The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1894-08-24
A VACATION MORNING.
Aunt He tty and the College Girl
Just Home from School.

Just Home from School.
| Out under the rose-arbOr in tn,
pleasant front yard of the parsonage
Betty Dexter, the minister's onl,
daughter, and her roommate at col
lege, pretty Rose Houston. in theil
fresh summer gowns are chatting mer
rily with Mamma Dexter while they re
lieved great dish of strawberries o.
| their stems.
Betty, college senior now, wa.
scarcely a beauty though her hand
some. smiling brown eyes made one
forget any little irregularity of fea.
ture. And though everyone in college
at least in the upper classes, knew that
she was only a minister's daughter,
and though any girl with half an eye
could trace the transmigration prog
ress in her hats and dress, and knew
that she could never give really
| handsome spread, yet no girl within
the college gates was so popular as
Betty Dexter. No girl had so many
| invitations for vacation, so many en-
gagements to walk, drive, row and
go into the city; but nearly all of her
vacations were spent at home with the
| ever-busy mother and the delicate
father. who made many self-denials
in order to meet the slender college
bills. With her this summer. by spe-
cial request of the mother, had come
her roommate, little Rose Houston,
the orphan heiress from New Orleans,
who loved Betty better than she loved
anyone else in the wide world.
ours is a tiny dot of a home +" said
Betty, land mother and do most of
the work together; but you will have
royal welcome, dear" And Rose,
being genuine, though very desul-
tory sort of girl by reason of her long
years of orphanage and years of trav-
cling about with maid and her guar.
dian, had been more than glad to
come.
On the little table in the rose arbor,
besides Mrs. Dexter's working basket,
was a volume of 1.-THE Vision of Sir
Launfal," which the ladies had been
reading in turn.
There is such a musical swing to
those last verses" said Rose, "that one
is forced to remember them:
Who gives himself with his aims feeds
three
Himself, his hungering neighbor and me-"
But really" said Betty, ut is only
the purest selfishness to be kind and
generous to others, for the reward is
SO sweet"
And here comes over the hill a re-
ward for two busy young housekeep-
ers, / suspect" said Mrs. Dexter, as
the sound of tally-horn from the
coach of a neighboring mountain re-
sort was heard rolling in peculiar ca
dence among the echoes. 1T is
charming day for coaching rarty."
A nearer sound, however, attracted
their attention before the coach could
reach the gate-a sound of the queru-
lous, high, cracked voice of an old
woman in gown and bonnet that may
have been bravely fashionable fifty
years ago.
$50 glad to find you at home, Betty,
and your ma, too. Walked all the way
from Chatham Mills on purpose to see
We and hear all about the college.
hain't seen We in long time, aud l
have been longing for sight of your
sweet face"
They gave her cordial greeting, this |
old Aunt Hetty from Blake's Corners, |
and Betty kissed, with genuine affec- |
ton, the withered face, once outward |
ly beautiful and now shining with in
ward goodness, which action Rose no.
ticed with a bit of jealousy; for Rose
expected her friends to be very loyal
to her, and loyalty, from her stand
point, meant caring much for her and
little for others. 1t was part of her
and perhaps no one could
blame her. Indeed, onereason why she
had so gladly accepted the invitation
TO the parsonage had been that she
wished to have Rose all to herself. At
college some one was always seeking
her; but here she thought il would be
otherwise. Yesterday, however, there
had been Sunday-school class to en-
ertain, and here was the old lady.
The coaching party would take them
10Th away, no doubt, and certainly at ]
Mrs. Dexter's age, she, and not the ]
laughter, would be the proper one to
Aunt Hetty. So Rose settled |
he affair in her own mind &