Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-06-06
NO. 23.

not be-and had on the same floor with their
bedrooms a large and beautifully-furnished
sitting to which their own intimate
friends we're in the habit Of coming at all
| times.
Closing the door and seating herself, Miss
Laphsm said TO the lay figure
'Now walk slowly up and down the room. d"
Jenny obeysd Spite OF the holding up of
the skirt in front, the effect Of the train was
good, and the long hanging sleeves showed
we'll
Miss Lapham was delighted, and gazed al
most dreamily at the slow-moving figure. For
the FIRST time she noticed Jenny's face.
That girl is very pretty" she said in an
undertone to Milly.
"She's as good as she is''-"pretty," Milly
was about to reply, but she did not finish her
sentence.
"Hullo, Florry !" came in loud, boisterous
tones from Miss Lsphsm's brother Tom, as he
threw open the door with a vehemence which
throw II against the wall-'here's George"
Miss Lapham shrieked in comic dismay and
sprang to catch the door as II swung back
go away-you can't come in here, " she cried.
But it was too late. George Baylies was
close behind Tom.
At that very second, Jenny, at the farther
end Of the room, turned to walk back. In
the next second had come from George Bay
LESS lips cry which none who heard II ever
forgot.
Jenny oh. Jennyl" And in another SEQ
ond Jenny, with strange stare in her eyes,
had fallen, sunk, As Milly said afterward,
describing the scene to her mother-"sunk
right down till there wasn't anything but
pile on the floor, just pile Of the silk and
things, and Jonny's face as white as death in
amongst it,"
Not the most practiced litterateur could ever
havp Haanribad tha RruN tf,
well as Milly did-honest, hearty little Milly,
who had few times in her life been to the
theatre, and who had read hundreds Of ro-
mances in the story papers Of the day.
II never saw anything so perfectly besuti-
ful-never !" she said. "There was Jenny in
dead faint on the floor, and Miss Florence's
new dress all mussed up under her, and that
splendid-looking man down on his knees lift
ing up Jenny's head and calling to her, and
calling to everybody, oh, get water and
Bring salts, and Can't somebody do some
thing for her ? and Miss Florence for the first
minute standing stock. still and looking first at
Jenny and then at the gentleman in just her
baughtiest way, and then getting softer and
saying, Who is it, GeorgeF ? just as loving.
And he looked up at her, and says he, oh,
Florry, it's Jenny = as il that let her know any
better. And right in the midst of it Robbie
came running in at the door, calling to me-
'Milly Milly come and hear the mocking-
bird sing-he's singing splendid. If ever l
wished child in the sea, l wished Robbie
Jones there that minute. Oh, there never
was anything in the theatre half 80 nice, nor
in the best story l ever read. 1t was Just
splendid. The gentleman he dashed tho wa
ter over her, right on the gold brocade, just
as if it wasn't anything but a cotton night
gown. saw Miss Florence try on the sly to
wipe some of it of with her handkerchief,
but it wasn't any use. l made up my mind
the gown was done for as soon as l saw them
give him the hartshorn bottle. Twas q shame,
too-Such brocade ~
or course the story ends here but, as sto-
ries always have to be finished after they are
done, it is in order to relate, in as few words
as possible, that carriage was called, and
that Mlly Jones and Robbie Jones and Jennie
and Mr.. George Baylies all rolled away in it,
Jenny still white and trembling, but with
heavenly happiness in her downcast eyes, and
George Baylies gazing at her, and holding her
hand in his, and talking to her, and not mind
ing Milly and Robbie any more, as Milly told
her mother, ''thsn if we'd barn deaf, dumb
and blind" And when they reached Milly's
house, and Milly said, Now, Jenny, you
must come in and stay till you feel better"
Mr.. Baylies had lifted his hat to Milly, "just
as If she had been q queen" she said and
spoke in such lordly way
Thank you, Miss Mily, but Jenny will be
better at home. shall go home with her,
and not leave her till she is quite well again.
Where shall tell the man to drive, Jenny?'
How poor Jenny shrank and hesitated to
give the name and number of the miserable
street where she and her mother were fighting
their poverty But it was of no use now.
She had met her rightful master, and never
again would false scruple come between
them. For it had been nothing else which
had separated them three years before-a
conscientious determination on Jenny's part
when she and her mother suddenly found
themselves penniless, not to be burden on
her lover, who she well knew was not rich.
''He must not begin life with two to support"
said Jenny and she wrote him letter so
worded that he could not but infer that her
feelings toward him had changed.
Then she ard her mother had disappeared,
leaving in the little village where they had
lived no trace by which they could be follow
ed brave, foolish thing such as women are
forever doing, and many a time since Jenny's
heart had been sick with misgiving lest it had
been wrong. But she thought George would
have written if he bad cared and so he had
written letter, which would have changed
everything perhaps, If Jenny had got it, but
she never did. 1t went nobody knows where,
and the hopes and the happiness of two hearts
went with it and George broke down, and
went on the voyage and Jenny kept up, and
went to sewing at Milly Jones's and the jap
aneso silk and brocade went to Miss Florence
Lapham, on their roundabout way to Jenny
at last and it was because Jenny knew THAI,
the Laphams were cousins of George Bayliel
that she was on the point of refusing to go
to the house to try on Miss Florence's gown
for her. and if she had-oh, if she had,
what then? Who can tell? The Japanese
silk would never have been her wedding
gown, which, as things turned out, it really
was. II had not been ruined, after all, aud
in another box of Georges was more of tho
gold brocade and when Florence LsphAm,
having heard the story, gracefully made the
best of the situation, saying to her cousin, II
really think your pretty Jenny ought to have
that gown, George; don't you-would she
mind, do you think, my sending it to her 2'-
| George had exclaimed: mo, indeed and
I'll make her be married in it. That's the
thing to do. I'd never have found her, ex-
cept for that gown"
Jenny, remembering how she herself had
planned and made the flowing sleeves to the
| gold brocade, and how, as abe stood on the
wooden block, being turned round and round
for Miss Florence's pleasure, her heart had
been fuller and fuller of the memory Of George
Bayles, till she looked up and saw him, or his
ghost, coming toward her, and how, when she
came TO herself one of her first thoughts
was, "Oh, dear 1 have ruined Miss Flor
ence's gown Jenny was superstitiously
glad of the gown, and held it in such tender
regard that she would never have 1t altered.
She wore it for years and years, as one may
gown that is of true artistic fashion. And
now it is packed away, to be handed down in
the Bayhes family, and it will be Jenny's
granddaughter who, some day in 1900, will be
dancing in Miss LaphAms Japanese silk
Hdrpel's Bdzdr.
WHY WE DECORATE. E.-One of the Auburn
| school committee visited school in the Bar
ker Mill district Thursday. The scholars