The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-10-21
s elected Storm.
How Roger Won His Kingdom.

When little Roger Denton heard that
he was about to have new mother, he
felt that, at last, tie one great craving
of his life was 10 be appeased Up TO
this time, the name of mother was only
connected in his MUD with lofty
tombstone over at Mount Auburn; but
he could see for himself that, to most Of
boys with who m he played, it meant a
world of love aud comfort, 50, how,
since il was TO be az associated with so
beautiful young lady as the one who
was to be his fathers wife, he had no
doubt whatever but that lie, tt o, would
cone into like kingdom without dis
pute or difficulty. Since the new Mrs.
Denton really had quite strong capac-
might have gained his desire as he tx-
pected, had not circumstances been
against him from the beginning.
In the first place, on the day of the
new mothers homecoming, he made
mistake at the hour of arrival, and in
stead of being ready to meet her, ar
raytd in his best, went off on his bicy-
Gle, and, getting upset, came home
muddy, tattered and generally dis
reputable in appearance. Then, in
stead of stealing away for repairs, he
must needs forget all about himself
when ca ching sight of the new arrival,
and, plunging tumu uously forward to
greet her, stuck his muddy boot through
the skirt of her lace dress, tearing a
huge rent Therein by way of introduce
ton.
"Rogerl'' Numbered his father,
twill you ever be anything but a
clown? Take yourself off at once, sir.
We will dine without you, now"
Even then, boy with tact would
have retrieved bad situation by quietly
doing as he was told, but poor Roger
had no tact, and he had a hot temper,
which he at once proceeded to display
by rushing from the loom and up the
stairs in so unmistakable rage that
his step-mother felt her heart sinking
within her. At the same time he heard
her say, appealingly, to his father:
ooh, Stanley, what am L to do if
your boy is often like thisl"
In the days which followed, Roger
was very often I" like this" so, grad
ually, Mrs. Denton abandoned her ideas
concerning him, and tacitly acknowl-
edged defeat by having her refractory
step-son removed. Roger, with the
starving Leart which nobody seemed to
understand, was sent away to school,
and peace reigncd in the Denton house
hold. BY the time of his return he
had a little sister, the loveliest mite of
a baby his eyes had ever beheld, and
now-now, surely, he thought, a little
love would be poured into the cup
which he had he'd empty all the days
of his life But is awkwardness had
grown with his growth, and, though
free to the caresses of every one else,
barrier seemed to be erected around
baby Genevieve every time he came
near her.
Roger, Roger, you will brighten
her." was sounded in so many varying
notes by father, mother and nurse that,
quite seriously, the child looked in his
glass, wondering what manner of boy
he must be.
When Genevieve was in her second
summer, the doctor ordt red sea air,
and, accordingly, they went to lovely,
lonely village on the coast of Maine.
Roger went, too, though again, in the
interests of truth, l must say that Mrs.
Denton would have preferred him to
be anywhere else. She was by no
means the crude stepmother Of the
tory-book, but she had never over
come her first misapprehension of the
poor boy, and her real motherhood
still further. Roger went, cherishing
a hope that when his father would have
left them-when only she and he and
the baby were left together-he might
in some way gain the place so long
coveted. 1t was stalwart hope
enough, in spite of frequent disappoint-
ments; but, as one week followed
another, it did not get food enough to
nourish it into fulfllment. In fact, it
had begun to lose its hold on existence,
when, one day, Mrs. Denton happened
to say she was longing for some water
lilies, whereupon that poor little hope
again fiickered up.
"I'll get some for her." Roger whis-
pered tXultantly to himself. "I'm
dead sure of pleasing her this time,
anyway"
Like a veritable knight-errant, lie
started off, but the pond was some dis
lance away, and by the time he re-
turned, a wet fog had come up, and
Mrs. Denton, who had been chatting
on the piazza with some acquaintance,
was already damp and cold enough
without the huge armful of wet lilies
which her poor young knight threw
impetuously in her lap. Rising,
drenched and startled, she exclaimed:
Roger, this is downright impert-
nence! What do you mean by startling
me SO? Pick those lilies up at once"
With an angry scowl, he picked the
lilies up and flung them out in the
road, muttering:
"I'll drown myself or run away. No
body wants me. Papa always was too
busy to care for me, and this woman
hates me, 1 know"
But he was too good swimmer to
enjoy the thought of drowning, and
when it came to running away, he was
without an idea where he could fence !;
SO, in his blind rage, he went on and on,
until he discovered that he had simply
made circuit of the village, and was
aoain atandino at tho door ha had loft