Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-05-16

| " T bhlu MIS- GuuuefBOn, Dfl6Kly.
I "Do you mean, maam that you want to
buy il? It's not a thing we care TO part with, "
said Mrs. Powers, with rising pride. "Smon,
| you'd never sell the old desk would you 2"
"Sell it2 No. 1t ud bring but little"
You shall have one hundred and fifty dol
lars, said Mrs. Punderson, as IL the bargain
was concluded. She added TO Violet Varnes
"Thaps half what should have TO give at
| Sypher's. l will send for 10 in q week" she
! said aloud.
"But, madam" began Mrs. Powers.
"Oh, don't decide in a moment. You'll
conclude to let me have il in week. Now
let me see what you have in the way of china. "
| 1t was the tone in which the czar of all the
Russias might issue mandate.
But Miss Violet Varnes, standing in the
window and watching the sky, discovered that
tickle April had changed her mood that it
was, in fact going to rain.
"Well leave the china till next week." said
Mrs. Punderson, and she moved out of the
door as If with every step she were satisfacto-
rily crushing something or somebody beneath
| her feet.
One other caller our friends had that after
noon-the doctors boy, who tucked yellow
envelope under the door, and whistlinR mer-
rily turned on his heel.
What is it, wife 2" asked Simon Powers
{" 7 Rint his bill 2"
'Yes, it's his BILL"
How much?"
"a hundred and twenty five dollars"
Simon gave q low groan. His wife stood
by his chair and rested her hand on his shoul-
der.
"He thinks he's done with you, you SEQ. 4"
she said, cheerily. "rhis is as good as say
ing you're well again"
Simon put his thin hsnd on her arm, but
said nothing.
Come, now, Simon, don't you get down
hearted. believe it's this malaria that takes
the spirit out of you it's got into your mind,
| somehow just count up the things you've
| got to be thankful for. How many folks have
| got three such children as ours, to begin with ?
| There's Sophie teaching away so smart get
ting three hundred dollars a year and Mat
| tie, as good as gold, the dear, and helps me
like everything; and Robbie-well, he's pref
| ty naughty sometimes, but he'll make a smart
man one of these days tell you, Simon
| Powers doctors bills or no doctors bills, it
| isn't everybOdy's got such an old age to look
forward TO as you and have. Then think of
all the sewing I'm getting to do.
Sitting up ights and killing yourself by
inches. Sallie," he said fixing his eyes wes.
rily on her, "Salle, what made you marry
such poor stick as me, anyway? You might
have had Squire Barker. Why didn't you p
Then Sallie slipped down on her knees be-
side his chair, and hid her face on his shoul-
der. And he had more than his children to
be thankful for, in my opinion.
The doctor wants his money, said Simon
at length. 81 can't blame him it's his bread
and butter. When l work, l expect to be
paid"
And he'll be paid-don't you worry, said
| Mrs. Powers, cheerfully.
II can't stand it to take Sophie's school
money" said Simon, after q pause. "She
wants to lay up little. She'll want to be
getting married some day. Don't it strike
you that young Barrow is round here a good
deal?'
"well, she might do worse. He's young
man that's always very polite to me-"
They sat in silence for some time; but bott
were thinking, and to the same conclusion.
"Simon, we might sell the desk, after all ,
That's what 1 can't help thinking, Sallie
1--WE could get along without it, suppose,
and she looked around the room. There wa
a large-fgured, faded carpet on the floor,
roomy sofa and several old rocking chairs
covered with bright cretonne, and a slender
legged old piano with three broken strings.
II suppose she wouldn't want my piano,
said Mrs. Powers, meditatively. "ProbablJ
it wouldn't be good enough for her coulc
give it up, though better than you could youi
desk. You can't let that go. 1t was youi
fathers before you"
Simon said nothing When be looket
around, he saw his wife leaning over the ole
desk and softly crying. They knew each 9th
ers thought-the desk must go.
'Hush !" said Mrs. Powers, as if their out
cry had been loud. ''Hush the children will
be coming home from school, and they mus
not see US give way. There's Robbie now"
The loud bang of the back door startled
grandma out Of her doing, and she starteC
up with:
"What was you a-saying?"
Simon, said Mrs. Powers in a low tone
i've can't tell grandma yet. She won't un
derstand. She'll take it hard, I'm afraid
I'll go out and tell the children about the cal
we've had. They've all come in this minute.
"Ho !' said Rob, 81 don't care Thel
well have q new one"
"Well have to rub the brasses," said hi
sister, care taking little Martha Of thirteen
"Oh, mother!" was all Sophie said at first
'lts the handsomest thing we have in tn
house, and I've just begun to find it out. Il
pay the doctors bill myself, if he'll only wal
a little. l can do it."
Poor child !" said her mother. "You
money will be wanted for other things, II
afraid. It's a hard pinch now, but you sha
have chance for yourself some time, deal
Besides, the doctor can't wait. He's goin
out west, they say, right of. This ought
seem providentiaL"
Sophie was pretty, compact little body
with jaunty air that always gave her the o.
feet of being well dressed. Her nose turne
. up little, and her mouth was trihe large,
can't deny but if her little mirror told he
the truth about these, then it was to be trus
cd when it said that the curve and colorin
of her cheek were faultless, and that her eye
| oil hla i'll af,ula daaira
7 not Fred Barrows told somebody that thes
: eyes were the handsomest in town? Som
how, at those times when poverty pinched I
i home, or when primary school seemed
, her the furthest remove from heaven, thl
8 little speech had proved a wonderful console
Q Poor girl don't grudge her the foolish cor
0 fort. She needed it.
8 She had noticed, as she approached Il
house that day, how much it was in need
|. paint. As she stepped into the back room,
leave her overshoes, she saw that the coal b
g was very low. On entering the kitchen, b
mother met her and showed her the doctor
bill. The girl smiled at this appropriate cl
max, but it was a smile that on a young fai
It always filled me with foreboding. 1t was sti
Q on her lips as she went quickly up to b
Il room. There, in the cold, she threw hersC
}. on her bed aud sobbed bitterly for half
n hour She was not heroic, you see-simp
d an everyday girl, crying over one OF t
D. most every day of troubles. Nothing mo
was said that day about the events of the
'r ternoon but Simon Powers sat that event.
o and the following days feebly turning over c
papers aud transferring the contents of o
d pigeon hole to another.
l. ~ shall have to let Sophie take hold"
Q. said, at last. 81 don't seem to make much
lg any headway."
ID Eyes" said Mrs. Powers, 'the week'll
up in two days. Tomorrow we must emf
le it out and rub it up and get it ready. It
hard, Simon but it's worth it TO get y
e" back from the brink of the grave. You
lie feeling better every day, aren't your I
n, Lord hasn't given us up yet, Simon Power
to 81 believe you, Sallie, believe youi
don't you see it seems as if he had taken
,r- to punish you with, and that amt what l i
or to be used for. I've thought about it, sitti
do here, aud the more think the more do
see through things. Poor mother Hi
". you told her about the-?"
"a mo, not yet, said his wife, with tend
cd troubled look at the little grandmother, v
d. sat placidly in the retirement of her dc
SIX ness.
"Sophie," said her mother the next d
Ter ''your father wants you to begin to- night
it clear out the old desk. We've got to le