The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1885-08-06
LENA oRAxr.


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II vas 40 old brown house. standing
about bali . mile east OF oura I shut my
eyes. aud can see !. almost ~ distinctly
~ can by opening them, th. busternut
trees waving solennly 10 the summer
wind. Most old houses in the country are
poems -or rather old fashioned ballads;
but this house Was mot one Of them.
There was nothing picturesque about
the building. II stood all alone. With the
moss growing thick on its blackeDed roof
and the blinds creaking backward and for
ward whenever the wind blew. There
was ckground Of green meadow land.
and in front were broad ryefelds. waving
all summer in the sunshine; but for all
that, the house had one OF those dark. IN
inviting physiognomies which no sunshine
can brighten. WAS II years old that
spring whom the family which had long
occupied the house. and which consisted
Of coarse. uneducAted man. his indolcnt
cad sickIy wife. and half dozen dirty
laced. obstrsperous boys. moved 70 the
west.
For several months the house remained
upocsupied; but ono day Mrs. Miles. an
intimate friend Of my mothers. came over
TO pass the day with her.
In pause Of the conversation, which
had beea animatedly kept up the last two
hours, she. Mrs. Miles. remarked to my
mother;
"And so. Mrs. White, you have some
new neighbors2"
"New neigborsr replied mamma, II
didn't know it-who are they?"
"why, pray tell me il You didn't know
family had moved into the old brown
house down here? They came last week.
/ can SEQ them from our bsck windows.
Nobody but an old woman and little
girl. however. seem TO be around as yet.
They, Of course. can't be any body, living
10 that old place, concluded Mrs. Miles,
who had penchant for wealth and high
social standing.
l sat there, turning over my drawings,
and listening to all this half indifferently,
Bever dreaming what an influence the peo.
pie OF that old house were to exert over
my future destiny.
One morning about week later, we
had Just taken our seats, and the school
exercises were about commencing, whom
q little girl walked into the school room.
Every eye was rivited upon her as she
went up awkwardly to the teachers desk,
fer such another outlandishly dressed
Christian had never been seen in all Moss
Farm.
She wore dress Of large, flaming red
flowers on bright yellow ground
ss you may have seen covering the arm
chair in your grandmother's parlor, Her
stockingless feet were enoased in pair Of
high heeled. pointed shoes. such - our
great aunts wore il thsir youth. and whose
contsct with The door was any
thing but musical A large green silk
bonnet bearing in its shape date Of some
10 years back, completed this strange toT
There was = deep silence. through
the room until caught jane Davis ro-
guish eyes. and then there was no more
for my refractory risibles. Il
laughed outright. Miss Mervin gave
glance as she put out her
hand to the girl.
'You are Mrs. Grants granddaughter.
I supposer she said, in those
soft tones Of hers, which must have found
their way to any child's heart. "Do you
think you should like to come to school
here?"
II don't know" answered Miranda,
rather sullsnly twisting her bonnet strings.
"Well. l suppose we must wait till you
IRE better acquainted before you can de-
eide about liking MS. How old are you.
Mirands?"
Twelve, next October.'
Then followed several questions respect
ing the girls previous studies, in which,
though not far edvanced, she evinced con.
siderable intelligence. Miss Mervin as
.igned the new scholar her seat and then
requested her TO haag her bonnet in the
ball. Miranda's resppearance we'll nigh
upset my risibles again. Her thick, red.
brown hair lay in bristling masses about
her face. An effort had apparently been
made 10 induce il to lie smooth, but its
surfing proclivity strongly rebelled against
.his-so it had assumed various sorts Of
forms. The girl saw my
mile, for there flashed out OF her dark,
wild eyes look OF hatred and defiance as
'he took her seat
There was little playing during recess,
or the new scholar occupied al our
thoughts that day. Harriet Morse, whose
ather was the richest ms 10 oil Moss
Farm. declared. with . cnii OF her lips,
hat she considered all the res OF the girls
nsulted by having such . creature ad.
nitted 10 the school. She would tease
,er father TO send her TO some seminary,
way from home. il she must be brought
n contact with such persons
All this time the object Of these remarks
TODD 1t one corner Of the school houas.
ooking sullenly toward the green where
70 were assembled 70 pronounce her YER
lict.
Three days had passed. Tn new scbol.
v bad been punctual in her II tendance 1t
chool, ssd evinced consider. sble intslli-
'ence In her recitstions; but she Aad in
'ouiss advanced iu the good viii Of her