The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-11-29
SELECTED STORY.
Emilia's Cab.

than another it is to see a Dung girl
alone in q cab. II is contrary to all my
ideas of propr.ety," sad Mrs. Marlboro.
ain her fathers carriage it is quite diff
ferent. The @Iis of his proto ction
hangs over her there. But in cab, a
public cab-no, it is something | strictly
forbid"
81 use cabs great deal, )" said Emilia,
calmly.
"Well, my dear, you will not use
them after this"
"W IL not? Why not?' opening the
great, dark eyes ominously.
Because, as l just said, | forbid
AZ
"Is that any reasor?"
{" If am in authority here, it is; ur-
less you wish 10 make your younger
brothers and sisters resist my authority,
and keep the house in the state of chaos
in which found ~
"Shall / bring chaos about by order
ing cab2 / always take one. pre-
fer them infinitely to papa's great lum-
bering carriage with the horses prancing
like the horses on a Greek friC re; and
the horses always lame or sick, or the
coachman lording it over you. You
have only to send to the corner, and
there is a sufficiently good affair for
your purpose. Yes; l use cabs when
ever / choose"
"Then you will not choose any
more. Your fathers carriage will have
to meet your demands. l will not have
cab ordered TO the door, Emilia; and
you may make up your mind to that"
1t seems strange that any thing on
earth should have the power of shutting
off the sun from any other thing-the
sun that makes us, and fec d5 us, and
to whom we belong. Yet Mrs. Marl-
boro had the power of shutting off
goodly share of the light of heaven
from Emilia's sou| for she kept her
constantly filed with hard and bitter
thoughts, rebellions and Anglers and
dislikes and hates. Mrs. Marlboro,
Cousins widow, had been placed in
command in the house, and her rule
was with all a centurion's power; and
Emilia, who had previously been a
young person of authority herself, now
found herself no one at all. Yet, as
Mark said, some one must be at the
head, ard certainly En- lila could not
now retain the care of an establishment,
and Mrs. Marlboro WIS a master-hand,
and Emilia was presently to be married
and fl, and it was not long at the long
est, and why not be good-natured about
IL.
"Oh, Mark" she cried, "what
should do without you?'
Why not be good-natured, indeed,
when she was so soon to have home
of her own? So lovely home,
too, just built, and now being fur
nished; its great hall and stately stair
case with the gorgeous rugs, the old
portraits, to be set forth every week
with blossoming shrubs; the drawing
room fairy place Of rosy drapelies art
eu.-glass screens and water color pan.
els, looking out on the brC ad river that
showed through the tall palms of the
dining-room too; place for her bou
doir that looked exactly as if it were
followed out of gre at mother-of.pearl
she'll Theodore took her and Mark or
Anna up for some new arrangements,
some new furnishing every day. Some
times her father went along, and some
time g, when he was not to be hindered,
Mrs. Marlboro. But Emilia did so dis
like that wOnan-tbe bright, big, bust
ling, hands ONE creature-that it seemed
proclamation to have her cross the
the threshold of this place already so
dear and sacred.
s. 1t is fortunate for you that Theo-
dore is a rich man." Mrs. Marlboro had
said when Theodore had left them,
after visit at the new house which
had made Emilia resolve that it should
be the last in such companionship. 1t
isn't every girl that goes into palace
70 begin with"
swell, it is a palace" said Emilia
shorty.
"Emiia, don't believe you would
marry Theodore if it wasn't" said Mrs.
Marlboro.
Emilia made her no reply; but if a
glance could have struck the woman by
lightning, she would have fallen. But
Mrs. Marlboro was impervious to
glar ces, and went on calmly:
s. 1t is fine thing to have Sevrt
ard old Henri Deux, and to know the
difference between them; to have John
OF Bologna bropzes and Celini bau-
bles in gold. But it is finer to be able
10 do without them, and that doubt if
you know how to do"
And with this chez sort of en-
couragement Mrs. Marlboro improved
the time and won ht way into Emilia's
detestatiop.
Still, all this remark was only like
the buzzing of flies in the air. Of wbat
consequence were Mrs. Marlboro's
words or ways, as lorg as Emilia had
Theodore? Ii mattered little what Mrs.
Marlboro thought about it. She her.
self knew that nothing the earth or the
= heaven contsined was worth anything
10 her beside him. All the beautiful
things OF art or nature were well enough
In II cir way, to surround such happi-
nets as hers with him; but if it were
her lot to live in cave in side hill,
only provided Thee ore lived there
too. she knew she would have asked no
more of fate than life and health and
Tn dore's abiding love. 1t was not
in human nature, at any rate in her
share Of it, to feel warmly toward the
person WHO insisted 9th erwise. Ard
then Emilia felt it an indignity that
Ms. Marlboro should dictate 10 her
what her behavior should he, her
doipgs ard goings and comings.