Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-01-05

feel better and capable of better paying
work than she had been lately She was
lust sort of weak with longing.
1t did seem too good to be true. But
why should it be? She might surely have
some pleasure in Queenie now, she had
suffered a good deal for her hitherto.
When Quecnie was born, she had been
turned out of her place as nurse to the lit
tie Gilmers. Mrs Gilmer was so particu-
lar And it had been hard to get work
with the baby always along; even when
Queenie was quite big girl she had hated
to part from her, and she was such saucy
little piece that no ladies would tolerate
her in the house. And then when Queenie
was at school what money had been spent
on books and states. These last three
years she had lived almost on nothing,
Queenie had required so much. And she
had very nearly got into trouble about that
hat of Mrs. Nelson's which had gone in
Queenie's Christmas box to Hampton. If
Mrs. Nelson had found out and stopped
giving her work about the house on extra
occasions she would have been in hard
place. Besides Mrs. Nelson was so kind
about giving her old clothes and she could
not afford to buy new ones.
But these times were over now. Good
times were coming! By this time to-mor-
row she and Queene would be at supper
together-no, it would be Sunday; they
would have had early supper and would be
walking to church together, Queenie
would surely walk to church the first even
ing with her instead of with any of the
boys who would doubtless wish to take her.
One of the boys could walk back with
them, but she wished to see herself the
eager admiring gaze that would greet her
daughters entrance. She would have on
that pale green suit; it would be still as
good as new.
would they never comeY' 1t was past
sunset and growing dark. On the other
side of the road green field sloped gently
up to the line Of the wood; the field was
streaked with drifts of white daisies that
looked like melting snow in the dusk.
Where the tip of the hi chest of the Peaks
of Otter just showed above the black oak
woods the sky tlamed gold and green, flame
color and bronze; farther north, behind
the Blue Ridge, it was pale, soft blue
with long reaches of rose clouds
Aunt Rhoda stood leaning with folded
arms against the shaky fence by her gate
| staring with unseeing eyes into the glow
| ing sky. \ great star burned Just abov,
the streaks of color, and somewhere in tn,
! gathering darkness two owls answered on,
another at intervals. but she neither saw
nor heard. suddenly all her senses wer,
startled into action by the quick rattle o
wheels and by the appearance of a light
horse wagon advancing brisklv through
the dusk. 1t was Uncle Austin: ther,
could be 10 mstakinr the familiar Gait o
his old yellow horse. and Aunt Rhoda
clutChng nervously at the fence. felt a
though the beating Of her heart woulc
choke her. Then. as the mis-, cleared ava,
from her eyes. She strove to discover which
of the three figures in the wagon IVA
Queenie. Three figures? On the from
seat sat Uncle Austin with Girl by hi
side; behind a large trunk alone occllpic,
the space But the girl. she was surely
no, it was Julia.
Qneenie was not there.
Uncle Austin drew up with a loud. "Yea
tina now" and looked down into fin
wrinkled, yellow face. "Be'n waitip'o, h
queried cheerilv. "Tbe cyars wuz MIGHT,
late, an 'en Julia done hem neetin' s.
many frien's she bonn 10 tell bovdv-
"Wha's Queenie?" gasped Aunt Rhoda
breathessly,
Uncle Austin l,uphed. "He only knows
Sis Thomson. he said ~ don't. sL
suttinly WANT at the deenot."
Aunt Rhoda Turned In tbe GIRL ..IIuo
come She ain here Juliaq, she Jemande
in a trembling voice. sshe said es how sh
was comm home with Won .
Julia shook her fashionable hat 9,
clare | dunno nothin' ,bont ber Mi,