The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-09-27
A VACATION EXPERIMENT,

Two whole blessed months of free
dom freedom from careless, uninter-
esting children, and the sight of a
dreary, dusty school room. Not an ex-
ercise to correct, nor q copy to set. nor
a naughty child to keep after school
when she longed TO be out in the sweet
ness and freshness OF the long June
afternoons.
There was no mistaking the air of re-
lief with which Alice Disbro laid aside
her hat and drew Off her gloves, as she
seated herself in Aunt Margaret S mod
est parlor.
But the appearance of satisfaction
soon gave way to little expression of
anxiety, rs she leaned back comfort
ably in the little cane rocker.
Eyes, very pleasant to think about,
but the next thing is how are you going
to spend those two months? OF course
You would take trunkfull of pretty
dresses, and money enough to 90 to the
mountains or seashore." There were
the Burtons, who had invited her for a
month at Old Orchard, and her sister
Mary would be quite willing that she
should come down to Newport for her
entire vacation, for there were the
children and, ''Alice, you know has so
much influence with the boys.'
But neither Of these prospects seemed
to please Alice Disbro. The Burtons
were very kind and pleasant, but a
mental Inventory of her wardrobe CON
WINGED her that the contrast between
herself and the Burton girls would be
too marked for her own peace of mind.
If she had not given Uncle Edward that
hundred dollars when one of his best
horses died and he did not know how
to replace it-she might have had at
least two new dresses. But she had,
and she was not sorry either.
AS for Mary, she was probably as
kind as elder sisters usually are, but
having been married when Alice was
only ten, they had been separated too
long to know much about each other.
Besides certain little circumstance of
her visit to Newport the previous sum
mer would render her presence there a
thrilling embarrassing.
At last q sudden thought dawned
upon her, and eXclaining 'I'll try it"
she went for her writing materials.
She had heard of certain summer
resort in the Adm ondacks where nearly
all the mattresses in the hotel We're
school teachers, and she would try that,
for change she must have.
But Mary she would probably faint
ut the idea of Disbro doing such a
thing. Not that Alice meant to ac-
quaint her with her plans, but the mere
thought of it sent CLEAN of merri-
ment into her eyes.
While she pens her letter of applica-
ton let me tell you little about her.
Stephen Disbro had been successful
business man Judged from the stand.
point OF a rather non-progresSive east
ern city. If he had been content with
his well-earned prosperity, all would
have been well, but nothing that we
have or are can satisfy us for more than
moment" and soft came to pass that
the letters of 4 friend, stock broker
in New York, induced him to move
with his family to that city. Here his
old success followed him, and in few
years he became an important factor in
the money market.
His wife, a very clever and decidedly
ambitious woman, was from the first q
marked fayorite in society, and the Dis
bro mansion was soon renowned for the
elegance of its entertainments. Mary
Disbro was at this time very pretty
brunette, of eighteen, and during her
second season she captivatod the heart
of man much older, but of such an
aristocratic family that her parents
were delighted and made no objection
to speedy marriage.
Of this part of their life Alice knew
comparatively little. She was a rather
shy, awkward girl whose place was in
the school-room, and she only knew
that she had everything she wanted
except freedom to romp and enjoy her
self as in her old home.
Then came several years of life in a