Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1892-02-25
A SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY.
Rochester Sunday Herald. ]

SKI TENTH Blk HOAY.
Rochester Sunday Herald.l
CT I was a beautiful June day and Bes-
sizes sixteenth MISREPRESENTATION
under which girls are generally (ac-
cordingly to their vernacular) s'per-
fectly happy" And our little coun-
"A try lass was no exception to the
rule-but, nevertheless
"standing with reluctant feet
Where the brook and river meet"
pondered seriously upon the cares and
duties of her newly acquired young
womanhood.
Elizabeth or Bessie, as she was COM
monty called, was the daughter of a
fairly well-to-do farmer, a Mr.. Angel.
residing near a little village on the shore
of Lake Ontario. Their house was her
great-grandfather's old homestead and
consisted of some IL or Is rooms, all low,
and many small, arranged in such way
that person not well acquainted with
the dwelling could seemingly get lost in
it. The cottage was situated on slight
knoll overlooking the lake and surround
ed by beautiful trees, some of which had
reached the advanced age of so years.
Upon the eventful morning referred to,
Bessie arose early and at once went to
the open window to take deep breath
of the odorous air and look at the
slightly ruffied lake, shining blue from
horizon to shore. A rose had clambered
to the ledge, for the cottage was low,
and had opened in all its dewy freshness
that especial morning, '.just because
twas her birthday" SO Bessie thought,
as she quietly knelt down with her hands
clasped over it to ask her Heavenly
Father to make this coming year the
best and fullest she had ever lived.
Elizabeth was the only girl and the
eldest of six children, so she had always
had many household duties and cares
She was pretty and modest, with large,
grey eyes and wavy light-brown hair,
just long enough to lie in soft ringlets
on her shoulders. Always she hal as
pired to be a woman proficient at least
in some one thing, a person to be looked
up to and loved. A fine singer, must
clan, artist, teacher, writer, aye, an old
maid, so long as she could perform the
duties of that indispensable parsonage
in way to make all love her with the
deepest affection. And she had about
decided this last fate would be hers, for
her voice was too soft and low ever to
enabl9 her to sing anything but lula
bies; her father too poor to purchase
being an artist, inasmuch as her trees
always turned out to be very good rep
reservations of brooms and her houses
looked as if the least stirring of the
paper on which they were drawn would
make them collapse, she long ago hat
decided that was not her forte. She
was quite respondent of ever being
able to teach, as her father had Otter
declared that no daughter of his shoult
ever enter college, as he was an un
believer in woman's knowing mucl
except how to keep house and tent
children. Nevertheless she had deter
mined deep down in her heart sh
would have higher education if eve
she saw her way clear to obtain it, bu
as yet twas an impossibility.
All that sunny June day Bessie spen
in sweeping and busting, for it wa
Friday, washing dishes and securing
knives, keeping small brothers out
the lake and big brothers appettes ap
peased, and at last when supper-tim
came she was a pretty tired little mis-
although very happy, for her mothe
had said she was a good girl and he
eldest brother had promised to was
the supper dishes for her, $50 she coul
have good, long look at her believe
sunset seeing twas her sixteenth britt
day." Sunsets were one of Bessie
hobbies for she was very imaginativ
person and always saw in them palaces
forests, beautiful men and womer
around which she wove stories of mos
romantic nature.
Accordingly when the evening mel
was finished she hastily threw over HI
head a pretty white fascinator, one of h
few treasures, and took a large blank
shawl on her arm so when it became
little cooler she might gaze upon Il
rosv clouds in comfort; for she intendt
staying on the shore till after dusk, b
cause then the brilliant western cOlOrir
against the darkness of the night SCENE
to be so full of mystery, SO full OF glor
that in watching it she almost forg
she was living on earth and not in
fairy land. The knoll on which Il
house was situated gradually slop
down until it ended in lutte, rOcl
point iutting forth into the lake. Seat
on an old log with boulder to serve
a chairback Bss sic settled herself CO
tentedly to watch the great ball of fl
slowly d. op, drop into its watery gray
AS the sun would not be ready under
or 30 minutes to perform this sepulch,
act. she began to think over that absor
ing topic, her ambitions; for althOu,
she had pretty little face and swe'
low voice, she had also very firm W
and decided opinions that whether s
was to be a princess or peasant, SO
would live that no one would ever
wounded in the slightest way by word
act of hers, so that king should CT
oor S.psApARIIIA is sold on the 81