The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-07-01


going away to weep in secret over hav-
ing allowed her temper to overthrow
the result of weeks of patient forbear-
ance.
She had made no real progress in the
elder Mrs. Kennedy's affections, when
one sad day John came home with a
strange pain in his honest heart, kissed
Betty and little Nell, and, turning his
face to the wall, died. Then the poor
little stricken soul put back her mother
in-law, who would have taken her to
her heart, and said: "No, not now.
You made him unhappy through me,
and now that he is gone, who alone
made. this house endurable, l am going
home to my own people,"
As you like, Elizabeth" returned
the old lady, still clinging to her preju-
dice, all the stronger for having been
laid aside for moment. 81 always
believed your ways were too sweet to
be real"
So Betty packed her trunk and gath
cred up all the pretty tEifles with which
she had tried to relieve the heavy, Sc
we're aspect of the dull old rooms. If
Mrs Kennedy missed the dainty painted
serene from before the fireplace, or the
scarf that had draped the cold marble
of the mantel above, she made no sign,
and Betty said to herself, bitterly, that
had she left them they would probably
have found short way to the dust
heap. She stood dressed in her somber
widows garb waiting, with little Nell's
hand in hers, for the cab which was to
come to carry her away from a house
where for five long years she had done
her best to make herself beloved and
had ignominiously failed, when she saw a
messenger arrive with telegram, and
in a few minutes there smote upon her
ears sudden cry of horror and dismay
Forgetting her wrongs she flew up the
stairs into old Mrs. Kennedy's room to
find her sitting white and rigid on a
chair, to which the girls chung, too, as
if the news contained in the ominous
yellow envelope had deprived them of
strength and self-control.
Without more ado Betty picked up
the telegram and read its message of
ruin, utter and complete, to the three
women huddled together before her.
Then she quietly removed her bonnet
and gloves, and chatting the poor old
lady's icy hands got her to bed, set the
girls to work at making tea and bring
ing hot water for their mothers reviv-
ing.
Isn't we doin', muvver?" whis-
pered little Nell, catching her mother
as she ran past her with bowl of mus
tard in one hand and a decanter of
brandy in the other.
Ono, dear, never as long as she
needs and wants me, for she was my
Johns mother and perhaps this is the
way to her love-though, oh my dear
one, you are not here to rejoice with
me if find it," answered Betty, speak
ing more to herself, however, than to
the child.
The doctor said she saved the old
lady's life that night by her untiring
work with her. However that may be,
Mrs. Kennedy lived, though never
again was she her old imperious, die
tatorial self. They had nothing left of
the comfortable property which had
been theirs, even the old house went;
so they took a cottage near by, and
here was fought battle with the wolf
at the door. And whose hands were
they that barred him out? Betty's!
Who was it that made merry over pri-
walton and worry? Bettyl Who was
it that taught music, played the organ
and got salary for it, too; that reused
the girls from their apathetic sorrow
and persuaded them to remember old
housewifely accomplishments; that
carried off a dozen jars of their
pickles to the city, sold them at good
price and came back with orders for
more? Who was it that brought the
first smile back to the feeble old lady's
face by her sunshiny laugh and light
hearted jest? Betty, Betty; always
Betty!
And now that it was no longer pos
sible to carry those heavy, dull silks and
goods of the most substantial spinning
to Miss Woodhall to make up in iden-
tically the same way she had made them
ten years before, it was Betty's pleas
ure and pride to remodel the severe,
straight breadths into gracefully-drape
skirts and jaunty waists, and at last, as
a special triumph, she got Mrs. Ken
nedy's permission to rearrange the girls
hair, which made so wonderful an i'm
provement in their contours that when
| last heard of them Amanda was re-
ceiving the special and impressive at
tentiOns of the new minister in town,
and Jane had been called stunning
girl " by an eligible visitor. But Betty
lives for her Johns mother and Johns
child, and one night not long ago, as
she adjusted cushion under the white
head of the one, and reached out to
take up again little dress on which
she was sewing for the other, thin,
old hand caught her own in its feeble
clasp.
"My Betty" said Johns mother,
tenderly, best and sweetest of daugh-
tiers! love you!"-Willo Lloyd Jack
son, in Exchange.
The one condition of the Christian
churches doing their Christian work is