Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-11-16

" Mother speculation; hiIllucd MISS
Jane looking up from her sewing
"Nes," shortly, "gonc and married the
Wilder Gray If that amt speculation, I'd
like to know whatds All can say is I'm
awful sorry for Sairy Jane -
$50 am /. assentcd Miss Jane. Guess
she won't find much time now to 90 tramp
ing over he field paintin daisies aud such
like, making sketches Of cows and barn
yards. Thcrc'l be a new order TO things
when Widd"r GRAY gets in among Miriam
dy's furnishings. | know hcr high and
mighty piece an if poor -airN Jane don't
have to wall, chalk marks my name amt
Jane Middleton. The little girls awful
| fond of paintiu, ain t She, Sarah;'
"Wcll, should say so'' returned Miss
| Sarah cmphatically "Shc doesn't care for
nothin else. The last sumner was down
to Josah's She says to me, holding up II
| plaque with II bunch of wild roses on it,
Amt that pretty Aunt sarah an then
she stopped n moment, while her lovely
| eyes gloyvcd like stars: Don't you know,
auutic, art is everything to me; Meadow
! Brook is full of beautiful things to paint
Why does one want to spend time churning
for butter Unjust say, added Miss Sarah,
"she hasn't any talent for houseWork.'
Josiah Middlcton's marriage with the
|
much comment during the following days
to the two little old maids, Miss Jane and
Miss Sarah, who lived just on the edge of
the busy city of Cincinnati They had
known the widow even in her childhood
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 Sarah
Jane, Josah'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
widow ascension to the throne when few
days later she found her stepdaughter seat
ed behind a canvas upon which bed of
mariGods and 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 tlounced out of the room.
with the reminder that there was butter to
be churned aud stockings to be darned, etc.
Is it any wonder that few days later
little Miss Jane, coming home from the
post, carried a 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 moi stay at
home to be abused and maltreated, In
decd she shall moi. - remarked Miss sarah
Indignantly shall She Jane
NO 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 d
speln till things should blow over "She
could study art in the Cincinnati School Of
Design" said Miss Jane, "aud when once
we get her we won't let her 60
That letter and the 50 bill it incloscd to-
gether with the fast express, brought the
little artist one spring twilight. Her fa
: ther had guessed she had better not 20, u
l and her stepmother had StOrmed and scold.
ed, saying she W Us 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 uncongenial 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 cali 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
Il period of two years.
'You certainly have talent, Miss Middle
J ton" the PIE ,ident had said 10 her wbe,
Y she submitted her sketches to him. '.Youi
, stvle is bold and ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in IN.
: new school, Your taste in color and il
= shading is exceedingly good. Your fault,
+ will be overcome, your good points strength
ened by close application. Study hard fo
: two years. At the end of that time Won
u may find yourself "a famous artist" He hac
i smiled gcnially as he said these words. an,
/ the girl was delighted.
k She would study hard. though. of course
d she never could be famous. He had onl,
e said that to encourage her. 1t would no
/ do to be toe buoyant. so, perhaps, it was
great surprise to Sarah Middleton. as il wa
to the two little aunts when they hear,
the good news, to find her picture hung q,
the line in Il notable art exhibit. She foun,
also that Miss Sarah j. Middleton's paint
, ing, Eureka" was very creditably notice,
n in the daily press. Was she really going +
= be famous nfter all? The thought lent nov