The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-05-10

z on Mrs. Hine and her receipt. Now h
= won't lie awake and worry nights, will
he. maj
= Oh, Phrony, said the doctors wife
n hurrying forward the belated Dime
preparations, you don't know what
}, load is off my mind. Why, l though
o sometimes l sh'd let it out, this trouble
o and didn't mean to, cause if thing
can't be helped, what's the use of speak
r ing of it? And this morning when yoU
i got to talking about there being no mon
0 ey, why somehow it wouldn't stay in
t any longer.
Christmas is three weeks from now
: said Sophronia, buttering breadvigoroIs
2 ly, II everything goes well, I'll have
r quite little bunch of money to put in
pas hand.
And none too soon, said her mother,
for the first of January scares him most
to death. He isn't used to owing folks,
your pa isn't, and the shoemaker has
dunned him twice.
It's the last time Old Cobbles will dun
pa, said Sophronia proudly. He shall
be paid first of all. What next?
Well the butcher says he will wait
but your pa hates to have him, said Mrs
Tucker.
Hiram Badger next, said Sophronia,
gayly.
You may not make money so fast as
all that, child, said her mother, eau
tiously, Don't count your chickens be-
fore they're hatched,
1t will be slow work, said SophronIa,
| know that, earning money at such
trade. But you know, ma, I've got
knack at mending, and besides when
folks see that pa has got somebody to
help him, they won't talk so much
about dunning him, but they'll wait till
| can get fairly started.
And maybe it will set everybody
thinking how perhaps it would be as
well to pay the country doctor after all
as to let his daughter work 30, said Mrs,
Tucker hopefully,
don't know about that, ma, said So
phronia merrily. Anyway, I'm going
to set up my mendng basket and put
my mind on that. Sh here's pa, Don't
say anything to him about it till Christ
mas,
But Mrs. Tucker, being a woman,
found it imp Eossible to keep still; and
that night when they were in bed and
the household still, the doctor beginning
on his troubles and the impending wor
y VI the iuluIt, sue 'ouOheu mo 'heu
hand.
Eli, don't worry, dear. I've some good
news.
There can't be any good news, Mar
tina, he said despondently. Folks won't
pay. Today | hinted to Mrs. Brown
that my bill had been standing a good
while, and she up and told me she'd
long been thinking of employing the
m in HnllnW-thp q
young one, you know, who came from
Montpelier to cut me out. It's no use
trying to get what's mine. | might as
well give up.
Did you know you'd got young
helper who's going to cut you out in
raising money? asked Mrs, Tucker, face
tiously. There's something to offset the
young Hollow doctor.
What do you mean? cried the doctor,
Don't joke; I'm too tired to see any fun
in one.
Suphrona's made up her mind that
she's going to help you, announced his
wife cOncisely.
Sophronla? Why she's girl, said the
doctor,
That's true, s'pose tho tisn't her
fault that she wasn't born boy obsery-
ed Mrs. Tucker composedly.
Well, what IN the world can she do!
demanded the doctor, it must be confes.
sed trifle irritably.
And then the plan came out, AT IFS
close the doctor sat straight in bed, his
red cotton nightcap bowed on his hands
fpgers-tears of Joy in his eldest daugh'
ter, and of hope for the dark and threat
ening future.
There-there, don't feel 80, cried Mrs.
Tucker shaking his arm. You're all
heat out and ! oughtn't to have told you
tonight. Do stop-there, that's right, ,as
the doctor looked up and sank back on
his pillow. One thing more, as she set
tied to her well earned rest You mustn't
look as if you ever thought of her doing
ANYTHING, or she'll know that We let the
cat out OF the bag, for you must be aw
fully surprised, pa, on Christmas morn
ing-awfully surprised.
Scraps of thread and remnants OF
| frayed materials seemed to adhere low
ingly to SOphrOniss gown the following
days-so much 80 that as her mother
passed her one morning, she picked one
off deity, whispering, with one eye on
the doctor over in the corner, making
his inevitable and useless bills:
Don't work quite so fast, Phrony
make Miss Bachley wait for her petit
coats.
Hush! emo ned the girl, with loving
pinch on the motherly arm, can walt.
Look at the dear potterlng over his bills
Christmas! and she fairly ran up stairs
to the delights OF the Blachley petit
coats,
You didn't hear, pa? cried the doctor 8
| g., Ix IN
head between her palms, you know you
didn't.
really ought to study up cases OF
deafness, SAID the doctor solemnly, and
ceasing to tumble among his bills for =
moment; strange how suddenly I'm
taken.
All right, declared Mrs. Tucker, breath
ing freely as she deserted him, only
keep on being deaf as post till Christ
mas, and I'm satisfied,
But Christmas eve everything came
near being lost. Miss Ruhaman Stebblns
ran in, tongue all ready for good hour
work and bundle of nondescrlpt cloth
ing in her arms. She encountered the
doctor in the little entry.
congratulate you, doctor, she began
yolubly, though d'no's l should, seen
its always hard for man to see his eld-
est chilu, being she's girl
Mrs. fuckers in the keeping room.
said the doctor Hospitality. and essaylng
to get back of the spinster and her load
to open the door.
Thank you; I'll find my way in there
in minute, But | says to Reuben at
supper time, says l, I'm going to con-
graduate the doctor If catch sight OF
him, on having such a daughter as
Phrony to
Sophronia is d treasure OF daughter,
interrupted the doctor gravely. Then
he made dart toward the object OF his
desires, achieved il and lifting the latch
sung out,
Ma, Miss Stebhins has came to see you
then he vanished into his office.
The next morning, Abby. who was
wild with delight over a store doll with
a plas er Of paris head and a wonderful
green gown, that she found sitting up
above her pillow and waking, hurried
ecstatically into her clothes, to rush out
upon the three boys of the family. wild
er yet with three new jack knives.
Where do you s'pose the money came
from? cried Joel quite awestruek.
This is nothing, said Abby superbly,
holding her doll close and trying to
grasp all the knives, to what were go
ing to have, Jo Tucker. Why, it'll be
Christmas every day, you see II 'tisnt,
after this.