The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-11-08
SELECTED STORY.
Her Sacrifice.


Jane, LOOKING up from her sewing.
YES" shortly, gone and married TIE
Widder Gray. If that amt speculation, I'd
like to know what is All can say is ri.i
awful sorry for Sairy Jane"-
$50 am / D." assented Miss Jane. Guess
Bhe won't find much time now to 60 tramp
Ing over the fields paintin daisies and such
like, making sketches of cows and barn
yards. Thercll be a new order to things
when Wilder Gray gets in among Miriam
,dy's furnishings | know her, high and
mighty piece, an if poor Sairy Jane don't
have to walk chalk marks my name amt
Jane Middleton The little girls awful
fond of pantn, amt she, SARAH"
swell, l should say sol" returned Miss
Sarah emphatically. "She doesn't care for
nothin else. The last summer l was down
to Josiah's she says to me, holding up
plaque with bunch of wild roses on it,
Amt that pretty. Aunt SarahF an then
she stopped n moment, while her lovely
Dyes glowed like stars: Don't you know,
auntie art is everything to meS Meadow
Brook is full of beautiful things to paint.
Why does one want to spend time churnlng
for butterI' Unjust say" added Miss Sarah,
"she hash any talent for housework."
Josiah Middleton's marriage with the
Widow Gray was, of course, the cause of
much comment during the following days
TO the two little old maids, Miss Jane and
Miss Sarah, who lived just on the edge of
she busy city of Cincinnati. They had
known the widow even in her childhood
a high strung, hasty tempered, tyrannical
girl, who made everything move in the
groove she had laid out for it-and they
rather trembled for the fate OF pretty SarPh
Jane, Josiah's only daughter, for whom
household duties had no attraction and to
whom "art was everything"
The new order Of things Sarah Middleton
had predicted began Immediately upon the
widows ascension to the throne when a few
days later she found her stepdaughter seat
ed behind a canvas upon which bed of
marigolds and ii whole field of clover were
bursting into bloom under her skillful fin
gers. She without much ceremony con-
signed the canvas the paints and brushes
to the flames and flounced out of the room.
with the reminder that there was butter to
be churned and stockings to be darned, etc.
Is it any wonder that few days later
little Miss Jane, coming home from the
post, carried little tear strained missive
In her black shopping bag' This same lit
tie missive carried sorrow into the bosom
of the family when it had been read and re-
read dozen times.
"Indeed Sairy Jane shall not stay at
home to be abused and maltreated. In
deed she shall not" remarked Miss Sarah
Indignantly Shall she, Jane"
mo, indeed" re-echoed Miss Jane. And
forthwith the two little ladies concocted a
letter. which went by the following mail,
begging Sarah Jane to come to them "for a
spell" till things should blow over. She
could study art in the Cincinnati School Of
Design" said Miss Jane, land when once
we get her we won't let her CO."
That letter and the IS bill it inclosed, to-
gether with the fast express, brought the
little artist one spring twilight. Her IA
ther had guessed she had better not CO."
and her stepmother had stOrmed and scold-
cd. saying she was needed on the farm, but
the girl had remained firmly fixed on the
north star of her ambition and had come
despite all objections. Much as she loved
dear old Meadow Brook, she could not re-
main in such an uncongenal atmosphere.
"You can paint anything you want to,
Sairy Jane" said Aunt Sarah ecstatically,
when once she had folded her in her arms.
"Why, you can begin on Jane and me. /
rather think we want touching up"
Sarah Jane found her place in the art
school, and the spell" heightened out into
aperiod of two years.
You certainly have talent, Miss Middle
ton" the president had said TO her when
she submitted her sketches to him. Your
style is bold and vlgorous-popular in the
new school. Your taste in color and in
shading is exceedingly good. Your faults
will beoIercone, your good points strength
ened by CLOSE application. Study hard for
two years At the end of that time you
may lind yourself famous artist" He had
smiled genally as he said these words, and
the girl was delighted.
She would study hard, though, of course,
she never could be famous. He had only
said that TO encourage her. 1t would not
do to be too buoyant. So perhaps, it was
great surprise to Sarah Middleton as it was
to the two little aunts when they heard
the good news, to find her picture hung on
the liue in a notable art exhibit. She found
also that Miss Sarah j. Middleton's paint
ing, Eureka" was very creditably noticed
In the daily press. Was she really going to
be famous after all' The thought lent new
impetus to her work, and when at the be-
ginning of the next school session prize
was offered for competition she deter
miued to work for it.
1t was a prize worth the winning-a
choice between 81 600 in money and three
years course i'll Partisan art schools. She
would paint a picture of the dear old
"Meadow Brook Farm" with it's Towering
meadows and meek eyed kline She did not
need TO go back to 1t to recall all its beauty.
Every nook and dell was indelibly printed
on the tablets of memory. Then would it
be worthy the prize1 She had already
made her choice-a three years art course
In Paris. Oh, the joy of contemplating it!
The picture was begun at once. All her
leisure moments were spent on it, and the
little aunts found time hanging rather
heavily when Sarah Jane was shut up in
her studio transferring bits of Meadow
Brook TO canvas. But at last the painting
was almost completed, only few finishing
touches and it would be ready for judg.
ment. Already Sarah felt the critical eyes
upon it, She uttered a half prayer as she
bent over it that May evening with her
brush in hand that it might be successful
So much depended upon it. What a vista
the gaining of the prize would open up &c
heri
There was a timid knock on the studio
door. moment later it was pushed open
and Aunt Jane stood there with the mel
low light of the dying day about her. Sh,