Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-01-01

MATTIE'S MISTAKE.
BY MRS. LOUISE CHANDLER MOULTON.
From the Youths Companion,
The Incidents in the storyI am going
to tell you took place more than thir-
ty years ago. Most OF the people
mentioned are dead. or will have for
gotten the events that I shall narrate,
so that: / am not violating confidence
or friendship in giving them for the
benefit of the young people OF another
generation. OF course l shall not give
their real names. ; :,
Matte Read had always lived in a
small village in Vermont. erfather,
when she Was child "kept" a country
store. but after a few years, not sue
ceeding in this, he sold out his bust
ness and Withdrew, with his small CAPT.
tai, to his fathers old brown house
on the hillside, which was comfortable,
if not picturesque: and became what
he had been in his. younger days-a
farmer.
Matte vent first to the district
school, and afterwards. for a few
terms, to the academy in Millville.
She here "took lessons" in music, and
her father bought her a melodeon, and
endeavored, in such measure as his
narrow income allowed, to make home
attractive to her. Her garden was
gay with marigolds and balsams and
sweet peas and old-fashioned pinks,
and to one who was unambitious and
contented, it possessed a homely
charm and beauty that were very at
tractiye.
[ But Matte did not see or feel this.
She thought. her life was dull, and
longed to get beyond the green hills
about her, and to see 1.-The world.'
This meant to her nice dresses, the
admiration OF others, and the devoted
attention of mythical parsonage
whom we will call "the coming man. ="
Oh, if she could get away from all this
daily routine of housework, this con-
slant helping mother, which had to be
done day after day! She hated to
sweep and dust, and feed chickens,
and make pies and fry tloughnuts,
and help with the butter and cheese,
and put up luncheons for the men who
worked on the farm And all these
things, which might have bee1rpleasant
occupations, became drudgery to her
unwilling spirit. y ~ =. r
But at last Mattie's restless and dis
!; satisfied yearnings had their opportu-
nifty for being gratified. She received
| q most welcome. invitation from one
of her school friends, whosefather had
removed to Massachusetts,, to '.n,ake
| her good long visit" What a Joy!
And Cambridge too, with thepossibili-
ty Of "going into Boston every dayv'
No wonder that she was greatly up
lifted at the prospect, ..g. i :
Now came the dressmaking and all
the busy whirl OF preparation. Her
Aunt Melissa came bravely to the
| front, in spite OF all her other engage.
! ments in that line, and the new plaided
silk was bought and made, with all
the sshirrings' and Hoancing set forth
| in the last number Of Godey's Lady S
!, Book. The bonnet must be right, for
/ was it not Mrs, Hill's sfpattern hat?
And the new black silk ....yisite,"' with
it's pinked ruffie, was it. not splendid?
! AS she started off, under the escort OF
/ !he1 fathers successor, who was going
to that mysterious region called by
!, country folks down below" to buy
goods, she Was a proud and happy
girl!''> IS. s. =ss S.s.1 !, ''=s
At Cambridge, her country home
became, for the first time in her life, a
valuable possession, for she could
I talk about it. She was quick tocatch
the exalted speech Of the. heroines Of
herstories, and her imagination en-
veloped her home in new beauties. @.S
a mi shell was q glided barge,
Asheiling seemed 8 palace large,
and she drew such a picture OF her
country .sresiae that she almost
believed IN it herself.
Tom Sherwood WAS her hero OF the
hour. He had always lived in Bost on,
but thought no should delight in the
country, and shQ told him Of her an
cestral home and broad acres, and re-
Inlly worked herself up 60 q little en-
thusinsm IN the natural beauty Of
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