Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-08-09

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have been more fitting than their be-
ing house-mates?
Miss Dunning did not prosper the
less, though money was not too plen-
ty in village where there was a
younger and more fashionable per-
son busy at her trade, and almost ev-
cry one of her customers had very
few new dresses, and made them her.
self after good Miss Dunning had
cut and basted them. But she had
some good, generous friends, and at
any rate never once thought about
the Peggy, as she did sometimes
about the garden seeds, that she was
ashamed to look the contribution box
in the face. This brings me back
again to the garden.
There was one pleasant June even
ing just after Peggy came-I know
that it had not yet been decided that
the visit was to last any more than a
week-when the new friends were
busy together among the fower-beds.
Miss Dunning was right in saying
cheerfully that this was a good grow
ing year; flowers and weeds alike
were springing up as close together
as they could, and just before it was
dark the good woman told her little
guest that she might take the old hoe
and wage war against a velvety
growth of seedlings that spread from
one side of the path to the other.
Nobody had taken the time to attend
to the disorderly narrow path, there
had been so much to do with trans
planting and more important things.
Peggy's eyes had shone at her first
glimpse of the garden on Sunday
morning, and she was proving her.
self most apt scholar under Miss
Dunning's instructions. She had
seen the somewhat neglected hospi-
tai garden few times before she
left town, and already knew the
names of many plants.
She looked up in unmistakahle DIS
may when Miss Dunning spoke hut
she went ,iuiifully to the sile OF the
donstrp and brought the hoe then
she siod still aud looked down at
| the green hit of seeding carpet.
Hurry up, Peggy?' said brisk
Miss Dunnlng. ''Il's getting dark,
and we aren't near through with
what l set myself to do tonight"
''Do you want me to kill them
alp" whispered Peggy. 'Did you
see that they weren't weeds? | could
find nice little places over there by
the fence"
''Mercy me y exclaimed Miss
Dunning, with great amazement.
"We can't save every sprout in the
garden. / do have a feeIin' for 'em
sometimes, but we might just as we'll
let 'em grow into a wilderness at
once"
"They would all bloom and be
flowers, wouldn't they?" asked Peg
gy, tlmidly. Perhaps the poor child
felt as if she had been saved out of
just such a crowd that nobody SEEM
ed to want. 81 wish | could put
them in little boxes and take them
back to Boston. They would grow
and look so pretty in the hospital"
She spoke as if she were asking
the greatest favor in the world.
"I'll give you better things than
those," said Miss Dunning, with a
sudden feeling of desperate jealousy
at the mere mention of the hospital
and Peggy's native city. ''Well,
you needn't murder the petunys and
things tonight, anyway. My back
aches and / feel chill; so we must
go in, and you can help me set my
bread to rise before we 60 to bed
IT'S eight o'clock now, if it's min.
ute v'
And Peggy carried the hoe back
again, with sigh of relief.
Little the Seeding poppies an6
marigolds and petunias knew abou
their fate, when they came crowding
up together through the rich, hare
soil of the footpath that late spring
but this is what happened to them
Who ever thought of saving sucl
lives but quaint little Peggy Meal
lister? But she dreamed that nigh
about carrying flower pot full o
small green plants to everybody il
the sunny hospital wards, to stant
on the tables beside the beds or in the
windows, SO that all the sick people
could watch them grow. She did moi
know how she could really carry sc
many but she was sure that Miss
Dunning would let her, when SHE
wakedup IN the morning and thought
about her dream.
1t took good deal of courage to
ask Miss Dunning at breakfast time
and the kind little dressmaker laugh
ed until Peggy felt that she must
have been very foolish.
ssIt's a reasonable dream enough,
certain; but, there! | don't know
how I'm ever going to let you &C
back again, you dear little thing J
she said to Peggy. 81 believe
shall keep you all the time, if you
like well enough to stay?" and Peg
gy's wondering face grew rosy for a
minute then she dropped her head,
and felt as if she were going to cry.
''Oh? please do keep mel! she
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