News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1889-07-11
A KINDRED SPIRIT.
BY SUSAN A. WEISS.


In a private parlor of the Misses
Ketchum's select boarding house were
seated two ladies, the personal resem-
blance between whom marked them as
sisters, though one was matronly lady
of thirty, and the other some ten years
younger.
"You don't mean to tell me, jose
phine," said the elder, rather tartly,
''that you've discarded Jack Rogers"
''Why, not exactly" the other replied,
hesitatingly. ''I merely told him that
1 thought we were not suited to each
other-that we would not be happy to-
gether"
''Not happy togetherl And why,
pray2 What is there to prevent any
reasonable woman being happy with
jack Where can you find more gen.
erous, good-humored, open-hearted fel-
low, or one who will make better hus
band! Why"@in a tone as of trium-
phant argument-<|shesT Tthe counterpart
of my own husband, although they're
only. cousins; and / am sure no couple
was ever happier than Charlie and 1. -
because you and Charlie suit each
other. 7 dom deny that Mr.. Rogers is
all you describe, and I like him well
are not at all suited to each other. We
are not congenial natures-not kindred
ssKin5raa sPiritsa" repeated Mrs.
Fys-bb-,ss somewhat contemptuously.
ssWhat = you call a kindred spiritl'
s'You may not understand me, Char
lotte, replied Josephine, q little loftily,
ssbecause you and /, though sisters, are
not cast in the came mould. That is
nv misf9rtune-that l am not under
stood by even my nearest and dearest
relatives.
She said this very pathetically, and
Wit. tear in her eye. Mrs. Chubbuck
looked at her half-pityingly.
81 know, Josie, that You were always
excessively sentimental and romantic
which am not, thank goOdnessl Still
] was in hopes that you would appre
ciate Jack, with his good heart and gooC
sense"
Josie shook her head with little tas
tidious air.
"He's good enough in his way, bu
not the man / ought to marry. He,
too realistic-too matter fact, witt
nothing aesthetic, or poetic, or spintu
ally exalted about him. Why, he toll
me himself that he prefers prose to poe
ture or painting, that Poe and Tenny
son wrote nonsense, and that he prefer
Dickens to Byron. How can feel an
congeniality with such a natures The
to see how he enjoys eating, especial
oysters"
"Jack does like good living, and S
do Charlie and 1, though we are non
of us gluttons. We all go for the II
tional creature comforts of life, in whic
SO much of its happiness consists, sal
Mrs. Chubbuck, composedly.
Miss Josephine Heyden gave depr'
catory shrug.
''His very name is distasteful to me
Jack-Jack Rogers! So undignified an
prosaicl And he always has such Ioll
Sort of look, and-and 1 think he
growing fat. :"
Josephine, you're too absurd. Yc
have read poetry and romance until
All, that's Miss Ketchum's knocl
Come inl''
Miss Ketchum entered, smiling al
simpering, followed by tall, pal
cavaderous young man, bearing a cot
scuttle.
"Ah, ladies, don't let me disturb yo
Here, Junkin, put on the coal here,
you please. -,
The young man obeyed. Daintil
dreamily, and with far-away and a
sent-minded look, he placed the tum
of anthracite in symmetrical ord
within the CRATE. Then, erecting hi
self, and looking loftily down up
Miss Ketchum, he said, in hoil'
voice:
"Hanything helse, NUM-"
Miss Ketchum started.
"Nothing else, Junkin-you can &c
Junkin stalked with solemn dignl
20 the door, threw back a ghostlike, I
conscious gaze, stumbled over hasso'
shut the door noiselessly behind hi
let the scuttle fall in the hall will
great clatter, and so finally disappear
from sight and sound.
"What an extraordinary creature
said Mrs. Chubbuck.
"Quite ghoul-l like % said Josephil
Really, never felt such an antipathy
any person as TO that waiter. He sol
times quite makes my blood run co
with his spectral looks"
"Indeed / don't wonder at it, ass
you." Miss Ketchum responded, W
nervous energy. 81 am sure do
know what to make of him, and ne
did. He goes about the house as qule
as cat, walks IKE somnanlDullSt,
parently seeing nothing, and yet e'
emily knows everything that goes
even when 1 prefer that he shouldl
Sometimes, 1 think he goes to 81
while waiting at the table; and h
heard him in the china-closet talking
himself.
Talking to himself9"
"Talking to himself, actually 4
cook complains that he treats her v
the haughtiest contempt, and calls
other servants Blfnions.
'Dear me But he's from Lond
isn't hel and perhaps that is the E
lish way.
"Cook believes him to be nobleI
in disguise; but old Major Banks
he is either knave or fool, he cant
which. But we won't be troubled :
him much longer. Tomorrow his me-
is up, and I've given him warming.
So Miss Ketchum tripped away.
as lust then visitor called TO see