The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-03-03

This little toe said. "oh no, no."
This little toe anxious to go:
This little toe said "'Tisn't quite right
This tiny little toe curied out OF sight.
LEFT PooT
This big toe got sudde My snubbed:
This little toe got ruefully rubbed;
This little frightened toe cried out "Bearsw
This little timid toe run upstairsr
Down came a jar with a loud slam! slam
This little tiny toe got all the jam.
nIattie's Mistake.
Mrs Louise Chandler MOulton in Youths
COmpani0n.l
The incidents in the story / am going to
tell you took place more than thirty years
ago. Most of the people mentioned are dead,
or will have forgotten the events that shall
narrate, so that L am not violating confidence
or friendship in giving them for the benefit
of the young people of another generation.
OF course shall not give their real names.
Matte Read had always lived in a small
village in Vermont. Her father, when she
was child. "kept" country store, but after
a few years not succeeding in this, he sold
out his business and withdrew, with his
small capital, to his fathers old brown house
on the hillside, which was comfortable if not
pictureSqe, and became what he had been in
his younger days-a farmer.
Matte went first to the district school, and
afterwards, for few terms, 10 the academy
in Millville. She there "took lessons" in
music, and her father bought her amelodeon
and endeavored in such measure as his mar
row 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 homely charm and
beauty that were very attractive.
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
''the world" This meant to her nice dresses
the admiration of others and the devoted
attention of mythical parsonage whom we
will call 1.-The coming man." Oh, ii she
could get away from all this daily routine of
housework, this constant helping mother,
which had to be done day after day. She
hated to sweep and dust, and feed chickens,
and make pies and fry dOughnuts, and help
with the butter and cheese, and put up
luncl cons for the men who worked on the
farm. And all these things, which might
have been pleasant occupations, became
drudgery to her unwilling spirit. But at
last Mattie's restless and dissatisfied yearn-
ings had their opportunity for being graft
fed. She received most welcome invita-
ton from one of her school friends whose
father had removed to Massachusetts,, to
make her good long visit" What joy!
And Cambridge too, with the possibility of
'going into Boston every day" No wonder
she was greatly uplifted at the prospect.
Now came the dressmaking and all the
busy whirl of preparation, Her Aunt Mel
issa came bravely to the front, in spite of all
her other engagements in that line, and the
new plaided silk was bought and made, with
all the 'shirrings and tioCnces set forth in
the last number of Godey's Lady Book.
The bonnet must be right, for was it not
Mrs. Hills pattern hat? And the new
was it not splendid? As she started off, un-
der the escort of her fathers successor, who
was going to that mysterious region called
by country folks down below" to buy
goods, she was proud and happy girl!
At Cambridge, her country home became,
for the first time in her life a valuable pos
session, for she could talk about it. She was
quick to catch the exalted speech of the
heroines of her stories, and her imagination
enveloPed her home in new beauties.
"a nutshell was gilded barge,
Smelling seemed palace large
and she drew such picture of her country
residence that she almost believed in it
herself.
Tom Sherwood was her hero OF the hour.
He had always lived in Boston, but thought
he should delight in the country, and she
told him of her ancestral home and broad
acres, and really worked herself up to a lit
tie enthusiasm on the natural beauty of her
native place.
Every day brought her new pleasures with
| it. There were drives and picnics and
Spreads" and all the bewildering delights
OF young girl in college town. There
were visits to Boston. that wonderful center
| of everything attractive to the New England
mind! there was the Museum; there were
the shops, with everything to tempt the eye,
| and the concerts to charm the ear. oh, it
/ was lust lovelyl" as she said; and Matte
had never dreamed of such good time in
| her life. But the visit came to an end at
last, and Matte returned home, with sad
consciousness that the bright vision was over,
| and the old life was 10 begin again just
| where it left off.
Tom Sherwood had a slight tenderness to-
ward the little country girl who had given
him such obvious admiration, and when she
| told him that she would like to show him
| her country home, he felt that he should be
| quite willing to accept the invitation, though
| 1 may add here that this Is not love-story,
/ and there was no love in the case.
| But after all, Matte did not begin at
| home lust where she left of. We never do
/ this; and the Matte who went back was not
/ Just the same Matte who went away. Her
| mother feared that she would be more DIS
contented than ever, and less suited to the
/ homely details of everyday life. Whether
this was so not, her horizon had widened,
and she had more things to think about.
| Coatentment does not really depend so much
1 upon the circumstances in which we are
placed, as upon what we are in our own
selves, and Matte had the new pleasure OF
| living over the visit in her imagination, and
in recounting her triumphs to her friends.
She talked very fast of what she had seen
and heard, and what 81 said, and The said;''
and the name of Tom Sherwood, who was
not lover at all, became quite prominent
| in her list of admirers. 1t was always a
| pleasure to Matte to talk about herself, and
her companions often said of her that hei
talk had a great many large rs in it,
But one day a dreadful surprise came upo Z
her. Her father came driving up the hill
with a letter for Mattie,-a manly but un
known chirography.
"For me! Oh what? Who can it bC
fromP (Mattie's grammar was not always
quite correct) and quick glance at the foo
of the brief page revealed the name o
| Tom Sherwood.
|. This was the letter:
| ''WAvERLEY, AUG. Is, 1S--.
"DEAR Miss READ,-I have come up h
these delightful green hills TO visit my cousin
Miss Maria Smith. / find that l am only
few miles from your beautiful home, which
you so often described to me; and as fine
that Maria knows you well, and is quit
intimately acquainted with the Silva family
in your village, and wishes much to see them
have persuaded her to 60 tomorrow will
me to Stirling, when / shall give myself tn
1T. 800