Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-12-24
A CALICO FR0CK,
yBY GEORGE MARTIAL.

a day that made your clothes stick to
YOU like poor relations, that brought out
cold sweats on pitchers and goblets, that
made your back a race-course for con-
temptible little chills and the rest of
your body target for a thousands in
visible pins and needles, that made the
grasshopper burden and the dusty, be-
grimed city pandemonium, that made
Solomon Griggs, bchelor, of the firm of
Griggs, Makem & Co., the great clothing
merchants, shut up his ledger with "a
bang and start for the country by the
next train, remarking to old Grimesby,
the head clerks "that the city was
sitting" To which that worthy replied
$50 it is, but how about the Teller that
can't get out of it and must stay to be
choked2"-a problem which l suspect
our friend of the firm of Griggs, Makem
s. Co. troubled his head very little about,
being just then busy in looking into the
dusty recesses of that picture gallery
which memory furnishes and arranges
for us all, as single landscape hanging
there. A low house with messy. over
hanging caves, standing on the slope of
q green hill, shaded by branching elms,
with level fields stretching off in the
foreground toward the sparkling water
on one side and dasky woods on the
other, and there, dusty, sweating and
tired, Solomon found himself just about
sunset. Out came Iuddy- checked,
smiling old lady in cap and apron, that
had attained state of snowy perfection
unknown to city laundresses.
- Gilt
Why, who'd thou Lht of seeing your
and she folded the stalwart bearded
man in as warm an embrace as though
he were in reality still the little Sol of
former days.
''And how do you do, Sol Come in
come in; don't stand out tlerc, You
know the little path and the way to the
pantry yet, l dare say. Come in; you
needn't start back-its only Eachel.'
'But didn't know you had any young
ladies with you, Aunt Hester
otis only Rachel, l tell you-Rachel
Hart, the seamstress, Are there no
women in your city, that you are afraid
to face little country girll"
'Little indeed" thought Solomon, as
he acknowledged his aunts somewhat
peculiar introduction-and not pretty,
either-with large eyes eff that uncertain
gray that sometimes beams darkly blue
and then deepens into brown; with a
smooth, low forehead and light brown
hair drawn tightly across each ear, just
revealing its crimson tips; face irregu-
larly featured, and rendered still more
striking by the singular contrast be-
tween its extreme pallor and the intense
ly scarlet lips-the personitication of
neatness, the embodiment of reserve.
IAN odd little person." thought Solo
mon, "but it's none of my business"
and dsmissing her from his mind, he
proceeded t. the much more important
busin IS of making himself perceptible
at Aunt e,ter's tea table
Solomon did ampe justice to the
snowy bread, golden butter and luscious
Strawberries, and later. as that worthy
was INDUCING in u stroll across the
fields, he lifted up his eyes, and beheld
the little seamstress, whose existence he
had quite forgotten, under venerable
cherry tree, making desperate efforts to
seize a tempting branch On its lowest
boughs-looking almost pretty with hcl
flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.
Now Sol was gallant man-decide
ly the 'preuv chevalier of the firm of
Griggs, Makem & Co. so that whenever,
as had once or twice happened, petit
coat ventured into the mouldy shades Of
that establishment Sol was the MAI
whom destiny and the other partners Sc
lected to parley with the enemy.
Advancing, therefore, with happy
mixtureof confidence and condescension
Sol plucked the cherries and was about
to present them when independence IN ,
calico frock stepped back with ccol;
"Keep them yourself, sir; don't cart
for them.
II thought you wanted them" STAN
me ed Sol.
$50 did, because they were Difficult
to obtain. Had they been on your aunt
table, would not have touched them
1t is the glow of triumph that gives
pleasure to its Zest.. at the cherrie
yourself, and good evening, sir"
stop a moment" said Sol, not lit
tie astonishcd; THAT isl mean-per
NIT me to accompany you"
"No, you would expect me to enter
tain you, and that would be too mucl
trouble"
"But if, instead, should entertain
you3v
"You cannot"
"Why?'
"You could tell me nothing new. Yo,
are only crucible for converting bale
of cloth into the precious ore that all tn
world goes mad after. No doubt yo
are all very we'll in your way, but ther
are aIchemists who could transmute on
humdrum daily life into golden verse o
heavenly thought. TO such one
might listen; but you and | have moth
ing in common"
"Not even our humanity" asked Sol
onion.
The stern face of the young girl soft
ened little, but only for a moment
mop she answered, angrily, ''nC
even that. l, you know, am made 0
the inferior clay--you of the pure polcC
lain. Do you not remember how eve
good, kind Aunt Hester told you Their
were no young ladies with her, only th
seamstress You are slightly bored a
ready, and think me odd enough to anus
you for a while; buff some of these ga
ladies among whom hear you are sue
a favorite were to come here, you woul
not even know me. Good evening, sir.
"What a furious little radical,
thought Sol, with an uneasy laugh, as h
watched her retreating figure. Aftt
all, he was not quite sure that she ha
not spoken the truth.
If the calico frock had been founce
silk, for instance, how many d gree
more deferential would have been h
manner in presenting the cherries2