Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-12-18

yes, twill, - said Imogen, shortly. She
swallowed hard and would not cry when
she was alone in her chamber She looked
at her handsome face in her glass when she
was brushing her hair, with a sarcastic and
triumphant smile, as if she were defying
Isaac Bryce in her own self
A week from that day her great-aunt
Susan Parks came-an old woman with a
withered prettiness and dim sweetness like
an old flower about her, stepping waveringly
out of the wagon at the door, and returning
her relatives greetings with a timorous
stateliness like a child.
Susan Parks had never married, and had
lived alone the greater part of her life.
Solitude fosters the growth of the individ-
ual will, and also, in some cases. weakens
it from sheer lack of exercise and opposi-
ton.
Poor Susan Parks coming into association
with other people was quite helpless The
smallest suggestion from them rocked her
that way like a strong current. She arose
when they babe her. lay down when they
babe her, and ate what they babe her
They were fond of her in their own way
and were, moreover, actuated by a certain
forcible hospitality They looked out siren
uously for her comfort according to their
own wisdom and their own devices The
old woman had never in her old life lain
down in the day time, nor slept except at
night. Now every afternoon she was CON
Quoted into her bedroom, and made 10 take
off her cap and lie down for two hours on
the feather-bed covered carefully with a
best quilt. She lay there staring mutey at
the patterns of the calico blocks and the
flowers on the wallpaper. She could not
sleep to order, although she had guilty
feeling about it But this break in her
regular habits Of life produced still another;
she could not sleep much at night, and had
te lie many an hour wide awake in the
strange darkness of her bedroom She had
all her life had a certain childish fear of
the dark, aud especially in a strange place
Her old heart beat like a scared babv's in
her withered side, and she lay listening
Her life had been so even and so monoto
nous that she had no vital memories TO dis
tract her at such a time /; she was all in the
present and alive TO all its possibilities for
a feeble old woman all alone in spare
bedroom in a strange house.
Susan had always been in a gentle mac
tive way, a very busy woman. Her thin
old hands we're never still Now both Syl-
via and Mrs. Evarts took her knitting work
from her at times, aud condemned her 10
sit idle, for fear such constant industry
would make her ill., She submitted TO that as
she submitted 10 everything, with timid do
cility. The question during her whole life,
with Susan Parks and more especially as
she grew older, had been not her willing
ness to obey, but her ability. She was quite
willing TO be dealt with as her jealous rea-
tives chose, but she could not sleep at their
order and in one other case she was at
loss-she could not be on both sides of the
cottage at the same time, and she had a be-
widered feeling that that was demanded of
her.
No sooner was poor Susan Parks seated
in the rocking chair at one sitting room
stove than there would come a knock on
the division wall That signified that she
was expected to go in the other side.
"Well, / s'pose you'll have to 90, or she'll
be mad" either Sylvia or Mrs Evarts
would say of each other. And the gentle
old woman would lift her black draperies
TO her ankles, and trail weakly down and
up the cellar stairs Her old knees became
leaner and weaker but she never complain
ed. She never knew in which side of the
house her next meal was to be- nor in
which she was to sleep. She was as sub
ject to that imperative knock on the wall
as any slave in an Eastern tale. Many a
time when a meal was all prepared in the
side where she was sojourning, and the
aroma of some favorite dish was pleasing
her old nostrls, and she gently antcpat-
ing some little grateful SAVIOR that material
life still held for her, there would come
that knock on the wall "She wants you
to come in there to dinner, Aunt Susan, an
spose you'll have TO go, her hostess would
say, wrathfully. These sisters-in-law had a
curious fear of and respect for each other;
both submitted, however Indignantly. The