News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-11-08

had been her mothers wedding dress
to make a stylish" waist to wea
with her old black cashmere skirt
And then she couldn't resist tn
temptation to run across the fell
to Naomi jerks to tell her OF th,
joyous prospect. And she was really
angry with RUFF because he shool
his head doubtiully, going right OF
eating huckleherry pie, when she TOLD
him OF Uncle Enoch's promise.
When the day came she ran out az
soon as she wiped the dinner dishes
to watch for Uncle Enoch. He was
late and in hurry. He handed heI
rather large-sized pasteboard box
"There, | amt one to be small
when make up mind to go a-shop.
pin; if you take good care of that
twill last you till the next Worlds
Fair comes round" with a grim
cbuckle. you tell your mother it's
her own resk lettin' you GO; faint
any of my doin.' I've got other uses
for my money"
Selinda carried the box into the
house. 1t was light, but oh, how
heavy her heart was And RUFF,
who had been standing behind the
great butternut-tree turned a somer-
sault. Rufe always had provokingly
little to say for himself, and he turn
ed somersaults as an expression of
his feelings on the most inopportune
occasions. Selinda thought that even
a boy ought to have more sense.
There was silence in the room for the
space of full minute after the cover
was taken off the box; then Mrs.
Kittredge said with a fearful gasp,
"Oh, don't feel so bad, Selindy; it's a
real pretty satchel."
Selinda had temper. | wish that
she had had it as fully under control
as all but the very bad girls in stories
do but alas She flung the pretty
satchel with all her strength, box and
all, up into the high cupboard beside
the mantlepiece. The box came
tumbling down, and the cover follow
ed it, and Rufe carried them off say
ing he had been wanting some paste
board to make a fan for his winnow-
ing machine. (Rufe spent his leisure
experimenting upon miniature ma
chinery.) The bag stayed up in the
closet, and Selinda sulked and cried,
with intervals of trying to be good,
and make the best of things, and her
mother took the egg money, with
which she was to have bought her.
self pair of gloves, and bought a
gilt belt for Selinda, and she made
great many cream pies in anxious,
silent sympathy, and opened the
strawberry preserves, of which Selin-
da was very fond.
Sometimes when Selinda was away,
Mrs. Kittredge opened the cupboard
door and looked at the satchel, and
said regretfully: cts a real pretty
satchel." At last one day, three
weeks after the satchel had been flung
up there she said it in Selinda's hear
ing.
You think so much of pretty
things" said Selinda a little con-
temptously. "You wanted some pink
vases like those the minister's wife
had, and q watch and chain like Mrs.
Deacon Palmer had, and a spray of
lilac in your bonnet like Aunt Jemi-
ma! You always liked pretty things
and" as if struck by new thought
you never had any p
Rufe looked up from the tiny wheel
that he was securing with emery
paper.
Il wonder if this is the first time
you ever thought of that !" he said
in gruff voice, as if he he had
lump in his throat. And be scowled
mediGatively at her, as Selinda now
remembered she had caught him
scowling at her before.
"Well, don't know" was all that
their mother said, in a meek, half
guilty little voice, and Selinda saw
her turtively wipe away tear.
"Aunt Jemima has sent word by
Phoebe Bascom that she wants you
to come over to help her get ready
to go to the Worlds Fair" said Sc
linda when she came home from the
dressmaker's the next day. (She
was finding a little consolation in
the changeable silk waist, although
she couldn't wear it to the Fair.)
"Aunt Jemima is going, and Mrs.
Prentice and Roxy Fowler, with Jo-
mas for an escort"
'l'm glad for Jemimy. They'll
have a beautiful time. l guess ri
go over and help fix her off, if you
think you and Rufe can get along"
Selinda was at the dressmaker's
again the next day when Mrs. Kit
tredge's nephew, Jonas, came after
her. Going 20 the cupboard for her
best handkerchief and her gloves,
where she kept them "handy" for
Sundays, Mrs. Kittredge caught sight
of Selinda's satchel.
Il don't believe Selindy would care
mite if | should take it. She said
she never would carry it !; and it
would look as if | had things like
folks" she said to herself.
"Mother does like so much to go
visiting" said Selinda, as Rufus came
in that night. She was in the panty,
with her back toward him, but she
kept on talking. "She'd be a regular
gad-about like Aunt Jemima, if she
could" Selinda's tone was slightly