The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-12-04
A STORY NOT ALTOGETHER WITHOUT


Il
POINT.
"But you see, Lena, it's something
that has got to be DONE" said: Hernia
Vane, nodding her head.
DIR. Electus Vane-he had been mould
ering in Holmesworthy churchyard six
years, with the wild buttercup and black
berry vines running riot over his grave
had been a great lover of Shakespeare
and had called the twin daughters Her
mia and Helena. They were odd names,
and of course required explanations for
almost everybody - explanations that
were sometimes little awkward.
Helena was Economically inclined, and
gioried in her nomenclature. Hernia
set her pearly teeth together and wished
she had been called Prudence, Naomi or
my other hum-drum, everyday sort of
an appellative.
Upon this sunshiny afternoon Helena
Vane sat, with book in her lap, upon
che doorstep, making quite unconscious
Iy to herself picturesque little tableau
under the evening shadow of the great
maple, which was just showering down
the last of its crimson blossom banners
co make room for the cluster of tender
young LEAKAGE; for spring had moved
slowly up the Holmesworthy way that
season, and everything 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 kitch-
en- drudgery."
''rll do 'em, DEAR" said old grand
mamma Jane, and apple-cheeked old
lady. "Run along to your sewing. 1
hate to see your pretty white hands in
the dishwater."
''You, indeed?" cried Hernia. mot
as long as 1 am here. Why, what are
young folks made for, if not to wait on
old peeple?"
''Helena does not always reason so"
said the old lady, a little bitterly.
"Oh, well, you see, Helena is intellect
gal and writes poetry. Now l haven't
the brains for that sort of thing even if 1
cared for (which am sorry to say 1
don't, and so it stands to reason, you see,
that should be in the dish-water."
Accordingly, Hernia had washed the
dishes and arranged them in a neat Or
der on the whitely-scoured shelves, and
had come out to have little domestic
chat with Helena.
SCOT to be done? of course it has got
to be done!" retorted Helena inpatient
ly, land why can't we hire some one to
do it?" d,
Money reasons, Lena-money rea-
sons" sagely answered Hernia Vane.
''We can't afford it,"
"Oh, what degradation it is to be
poor!" sighed Helena lifting her tur-
quoise blue eyes to heaven. ;;'He mia,
why in the name of Midas and Croesus,
and all those rich old heathens we read
about, didn't some old millionaire fall in
love with us when we visited Alice Cope
last winter in Philadelphia? Girls in
novels never go anywhere without pick
ing up at least half dozen beaux"
"But we are not girls in novels, !"
laughed Hernia.
"There was Mark Hazeltine-you re-
member him, Hermy?-that young man
with the splendid dusky eyes and white
teeth.
81 remember" said Hernia, blushing
n little in spite of herself.
Il know he fancied one of us, or both
Just think how often he used to come to
Alice's. If we could only have remained
little longer 1 feel certain he would
have become a foregone conclusion. And
only think"
"What nonsense all this isl" impa-
tiently cried Hernia. And what on
earth has it to do with our spring house
cleaning? There are all the lower rooms
to be re-papered, and"
"And who is to do all this house
maidy sort of work?" demanded Miss
'Yane, with shudder.
''We, of course, Helena, since we can't
afford to have it DONE"
81 shan't touch it."
"Then must" said Hernia, with the
cool independence which was a part of
her nature; with what help grandmam-
ma can give me.'
Hernia, have you sunk so low as to
be mere household drudgeP" severely
demanded Helena.
81 haven't sunk sufficiently low" Her
mia laughingly retorted; ito lie in the
dit, as long as am physically able to
purify my surroundings"
n
A golden mid-April day The violets
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 was practicing a new song, with
her blue ribboned guitar, in the parlor,
while Hernia, in the shed at the foot of
the garden, was mixing a 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 canvass.
She was dressed appropriately to her
work, this enterprising young damsel,
with crash apron tied around her trim
waist. and an impromDtu Normandv can