The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1891-05-22

in thu world it is Mrs. Bunny. Hbt l.
oh, yes / do, l do know you; You gre lit
tie Miss Eugene. No longer lie, oh,
9 dear me, by no means. Ho, I'll you
have gwown and how handsom cfihis is
!. WEAKLY delightful. You were Bnly ten
when l saw you; You must y twenty
} now"
"Just twenty" said Eugeniks
Sand an past thiwty," si Maisie.
81 am never ashamed of my aA4. l have
gweat good sense. I am pwyfid of that.
Oh; do you wemember Fous4b'of July
! "And you," said Eugene.
cit is easy to wemember me-" laughed
Maisie, 81 am SO vewy small SC pecul-
iarly small. I know I am not handsome
with my fguah. but if one cannot be
beautiful one can be sensible and show
taste in dwess. That I have, | am aware,
remarkable taste in dwess, and l make
all my things myself"
els it possibley' said Eugene, in order
to say something.
"You are SURPRISED, but no one can
believe it. My bonnets stwike strangers
as imported" said Maisie, waving her
hand toward her miraculous head gear.
"And you are not mawied YETI"
Eugene shook her head.
"You have years before you and hosts
of admiwas, no doubt" said Maisie;
'fbut l thought l should be a spinstwa
befowa my sweetheart was introduced
to me-"
"Ah!" cried Eugene, $50 you con-
fess you have a sweetheart"
eyes, indeed; 1 am pwoud of him."
said Maisie. ''Oh, 1 have been vewy
fawtunate. l am living with Mrs. Bun
ny. She has adopted me as a daughtaw,
and nowI have everything l can dweam
of, and also my handsome Woy. You
must come and see Mrs. Bunny-it is
the same old house.
"See, it is cleawing off just as wapid-
ly as it clouded over. Come, Miss Eu-
genie, I cannot take no, or anothaw
time" Eugene had uttered an excuse.
"Now, or Mrs. Bunny nevah will forgive
me-"
And she seized Eugene by the arm
and hurried her away.
Before she knew it the young must
clan was ascending the steps of the house
in Bond street, had entered the great
drawing room and saw Mrs. Bunny rise
and come forward as she had on that
Fourth of July ten years ago., Mrs.
Bunny not one whit altered.
"It is Miss Eugenie!' said Maisie.
Mamma Bunny, think of that. 1 was
blown into her arms. She saved my
life. Is it not lovely? 1 am going to
make myself tidy. You will have a
thousand things to say"
"Miss Eugenie!" cried Mrs. Bunny.
cart alive! I'm as pleased as Punch!
Come kiss me, love, and tell me w'erever
you've been this long while. 'Ow tall
you are. You were a lovely little girl,
and you've grown a very fine woman, a
very fine woman indeed"
Eugene said a few words in explana-
ton of her long absence from New York,
and was r~eioiced to find Mrs. Bunny SC
friendly.
Who does not like to be pleasantly re-
membered?
sYou must stAy and ave a cup Of tea.
Mr.. Bunny will be in fer is at s o'cIock,'
said Mrs. s.IEsre's the kettle,
yOu 6CC, AAu way "ANA lOu llCCu ~
your cold walk. You see we stick to
the old house. We like, it and we've nc
young people to worry about being fash
iOnable, That is, we've no daughters
and no sons, but as Maisie told you that
we've taken 'er in place of a daughter OF
our own. You see I'm fond of Maisie,
and she's sewed and embroidered for me
for years, and she's so lively she lights
up a 'ouse, and such a tasty little body
and one day l said to Mr. Bunny. There's
Maisie never 'ad a 'ome or parents tC
know them, for she was left in a basket
at an 'ospital door, and she's a comfort
to me, and why not make a daughter
of 'er?'
"'Just as You like, e said, so l sent
for 'er."
"You are always so good, Mrs. Bunny
said Eugene.
81 enjoy 'aving 'er," said Mrs. Bunny.
''She's just like a daughter, n does
everything one would do. Since she
came I'm a deal more fashionable as to
caps Perhaps you've noticed this one:'
And she arose and turned around, dis
playing a structure of black lace and
IN W Httll SIt WV bcNo LII -
curled false front. And I've II with
peoples and white net, and one for spring, 81,
with buttercups and daisies and real
Valenciennes. In fact I've six beauties,
and l used to think two at a time plenty, F.,
but Maisie is all for fixing me up, daugh-
terlike, and Mr.. Bunny admires them, /,
so why not? You'll be surprised that
Maisie is likely to be married. Oh. don't !
say no. Truth is truth. Poor Maisie is !
thirty and over, and with 'er figure, poor =
thing, time tells, but she's very Apply" !
Then Mrs. Bunny nodded knowingly, !,
looked over her shoulder and lowered
her voice. ,
"Maisie," she whispered, "'as a very !
'andsome sweetheart, plain as she is. ,
and it's our dom, Mr.. Bunny's and 9
mine. Mr.. Bunny. to be sure. would !
never ave thought of it admit l put it v
into is ed, but after that e was with +
me, art and soul. And I'm proud of it, n
for though it's easy enough to marry of u
\ pretty girl. it's no light task to settle a l.
woman with a figure like Maisie's. Eve 7
lone "A mothers part by Ma. lie, the poor T
girl 'aving none of 'er own to clip 'er." h
Il should think any one would like
Eugene said. i,
s'Oh, like. of course" said Mrs. Bun y
~. ''But a sweetheart is a different 9
tory. They're greatly taken by beauty, p
men are, and of that Maisie as none, of =
course; but I'll tell you the way of it. :.