The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-01-23
Their Penance.

mOJnerly inquire III gray Dlankeb SHAWL
out of sight, darted, with one accord, into
the kitchen.
"The fires just exactly right !" pro-
nounced Bessie Ward, who was the daugh-
ter of the house.
"It is, isn't it 2" said Mollie Babcock,
Bessie's most intimate friend and insep-
arabic companion.
Isn't it elegant mother took it into
her head to 60 down to Aunt Lizzie's to-
day ?"
Elegant"
"Well, let's begin right off,"
"Yes, you get the sugar, that has to go
on frst.'
"Do you suppose one cupful will make
enough p asked Bessie, posing an empty
tea-cup over the kettle.
81 don't think it will be half enough"
replied Mollie, decidedly. 1--WE might
just as we'll have all we want while we are
about it."
"Then we'll put in another cup pro
ceeding to do So" and now, you watch it
and not let it burn, while 1 CRATE the
chocolate" said Bessie.
gall right" answered Mollie, taking
the big iron spoon which the other offered
her, obediently.
The sugar boiled and dubbed bravely,
and the chocolate melted rapidly over the
steaming tea-kettle, where Bessie had
placed it.
Little Mollie's delicate, blonde face
grew pink all over, with her faithful
stirring in the heat, and Bessie, who was
a taller, stouter girl than her friend,
budged steadily about getting buttered
plates ready.
When the sugary mixture on the stove
had boiled the full length of time pre-
scribed by the rule which the two girls
consulted anxiously from time to time, it
was lifted off the stove and poured into a
bowl, by joint effort, then stirred to a
cream, the two taking turns.
1--WE can't mold it into balls till it gets
little cooler" said Mollie, so they set it
in dish of water in the sink, and went
over and sat down in two chairs beside
one of the kitchen windows to wait.
There was long stretch of field, with
brown, frozen road curving beside it on
the left; then, one house-just one-in
sight, and poor, weather-beaten affair.
The sky was all over low gray clouds, and
light snow was beginning to fall.
"Do you see, it's showing |" said Mollie.
"Its lucky it didn't begin before
mother went, for she wouldn't have gone
step. She never will start anywhere in
storm"
"If she hadn't, we couldn't have made
the chocolate creams. You don't think
she would have let us, do you, Bessie |
most wish we had asked her, if there was
any chance of it. 1t does seem kind of
mean to be making them this way. But,
then, if we had asked her, and she had
said no, we wouldn't have dared to 90
right against her, and we couldn't have
made any at all. l guess it's just as well
we didn't"
Little Mollie's logic, if it was worldly.
wise and culpable, was certainly naive
and outspoken. She had conscientious
scruples, but she owned she did not wish
to indulge them to the extent of losing
her chocolate creams.
81 knOw she wouldn't have let u.s." re.
piled Bessie, decidedly. "She does hate
to have us muss up the kitchen 80, and
now she's just got it cleaned. l tell you,
we shall have to clean up here after this
or Bessie looked unutterable things.
Mollie's blue eyes looked scared and re.
Elective, Oh, we will, just as nice !" cried
she.
"To tell the truth, l don't suppose it is
just right" added Bessie, looking over 8
little obviously at Mollie.
"N-o-I don't suppose it is-but-we
couldn't have had the chocolate creams
any other way"
"No, and now we'll have lots and lots
l shouldn't wonder if there was pound
Wed have to pay as much as a dollar fol
them at the store, and l never did have a.
many chocolate creams as wanted, die
you ?"
"No, never did," and Mollie's eye
glistened.
81 don't suppose those Thompson
children over there ever tasted one il
their lives" remarked Bessie, gain,
across the field at the weather-beatel
house.
"No, I don't suppose they ever did
We might, that is, if we had more thai
we wanted ourselves, give them few
just little sauce-plate full. 1t woul
please them so, you know, and-well, yo
know we aren't doing just exactly right
might kind of-make it-righter."
"Mollie's pink face looked charmingl
Ingenious.
Bessie caught at the idea. $50 W
WILL" said she, promptly. al don't fet
just right about making them this way
myself; we'll carry them over Who'll
sauceplate full, if we've more than W
want ourselves. But think we'd bette
mouldthem up, now, Mollie."
After they had done that, and wer
dipping the dainty little white balls car,
fully into the melted chocolate, Molli
paused minute, with one suspended o
knitting-needle. al say. Bessie sal
she, "those Thompson children wouldn
be led into making chocolate creams whe
their mother was away, because the
haven't got any sugar or chocolate, and
don't see exactly why God let us hay
sugar and chocolate, when it was goin
to make us do wrong"
Bessie looked at her friend with who
sermon in her heart, but none of it can
to her lips. 1t floated through her your
mind that it wasn't the sugar and cho
olate which were to blame, but their ov
hearts, and there was also somethiI
about temptation being sent to try Peep
and make them stronger. But she on