Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-05-16
NO. 20.

note .Innn
when one day, shortly after her school clos
ed her father was brought home with a
broken arm That settled the matter. The
dresses were not bought, the note was not
written, and the carpenters hammers re.
manned silent when the robins began TO sing
lsois's school money paid the rent and the
doctors Till, and bought food for herself and
father. She nursed her father till he was
about again, and then she took up her school
work and began anew. She went without
everything. She wore her poor little shoes
out at the toes in the winter she wrapped
her shawl round her little red fingers and
went without gloves She went psst the
Wild roses again. then the golden rod and
asters then the red maple boughs. then the
snow drifts, back and forth between her
home and the school house, with her pretty.
enduring, eager face, till spring came again
few weeks after her school closed, John
Elliot, coming home from the shop at dusk
one rainy Saturday night, met girl on the
covered bridge Just before he got ~ his
home. She had been standing motionless at
the farther entrance till she had seen him
enter at the other then she had walked for
ward toward him rapidly She extended
her hand with something white in it, when
she reached him.
Mr. Elliot" said she, trembling. here's
a note for you, if you'll please read 1t when
| you get home"
Then he saw it was Lois.
How do you do ?" said he, stiffly. and
took the note and went on
When he got home he opened it and read
It, holding it under the light on the kitchen
shelf, when his mother was out of the room.
1t did not take long to read it 1t was only
DEAR JoHN:-Will you please come over
to my house a little while tO morrow night
want to see you about something. Ions"
He folded the note then, put it in his pock-
ct, and asked his mother if supper was ready
The next evening he was so long about
getting ready for meeting, and brushed his
coat and blacked his boots so punctiliously,
that his mother noticed il and wondered.
Was he going to see Lois Arms But be did
not go. He only went to meeting and
straight home afterwsrd
If he had only known how Lois was watch.
ing for him, though then it is doubtful if he
could have gone at once The limitations
OF his convictions would always he stronger
than his own inclination with him. Ho
could not slacken his own tight rein over
himself very easily at his own command
He had made up his mind never to go near
LOIS again. and he could not break his resolve.
lie tried, though Many an evening in the
following weeks he dressed himself in his
Sunday suit, and even started to 20 to see
Lois. but he never went.
Meanwhile it was too much for Lois 1t
began TO be whispered about the neighbor-
hood that Lois Arms was very poorly-she
was going into decline Johu had heard
nothing of it, however not till his mother
told him one evening about the first of June.
john, said she-they were sitting at the
tea table-"Im going to tell you, for think
you d ought to know it. I've been over to see
Lois Arms this afternoon. heard she want
well, an | thought I'd ought to an think
she's goin' the way your sister Mary did
John sat perfectly still, staring at his
mother
She looks awfully. She was layin' on
the settee in the sittin' room when went in.
She was all alone An that amt all. John:
| know she's frettin' over you. | sat down
there side of her, you know, an she looked
at me so kind Of wishful cant help erwin
now when think of it
You amt feeling very well, Loisi" saysI.
No says she, and tried to smile But
she couldn't she bust right out cryin'. How
she did cry She sobhed an sobbed till
thought she'd kill herself She shook all
over, and there amt anything to her
put my face down close to her
What's the matter, you poor child Z
says 1.
'''Oh, Mis- Elliot : says she, and she put
up her poor little thin arms round NV neck
an cried harder
Lois, says |, is it anything about JohnP
oh, says she, oh, Mis- Elliot again.
Do you want to see him = says |.
She didn't say anything, only Jest held
Inc tighter and cried harder but knew
AS wells | wanted to. wish you'd 20 over
there, John; think you'd ought to. It's ac-
cordin to what you profess. I'll own |
want quite pleased with the idea of it at
first; but she's a real good girl. an she's
seemed real smart lately bout teaching
school. An she did make me think so much
of your sister Mary, the way she looked.
Mary didn't hev anything of that kind on
her mind, poor child, I'm thankful to say:
but she looked jest like her declare
can't bear to think of it."
Mrs. Elliot broke down and cried John
said nothing, but rose and went away from
the table, leaving his supper untasted Even
then he could not bring himself to go and
see Lois that night he had to wait till the
next, but he went then
1t was hardly dark. Lois was living on
the settee in the sitting room when he vent
in without knocking.
Lois ~
"Oh, John ~
How do you do to night, Lois didn't
know you were sick till mother told me last
night
I'm better. Oh, John -
He pulled a chair up beside her then, and
sat down. See here, Lois, read your
note you gave me, you know butt couldn't
bring myself to come, after all that had
happened, to tell the truth. I'm sorry
enough couldn't, now"
Its all right, John never mind
Now, Lois, what has all the trouble been
about :"
What trouble :"
THE whole of it from the first. What
made you do the way you did an put off
gettin' married p
Don't make me tell you, John"
Yes, I'm going to make you. know
you're sick, an it seems cruel to bother YOU;
but it's the only way. 1t amt in me To 20
an pretend everythings all right when it
amt. | can do everything else for You hut
that, an | cant do that if it's to save your
life. You've got to be open with me now
an tell me-
John, if lido, will you promise me, solemn,
that you won't ever tell anybody else -
Yes I'll promise"
'Well, thought it wasn't doing right hy
you if got married that fall didn't have
anything, hardly, not one silk dress, and
couldn't do anything toward furnishing the
house. | thought if should earn some
money it would make it easier for you. /
didn't want to begin to be burden to you
right off, John"
'But-Why, don't know what to make
of you, Lois. What put such "a thing into
xotr haad al Of a o,,I,la,, q
81 ought to have thought of it before"
why didn't you tell me ~
Il couldn't. You would't have let me
done itn
Lois, | never saw girl like you. Here
you've been working hard these two wears,
an most killing yourself, an never let
ting me know, an me not knowing what TO
think
John, I've got beautiful black silk
dress, and a blue one, and lots of other
things Then I've got more'n a hundred
dollars saved TO buy furniture"
What do you think | care about the
dresses and the furniture | wish they
were in Gibraltar :"
Don't scold me, John"
'Scold you There | guess | won't.
Poor Lois poor girl You meant all right,
but it was all wrong You've most killed
yourself, But itl be all right now Shall
| set the carpenters TO work tomorrow,
darlin' Z"
"Oh, John /"
"l'll speak to em bright aud early, an
you must hurry an get we'll You worryin'
about being burden Oh, my Lord Lois,
I'll never get over it, You silly, blessed lit
tie girl There's your father coming"
The next morning Lois did not wake very
early, she had slept so soundly but she did
when she heard, incredulously at first, then
In rapture Of conviction, the carpenters
hammers The robins were singing. too.
Then her father called up the stairs
Lois Lois Johns begun work ON the