St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-04-14

kind and sympat hetic that before
she hardly knew it the whole story
of her desire and her disappointment
came out.
yA"Humpi hump humphl Too bad,
while he slipped his Cruel in great
spoonfuls. And when the bowl was
empty he said: Il wish you'd write
note to Miss Amanda Barlow and
ask her to come over and have a
game of cribbage with me-"
Now Miss Amanda Barlow was
one of the aristocratic spinsters of
the town, but she and Uncle Joshua
had been old friends and schoolmates,
and odd and old-fashioned as he was,
she loved him like a brother. Ac-
cordinglv she answered the letter in
person, and the cribbage cards were
forthcoming but Imagine the game
wasn't very spirited one, for the
old couple seemed to be talking very
earnestly about something else, and
before she went home, Miss Amanda
called Dolly one side and said in
low tone;
so you want to go to the party,
do you, my dear? Well, both your
uncle and myself would like to have
you go, for it is going to be very
fine affair. As for your old muslin
dress, Just let me take it home with
me. Perhaps l may be able to fix it
up with some lace and ribbon. Don't
mention this to any one. Well sur
prise Mrs. Dart and her daughters.
Dolly knew how to make other
nice dishes for the sick, and now,
that the rest Of the family had let
him fall into her hands, Uncle Joshua
Jared sumptuously.
II should think you'd trot your
feet off, said Blanche, commiserat
ingly, while Mrs. Dart added with a
sigh of relief:
well, its a mercy some one suits
the old man! don't know what
we would do if we had to wait on
him now that we are so busy getting
ready for the party.
The evening for the last mentioned
event came. Mrs. Dart and her
daughters drove off in state of high
satisfaction, and hardly had the
sound of their hired hack died away,
before Miss Amanda S private car
riage dashed up the road-"For all
the world like a fairy godmother's
pumpkin COACH" as Dolly afterwards
expressed it. Miss Amanda herself
alighted from the carriage, stately in
her black velvet and diamonds, and
bearing large package in her hands.
1t contained, not the f1imsy muslin
(Which she had taken merely as a
ruse to get Dolly's measure), but in
stead, an elaborate gown of white
silk, brocaded with tiny pink and
silver roses. A pair of dainty satin
slippers, huge fan of rosy ostrich
plumes; necklace of pink coral set
in silver filigree work and a big
bouquet of fragrant roses completed
the outfit.
For mel" Dolly gasped
"For you'll" said Uncle Joshua, who
had hobbled to the door on his
crutch, and stood peering in with
a kindly smile on all this hnery.
That's to pay for the nice bowl of
cruel you made me! And now I'll
go back to my room, and do you get
all this toggery on as soon as you
can"
Of the great sensation she made,
of the surprise and discontinue OF
Mrs. Dart and her daughters-of the
glee and grace with which Dolly
danced-of the complete conquest
she made of everybody-why, you'll
have to ask Miss Amanda. And
when Uncle Joshua heard about it,
he nodded his gray head in satisfac-
ton saying:
That's right! that's right! She
deserves the best. intend that she
shall have all I've got~-and its more
than most folks think it is too! She
ought to have some reward Ia girl
that can cook for sick people as she
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