St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-11-19
|HERMIA'S HOUSEKEEPING.
A Story Not Altogether without Point.


"But you see, Lena, it's something
that has got to be DONE" said Her
mia Vane. nodding her head.
Dr. Electus Vane-he had been
moldering in Holmesworthy church
yard six years, with the wild butter
cup and black berry vines running
: riot over his grave-had been a great
lover of Shakespeare and had called
the twin daughters Hernia and
Helena. They were odd names, and
of course required explanations for
1 almost everybody - explanations
that were sometimes little awk-
ward.
Helena was Economically inclined,
and gloried in her nomencla ture
! Hernia set her pearly teeth together
and wished she had been called Pru-
dence, Naomi or any other hum-drum,
everyday sort of an appella tive.
Upon this sunshiny afternoon Hell
ena Vane sat, with book in her
lap, upon the doorstep, making quite
unconsciously to herself a pictur-
esque little tableau under the even
ing shadow of the great maple, which
was just showering down the last of
it's crimson blossom banners to make
room for the cluster of tender young
leafage: orspring had moved slowly
up the HOlmesworthy way that sea-
son, and erything was late. Her
mia, with her sleeves rolled up, had
Just finished washing the dinner
dishes
"Some one must wash Dishes"
said Hernia, land Helena does so
hate kitchen drudoerV'
''I'll do 'em, DEAR" said old grand
mamma Jane, an apple-cheeked old
lady. run along to your sewing.
hate to see your pretty white hands
in the dish-water."
"You, indeed ?" cried Hernia
mot as long as l am here. Why,
what are young folks made for, if not
to wait on old people?"
Helena does not always reason
III So" said the old lady, little bit
terly.
"Oh, well, you see, Helena is in
tellectual and writes poetry. Now l
haven't the brains for that sort of
thing even if cared for (which 1
am sorry to say l don't, and SO it
should be in the dishwater."
VA
the dishes and arranged them in
neat order on the whitely-scoured
shelves, and had come out to have
a little domestic chat with Helena
Got to be done? of course it has
got to be donel' retorted Helena
impatiently, land why can't we hire
some one to do it ?"
Money reasons, Lena-money
81
Fl Vane. 1--WE can't afford it,
II "Oh, what degradation it is to be
Fl poorl" sighed Helena lifting her tur-
quoise blue eyes to heaven. Her
E mia, why in the name of Midas and
Il Croesus, and all those rich old heath
ems we read about, didn't some old
millionaire fall in love with us when
4 we visited Alice Cope last winter in
Fl Philadelphia ? Girls in novels never
ii go anywhere without picking up at
# least half a dozen beaux."
Il "But we are not girls in novels"
81 laughed Hernia.
Il There was Mark Hazeltine-you
remember him, Hermy ?-that young
man with the splendid dusky eyes
a and white teeth.
Il remember" said Hernia, blush
ing little IN spite of herself
# Il know he fancied one Of us, or
both. Just think how often he used
u to come to Alices. If we could only
81 have remained little while longer I
feel certain he would have become a
81 foregone conclusion. And only
Y think
What nonsense all this is" i'm
r patiently cried Hernia. And what
81 on earth has it to do with our spring
8 house cleaning? There are all the
lower rooms to be re-papered, and"
And who is to do all this hard
house-maidy sort of work ?" demand
ed Miss Vane, with shudder
I'VE, of course. Helena, since we
can't afford to have it DONE
Il shan't touch it ~
Then l must" said Hernia, with
the cool independence which was a
part of her nature; with what help
grandmamma can give me-
Hernia, have you sunk so low as
to be a mere household drudge?" Sc
verely demanded Helena
II haven't sunk sufficiently low"
Hernia laughingly retorted, Ito lie
in the dirt, as long as l am physical
ly able to purify my surroundings"
A golden mid-April day! The vio-
lets making blue carpet along the
sunny side of the orchard wall; the
primroses writing their hieroglyphics
adown the course of the gurgling
stream; and Helena Vane was prac-
ticing new song, with her blue-rib-
boned guitar, in the parlor, while
Hernia, in the shed at the foot of the
garden, was mixing prodigious
pail of whitewash, and singing at
her work as merrily as if the lime had
been balls of embroidery floss, and
her bristly brush dainty needle,
weaving itself in and out of silken