The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-05-01

II some 1un out OF the unSusplclOuS cOuntr'
II II girl.
= "Ahem! lately arrived, believe sale
x Fitz-Henry.
q q "Yes, sir, | came yesterday, answered
Il Lucy very simply.
Eyerything's very green up there il
= This witticism was followed by such
: giggle, that Lucy, casting her eve
: quickly around on the group, knew, from
the expression on the faces about her. tha
the fop at her side was trying to make
butt of her for the amusement of the by
: ISLANDERS:
= = "Oh, yes,n replied Lucy, 1--WE have
: green things there, but / have seef
:, greener ones already since | came to the
y city"
. mol dew tell" said the unsuspiciou.
:. dandy, initiating Lucy's tone of voice
:, 'hOw's wheat nOw?n
/; ''Well, wheat's poor" said Lucy, ap.
parenhy with much interest.
n La! is it now, what a pity! what's
the matter of it?''
''Why, it all runs to beard this year,
; : and when this is the case there is little
, or no head and if there is, it hasn't any
! thing in it.n
: The young fop fidgeted, turned red,
and tapped his little boot with his cane,
: and laughed silly laugh, as if he did
, not know just what to make of the girl,
and then said:
Now, | suppose you mean to grace
, the theatre and opera with your presence,
don't yOu?'
No, said Lucy, she thought not.
la! now why not but perhaps your
ma doesn't approve of your going to
such places"
my parents did say they thought l
had better not have my mind distracted
by such amusements, especially while at
school"
"Well, it is bad for the mind; | found
it SO, and my pa had to prohibit my go
ing to such places at all"
"Ahl" answered Lucy, 81 should have
thought that you were perfectly safe
from any danger of that kind; did you
every attend menagerie?"
mo, my pa wont t.let me go there, he
keeps me very close"
"Oh, now shouldn't think that would
hurt you. We had q very fine one
through our place this fall, and / was
perfectly delighted with it,
mo, dew tell now what did you see?"
asked the dandy.
'Why, saw babOon dressed up like
a man. regular fop, you know, and
really, she said, screwing up her eyes,
and looking at Mr. Meredith Fitz-Henry
from head to foot, really, the likeness
was so perfect that should hardly have
been able to tell which was which; it
was really perfect, dress, cane, eye-glass
and all; but | never imagined that one
of the first exhibitions should see on
my arrival in New York City would be
that of a man endeavoring to see how
much he could look and act like ba-
boom
The room now fairly rang with shouts
and screams of laughter, and as soon as
he could be heard, Herbert Ferguson,
who had enjoyed the whole thing might
ily called out:
Now Fitz Henry, you had better beat
a retreat as soon as possible, for you are
only getting deeper into trouble" And
the disconnected young cOXcOmb, who
had just begun to perceive that he was
caught i'll his own trap, muttered some
thing about another engagement and
sneaked off, all that could be seen of his
face being of the deepest crimson. From
then the Vermont cousin was quite safe
from his attacks; indeed he seemed so
thoroughly uneasy in her presence, that
if she ever came on the same side of the
room, winch she sometimes did on pur-
pose to tease him, he always found some
excuse for changing his seat.
. why, Lucy. you were rather hard on
that poor young man tonight said Mr..
Acton after the company had retired;
land it must have come the harder be-
cause he is accustomed to nothing but
adulatiOn from our wise young ladies' -
| oil 4 10 1,n
brought it upon himself; it is very un-
pleasant to me to hurt the feelings ofany
one, and | was perfectly civil to that
young man, though it was something of
a self-denial to talk to such poor Great
ure, till found that it was his aim to
hold me up to ridicule as an unsophisti-
Gated country girl. | thought it was only
fair to turn his own weapons against
him."
81 think so too, Lucy, .and | rather
think it is the last time any one here will
attempt to quiz you"
Helen Acton and Lucy Holmes began
school together the next term at one of
the best schools in the city, and it was
not long before those who had Lucy's
education under their care became CON
vinced that in the Vermont young lady
they had no ordinary mind to deal with.
She came readily to acquire knowledge,
| girls in the classes with her looked upon
| their school life as a sort of ordeal
| through which it was necessary to pass
before they could come out as young la
dies; and spent their time in novel read
| ing, trusting to chance or cheating for
the manner in which they should acquit
| themselves in the class
Lucy applied herself intensely, and
soon out-stripped all her classes; her
compositions, in particular, were re-
garded as masterpieces, and in short,
Lucy was the pride of the school.
During the two years of her life in
New York her manners, too, had ac-
quired polish only given by association
with people of refinement, and even
Julia was proud to introduce cher cousin
Miss Holiness"
During the two years that Lucy made
her home at her uncle's, Herbert Fergur-
son continued to be constant visitor
there, and Julia often wondered that he
made no declaration.
And throughout those two years, Ar
thur Holmes, who had entered the
junior class at Yale, ranked as high in
his class as she did in hers. At the end
I of two years he graduated with the
fered distinguished professorship in
another college.
Helen and Lucy had graduated too, the
latter taking the highest prizes, and
Helen coming only second to her; and
the next day Lucy was to depart to her
| Vermont home, when quite early in the
morning, ut least early for visitors, in
looking from the windaw Julia saw Her
bert Ferguson ascending the steps.
Strange" said she, "he never calls so
early, and oh dear! | am not dressed; he
must have come for something special"
And in flutter of excitement Julia be-
gan TO arrange her hair. But her hair
was arranged and her toilet completed, |
and no messenger had come to summon
her to the parlOr.
Pulling the bell she called to Thomas
and asked if Mr.. Ferguson had called.
Eyes, Miss"
And why did you not call me? How
can you be so stupid?'
Because, Miss, he asked for Miss
Lucy"
Strange! unaccountable!" exclaimed |
Julia; 'what can he want with Lucy?' |
Presently her young brother Harry |
CAME rushing up stairs, having just re |
turned from school. go,
Just my luckl' he exclaimed, ''al-
ways laundering where / amt wanted! |
| burst IN through the library and there
sat Mr.. Ferguson on the sofa with his |
arm around Cousin Lucyr' ~ III.
Julia had more reason than ever now
to exclaim, ''strange, unaccOuntablel''
than ever-Arthur came for his sister,
and Herbert Ferguson too, accompanied
them home.
"Isn't it odd, Juliag' said Helen one
day, few months later '.Y0u were so
afraid 10 have Lucy come here lest she
MIGHT driva Harl,aft Eoro,,rg,,, a,,-a,,