Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-02-16

did not like to show him how she spent
| her Sunday evenings
The weather became very hot. Jeanie
dropped more and more in the unhealthy
workroJm and stuffy streets He seemed
to notice it, for on Sunday she found a
drawing of trees and a path, and figures
walking about, aud underneath the figures
2:30 Could he be asking her to 90 for
walk. She waited in to see.
At 2:30 there was knock at her door,
There he was with his square. ugly, good
natured face smiling at her. She felt awk-
ward going do M the stairs with him.
What could they do during a whole walk if
neither could speak to the other? But
that walk did not take place. The smart
tie around her neck had been the price of
her dinner She turned faint and reeled
then sat down on the stairs and burst into
tears.
She hardly knew if she was vexed or
pleased to find herself picked up like
baby and carried up to her own room and
laid upon her bed. She sat up and drank
some water while he stood looking per
pleXedly at her, and she blushed that he
should see her untidy, dsorderly room.
He went out. In a few minutes she
heard her door open, AMI something push
ed along the floor 1t was little Jug of
hot coffee and milk and plate of German
rolls
The next day another picture was left.
1t represented large workshop, with men
sitting at tables, all busily engaged over
some mechanical work: underneath was
written The figures 30
With skillful fingers she drew an outline
of coat and waistcoat and needle and
thread and posted it at his door as she went
out; but she had to come back again, she
was so i'll, and all day she lay there alone,
waiting for what was the only friendly sig
nal in the world to her the scrap of paper
of the foreign artist.
She heard it pushed under the door at
last, and feebly rose and CROPPED for it.
Her head was throbbing so that she could
scarcely see that it contained whole line of
portraits-an elderly man and woman,
and younger faces, among which was his
own. His family doubtless.
She made a rough outline of her hat,
with sharp oval for face underneath. |
She was too i'll to get it down to him She |
pushed it out and trusted that he would |
fetch it. She heard him in the morning |
come up again, and then she heard no
more, for the fever seized upon her, and |
when next she woke to consciousness she |
was lying on ahospital bed For days she |
was too weak to speak or think, but, when |
she was able one of the nurses asked her if |
she would like to see some papers which !
mad been brought to the hospital for her, |
and the nurse spread them out before her |
The first was of man following a .
stretcher through the streets. Then the |
same man sitting alone in a solitary room |
with his head bowed upon his hand and |
weeping. The next, the same man at a |
door, evidently asking questions of porter !
within. The next, the man was beside a
bed on which lay deathlike figure.
Has he been to see me?'
Yes, it was when we thought You were
dying he came every day, but we could not
tell him anything, no one could speak his !
language, but at last we found it was
Nendish from the borders of SaXony and |
Bohemia, and one of the doctors here got
him book in it, by which he could study
English. You will see by the sketches"
The next one represented the man with /
the book in his hand.
The next showed the man in a train.
and then on board steamer, and then in
another train.
Jeanne dropped the papers.
''He is gone" she said, with a little
weak cry. "Oh, why have | got any bet
ter?"
There is another picture" said the
nurse, and she unrolled it for the trem-
bling girl.
The man had arrived at the little village
Jeanne remembered in the first sketch,
then the interior of the house was shown.
a coffin lay in the middle of the room. an
old woman, two girls and three men kneH
around it,
ellis father is dead" said Jeanie. and
she turned to the next. The man was at
the hospital door
'Oh, he is coming back" she cried.
'See, this is the last said the nurse.
and as she held il up she laughed. 1t was
the man on one knee before the girl
Jeanne in her outrageous hat: but there
was in little sketch, up in the right-hand
corner, as If it was yet in the distance, the
same little village with the pine forests
around, the two figures, the man and
Jeanne, walking arm and arm up the vii
lage street.
The nurse held her sides for laughing.
Its the funniest thing ever saw in
my life!' she said
Jeanne gathered her papers together
with some dignity.
II don think it was funny" she said.
II think 1t was just the incest thing that
ever was done to any girl
MY loofe" said a voice at her side.
and there was the man. jeanne gave lit
tie cry.
MY loofe!' said the man again; sit is
my first English to you, and it will be my
last. My loofe"
And jeanne, with all the dreams of her
glrlhood back upon her put her arms
around his neck and sobbing, said, 'And
don even know your name, but l don't
care for anything in the world but YOU"
-Neir York Tribune.