in her Lahore NJ Iowa. in faat -
was on duty at the Whipples nearly all day.
Ida managed that l should be there when Dr.
Harrison made his visits. A decided coolness
had sprung up between these two, and fan
cied Ida avoided meeting the doctor as much
as possible.
Mrs. Whipple lay on a sofa, close to her
husbands bed, which he never left now;
near enough to render him such little services
as she had strength for she looked almost as
frail as he did. 1t was now that she confded
to me what had feared before how very
near they were to the end of their resources,
Poor as l knew them to be, it gave me
shock to learn how very few dollars remained
between them and utter destitution. We
wondered more than ever at the complete
want of Judgment shown by their friends, in
letting that Inexperienced child come away
from home among strangers, with almost no
money aud dying husband.
Don't you think, when get better, per-
haps can do some sewing ?" she asked pite-
ously. Il have made my own dresses this
long time. l might hire a machine and earn
enough for us to live on if we were very eco.
nomical, don't you think so, Mrs. Marvin ?"
"We will see" l answered don't fret
about it now. Some way will be provided for
you, be sure of that"
We were discussing the Whipples and their
troubles one evening Ida was sitting with
the inValids and nr Harriaon ha1 1ronnad |