Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-04-25

| RThNeleu Walk leu Gown TO the gate.
Along the fence was a row of lilac bushes
People always said that Mrs Pond hadn't
anything to complain of about her house.
and she thought so herself 1t gave her
| pleasure to look back at it now, thinking of
old Eunice and the poor house. What a
comfortable feeling it gave one TO have a
settled home
Ms. Hall lived in a brown frame house
nearly mile away. There was a large
| yard in front, and two children were rae
| ing around in the snow. When they saw
Mrs. Pond coming they ran to the gate and
climbed up on it. One was a stout, rosy
checked boy about ten years old the other
a little girl, whose perpetual smile and va
can't eyes told their own story to all who
looked at her. Both children got down
| from the gate when Mrs. Pond stopped be-
| fore it.
MAS in the Kitchen" said the boy.
"You can go round that way" pointing to
a brick walk leading around the side of the
house.
A thin, delicate looking girl of about
thirteen years of age opened the kitchen
door in answer to Mrs Ponds knock Mrs.
Hall was sitting in a chair by the fire, rock
ing child which had Just fallen asleep
| There were traces of tears on his chubby
cheeks, and a sob escaped his lips at regu
| lar intervals
"What child is that p asked Mrs. Pond,
taking the chair the little girl brought'for-
ward for her.
"It's little Benny Price his mother died
yesterday answered Mrs. Hall
You mean the woman who went out
sewing at Long Centre :"
! "Nes
'You haven't taken him, hope -
Yes, | have"
Not 10 raise ~
Yes"
ELIZA Hall !"
There wasn't any one else to take him.
| They were goin' to send him to the poor
house. Think of it Such a pretty little
fellow, too. Mrs. Price didn't have any re-
lations except an aunt over in West Pen
field, an she's an old maid N can't endure
children. She said out N out she wouldn't
take the child. So | Just picked him up
this morning and brought him right over
here"
"As if you didn't have enough Already"
'Oh, he won't be in the way he can
play round with Ned and Sissy. It's about
as easy to take care of half dozen chill
dren as one"
That's what you said when you took
Lizzie and Sissy"
'Oh, Lzzie's a real help"-wth an af-
fectionate look at the girl, who was wash
ing some pans at the sink. II couldn't get
along without her now. And Ned couldn't
get along without Sissy. He can't bear her
out of his sight, n he's as fond of her as if
she was really his own sister"
"Well, there's Jake, too"
Mrs Hall laughed She had thin, sal
low face which had never been pretty but
when she laughed she showed set of per
feet teeth
Mr. Hall would be just lost if he didn't
have Jake" she said. He says Jake be-
longs to him. He's got so big now we
don't have to hire a man at all. Jake's
just the best boy, too"
"And you really mean ter keep this childi"
"Of course do. Why, l love him al
ready. It's because he's so little and help
less, guess"
He'll cost you a sight. Boys are awful
hard on clothes"
"Oh, we'll manage to fix him up some
how. | amt goin to worry none about
that" and Mrs. Hall bent to kiss the flushed
face on her breast.
"What does Mr.. Hall say :"
About takin' Benny Oh, he's willing.
He's as fond of children as l am. He said
it was a shame to talk o. sendin' a child
like this to Howe's. I'm glad his mother
didn't hear any talk of it. She'd been Just
wild. But she was in a kind of stupor
from the first"
81 s'pose you couldn't show me about
that stitch for my bed spread this after
noon y
"Why, of course | could What's to
hinder Lizzie, you bring my work -bas-
ket out that top drawer in the table in the
west room. guess I'll lay Benny right
here on the lounge he's good for an hours
sleep yet, poor little soul ~
Mrs. Pond learned the stitch she wanted
in very few minutes, but it was not of
her crocheted bed-spread she was thinking
as she walked homeward half an hour later
1t was of something that lent brighter
look than usual to her still comely face.
1--WE finished that bureau scarf at last,
mother" said Emmeline, as her mother
came in I've sat right here by this win
dow ever since you've been gone"
To her surprise her mother made no re-
ply but, passing through the kitchen, went
up stairs. Emmeline heard her moving
around energetically in the room overhead
She seemed TO be pushing heavy pieces Of
furniture from one side of the room to the
other. She was up there nearly an hour
When she came down she had a little blue
curtain in one hand.
II wish you'd run a string in this top
hem Emmy" she said. you've got your
sewing things handy"
What you goin' to do with it =
Mrs. Pond did not answer, but went to
open the door for her husband who had a
harness in his arms.
did Emmy tell you about Aunt Eunice,
Joseph p she asked, as he came in.
"Yes, she was tellin' me-"
''If We 'ain't got nOthini AGAINST il | cal
c'lats ter give her that south chamber. 1t
amt no use to u.s. N Aunt Eunice would
be real handy to have round if ] want TO
go away for a spell next summer
Joseph Pond smiled and gave a side
glance at his daughter, Emmelne was
smiling, too.
"Do Jest as ye like, mother" he said.
"Well, then, Emmy, you put on your
things, n run down to Jenkins's m see il
Aunt Eunice is there. Bring her back
with ye.n
Emmeline ran quickly upstairs for her
hood and shawl. On her way back she
stopped in the south chamber 1t was very
plainly but comfortably furnished, and the
bed was made and a fire burned in the
open CRATE.
"Gracious I" said Emmeine, as she looked
around the room. Mother does beat all, II
She glanced out of the window in the low
er hall as she went by. A sudden light
/ sprang TO hereyes. There's Aunt Eunic'
now, goin' down the road, mother sh,
r said, running into the kitchen.
"You run after her. ."
= When the little old woman was ushereC
l in by the triumphant Emmeline few min
- utes later, Mrs. Pond took her upstairs a
once.
. 81 hope you'll like your room, Aunt Eu
I nice" she said, as she opened the door o
5 the south chamber.
Aunt Eunice looked around from tn
Q comfortable featherbe TO the bright fire
0 from the neatly curtained windows To tn
. goat skin rug before the bureau On tn
. bureau was the scarf she had seen Emme
5 line hemstitching.
She sat down in the rocker aud put he
d hand over her eyes. She didn't say a word
Mrs. Pond went out softly. On her wa!
she tripped over a bundle by the door. |
s contained all the old womans earthly pos
" sessions.
r "I'm glad enough asked her to come,
IS thought Mrs. Pond, as she closed the door
o Then she heard voice from the room
r Thank God Thank God :" aud the sound
of sthed sobbing.
Downstairs Emmeline was helping me-
!, father oil the harness 81 cant 'h'"A
r what's come over ma, she said 49,.
"Hush there she is, said her iaI"o' i''.
d Don't you ever ask her '-Hdi''fS "'-'''