News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-10-11

looking before her time. But she didn'
care for looks or parties, even when she
!. was girl. All her mind was taken VI
by books, and she seemed sort of lonely
from the first day l knew her"
"What an interesting person !" ]
said, involuntarily, as the picture of the
eager girl, student evidently in he1
very blood, and with SO little chance to
slake the thirst for knowledge in this
arid environment, and ''Ionely from the
first moment, rose before me. But the
remark was injudieious and did not
meet with her favor.
"Well, you're the first that ever called
her that, exclaimed Mrs. Merry
weather. 'sShe wasn't interesting to
poodle IN general AMI never was in her
life, She hadn't grain of common
sense, or bit of faculty, and she never
could have male q good housekeeper.
Then her looks wasn't anything to
speak Of; and folks do think sight of
that, especially men folks
"She wasn't pretty, you saidl"
Motto she had pretty things
about her too. Her hair was naturally
wavy and it was quite good and thick
when [ first recollect it; but it fell off
early, and she put on caps before she
turned forty. She was sort of queer
looking, and her eyes were too big for
anything but an owl, and her face was
always worn and tired. That wasn't
| wonderful, for her life was never an easy
one, not at the best. Let me see, I think
| 1t must have been about five years after
l got married that old Mrs Denny died.
] She had a long sickness and [ guess it
used up whatever little money they were
able to lay by. There was only the sister
/ left then and she kept on needing more
and more attention. [ suppose it was
some sort of decline, but she held ont
for years; and Marianne was clear broke /
down when at last she died too.
''Sho was left all alone then. People .
didn't pity her as much as they ought, /
perhaps, for Samantha had been bur
den; but [ knew how she felt. She .
looked older than ever after that, but
kept on with her books and her studies
In all her spare times, and she had more
spare times than she used to have, be-
cause now there was only herself to do
for.
''It was just then that Tom Burns
came home from Nevada"
"Who was Tom Burns!"
"Why, Sarah Denny's son. Didn't 1
tell you that she married a man named
Burns? Well, she did, and she died
young when this Tom was n baby, and
he came and stayed with his grand
mother a while till the widower could
look round and get married again. Then
he moved out West and took Tom with
him.
''Tom was always particularly fond of
Marianne, / suppose because she had
been good to him when he was a little
fellow; and Samantha and Miss Denny /
were pretty strict, l reckon. Anyhow,
he struck silver on a claim he had out 1
there somewhere, and the first thing he 1
did with his money was to come home
and see his aunt. +
''WeI, you never did see anything ,
0 pleased as Marianne was at his com :,
ng. 1t was Tom here and Tom there,
nd she must take him round and show
i'm to everybody; and he acds real
ind fellow, and no mistake.
Now, Aunty,' lie says, there's your
hance. Tn abe and ready to fix you A
ut any way you say. Shall build you NJ
new house to end your days inl or m
viii you have the old one done up? or bl
hall settle a regular payment on you, II!
o that you needn't teach any more, or tt
vhat2 I'll do Just as you decide. Take al
ne while L feel rich, says he, 'for it e.
nayn't last, you know 1t
so that was the way Marianne p
Denny came to have her telescope. She a
aid the old home'd last out her time o
md was good enough and she didn't
want it fixed over, and that she'd always a
lone for herself and hoped she always s.
should; but the thing she had longed II
or all her life was to get to know some u
hing more about the stars. So if Tom s
,eallv meant what he said, and wanted 81
70 spend his money ON her, and had it o
10 spend, why, lie should give her a p
telescope. 1t was the thing in all the C
world that she wished for, and the only n
thing. t
& guess Tom thought it rather funny, t
but he wanted to please her; and he a
didn't say anything, only looked sort of O
queer, He went down to Cambridge C
Or wherever it is that they sell tele- l
he got the best one he Q
could; six inches across it was-as big
rs the house would bear. Then there
was great time building the observa- I
tory and making the wall strong enough I
to bear; but at last it was all done. and |
Marianne could turn her telescope to o
this side and that, and sweep the heav- I
ens;' as she called 1t. Poor soul she {
never had been much of a hand at '
sweeping, but this kind of sweeping I
seemed to suit her.
81 Go really believe she was the best
woman in this town when it I
was all ready. She used to go up into S
he tower the minute the sun was down [
% be all ready, and she could sit up as I
ate as she liked; there was no one now
% hinder. Then all the learned people |
hat came to stay at the Old Beach heard L
bout the telescope, and used to drive U
,ver to see it and talk about it. It was {
he first time she had ever got in with t
Ter kind of folks, and it did her lots of q
good, 1 can tell you.
There was one Professor at the Beach
hat came quite often, and l guess he
taught her how to use the telescope
better than she knew how at first Any ;
how, all that summer and fall and way :
Down into the winter, she sat up i'll that
place taking solid comfort. said then,
and say now, that | never saw but one
woman in the world who knew when she
had got her wish and was perfectly salts ,
fed about it, and that was Marianne ,
Denny, she did :"
s'Did she ever take you up to look ;
through the telescope 2"
eyes, two or three times. She'd have
done it oftener if had wanted to. Mari ,,
anne was always for sharing with other
people. She showed me n nebuly-a ,,
ring nebuly l think she said it was-lit- ,
tie shiny stars which you can't see with
out telescope. 1t didn't interest me ,
much, except as things do interest you
that you can't see always. / liked the ,
star with a ring that looks like n school ,,
globe great deal better, but Marianne
didn't seem to think much of that. She
said quite little telescopes showed it; but
it needed big one like hers to show the
nebuly. 1 didn't care a snap for the
nebuIv, but l did care for seeing Mari
anne so pleased. She actually looked
and she used to talk about the
summer consultations and how she
was going to enjoy them, never think
ing. poor dear, how it was to be-"
'sWhy, what happened?'
"Oh, she died. 1t was the very May
after the telescope came. 1t did seem
200 bad [ shall always think that stay
ng up in that cold place SO much hurt
her"
"What pity | Was she sorry to go 2"
ssNo; don't think she was. [ recOl-
ect her saying one day when was sit
ing bv her, You needn't feel bad about
ne. Alice. Some people die and never
IN all their lives have their wish granted.
I've had mine. Heaven has been
brought close to me all this year. And
know just how wonderful it is and how
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