The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-02-01
SELECTED STORY.
NV Sister Patty.

child curls OF tldXen hair nave become
white "a snow, and only a clump of
hardy roses by The roadside marks the
place where the old house stood. In
those far away DAYS / firmly believed
that in all the wide world there was not
another spot so pleasant as the kitchen
of that old house, aud l think John
Harmon, from over the bill, must have
shared my opinion, from the way he
had of dropping IN OF an evening.
Next to my own hOme-ioIk liked John
best of any body. He used to bring me
peppermint drops and tell me stories,
and whatever | said or did he nevt r
called me a tease or torment, as my
own big brothers did sometimes. Then,
too, he used sometimes to give me a
ride behind his handsome black horses,
and in The depths of my small heart
how wished that / was grown up and
could wear silk dress, and 90 away
with him to siugir . schools and parties,
"a Patty often did. But as that could
not be was content that he should take
Patty; Tor | admired her 30 much N.Y.
self that thought the more highly of
John for admiring her too.
Patty was not like Hannah, my old
est sister, who, since ! could remember,
had been mother and sister both to me {;
Hannah with her sweet, plain face, her
goodness, her patience. who was never
cross or iretful. No, Patty had tenn.
per, as Tom used to say, "as quick as
6re and tow" She wasn't always as
patient as she might have been, either,
and nearly every day she told me that l
was 1.-THE nauphtiest little girl in all
the world" Bul Patly's bits of tenn
per were quickly over; and she was so
loving and generous and gay and help
fnl that, no matter how veXed / might
he with her, straightway forgot it and
loved her as dearly as ever. Then, too,
her mouth was so dimped, her cheeks
SO rosy, and her eyes, with the hair
above them always gathering into little
rings, 30 bright that was sure no pic.
ture could be pretiier than our Patty.
i remember well one summer even
ing she had on a new drt 81, soft pink
muslin, and her arms and neck were so
round and dimpled, and she was so
pink and white herself, and as John
Harmon locked at her something in his
ayes made me speak out the thought
that was in my mind, Did you ever
Zee any one look as pretty as Patty does
in her new dress ?''
At that Patty blushed pinker than
ASder gown, brother Ben laughed out
AOud, Iat1er smiled behind his news
paper, and Hannah said, Abby, little
\ girls should be seen aud not heard"
But John looked at Patty moment
and then at me, and knew from his
face that he didu't think l had doue
anything so very bad; and after little
te asked Patty to go out in the garden
and see how fine the evening prim-
roses were. / wanted to go with them,
but Hannah said my knitting stint was
not done; for that matter it never was
done, and by the time | had knit five
times around to the middle of the seam
needle, it was my bedtime. They did
not come in till was in bed, and when
Patty came up and kissed me l half
Weakened up and said, "Why, Patty,
how your eyes shine; you look pretIier
than ever" and then she kisst d me
again and said was "a silly child"
After that John came more than
ever, only now they often SAT by them.
selves in the parlor, when would Of
ten take my little chair and sit with
them Till Hannah called me at hslf.past
seven O'Clock, my bed time, thought
this hardly polite of Hannah TO do when
/ was helping Patty entertain John.
Patty and Hannah were so very busy,
too; they quilted quilts, and got pie ce
Of linen in the loom in the loom-room.
But there were other young men be-
sides John who sometimes came to our
house, and one of them was Levi Je
rome, who kept the store at the village.
John didn't like Levi, knew, for once
i heard him tell Patty that he was a
perfect flop, and he didn't see how any
girl of sense could abide him. At that
Patty laughed provoking little laugh
and said that for her part she thought
Levi was a very nice young man indeed.
Then John said something | didn't hear,
y and a willful look came on Palty's face,
and she answered that she thought she
was capable of choosing her own
friends. Then John looked hurt, and
L knew Patty was sorry, and she smiled
her pretliest smile, and said how could
he be so foolish?
Not 80 very long after that, as l was
ont at play one recess, Levi Jerome
drove by III his new carriage, and with
him our Patty. AS they came opposite
the school-hOuse Who should they meet
but John Harmon? John bowed 10
Patty as though he hadn't seen her for
year, and she bowed to him as stiff
and they never saw me at all. When
went home at night found Patty there
and cousin Patty Lester, who lived in
Hammond, twelve miles away. And
Patty Lester had caught her high
heeled shoe on the staiIs aud twisted
her ankle, so that Hannah had to do il
up in NORWOOD and vinegar. The
next afternoon, as | was picking bee
larkspur seed, saw John Harmon
coming. But before he got to the
house Levi Jerome drove up from
another way, and John went by anc
never even looked toward it, and when
asked Patty what she supposed made
him do it che tossed her head and said
abe neither knew nor cared. 1t was
more Than week before he came again
But at last John did come. Wher
Patty went to the front door TO let hiu
in, the wind blew the door from The
kitchen into the hall wide open, and