The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-02-14

lunary trifes as distant shouts, which kept
gaining in intensity. He saw RI h sitting
on the porch. Surely she, too, saw him
and was motioning to him. All. what had
he told the boys and what but now had
been his reassurancesP He would cross over
why, she herself was rushing toward him
with arms extended What man he was,
of what presence, Of what chsrml The
shouts had increased into screams, demand
ing attention. The pavement rumbled and
sent forth sharp, menacing clinks. At
length Benjamin did look around and away
fed tickle imagination, leaving him sur
rounded by fright and panic and deadly
peril. runaway team dragging heavy
dray, that swayed and tossed from side to
side, as if lighter than pasteboard, was al
most upon him. Ben amin turned and
slipped and fell. As he did so he, too,
screamed horrid sound, the keynote of his
soul. A repulsive object i.e certainly was
to any fair young votary of love, yet deli
cate hands seized him, beautiful form
| bent and strained and dragged him to one
side just in time.
Benjamin, gasping and giddy, lay prone
in the dust. II was comfortable there since
one knew that one could not fall any lower,
and when trees and houses and sky were
behaving in such an extraordinarily UNI
natural fashion, such comfort was no
trifle. He knew, moreover, that it was
Ruth who stood beside him, and he reached
out his hand and grasped her dress and
pressed its hem to his lips The girl tore
from his clutch and fed into the house.
Out from the Loomis homestead poured
the devoted six They bore the stricken
man within, weeping over him as often
they had wept over a naughty schoolboy
with dirty face and tenderly ministeriug
to him.
And when Benjamin was fast asleep in
his bed and the girls had settled into six
accustomed chairs five inquisitive noses
and five eXpectant chins were turned to-
ward Abigail She spoke, and her words
were like the clip of the shears of Atropos
Dear Ruth" she said, Il always did
love her How nice it is that she has grown
up under our united eyes-I may say that
our joint hand has formed her. Girls, we
do not lose II brother, we gain sister"
At this original remark there was pen
.achord of signs, and then the six shared
IN unaltcrilble belief.
1--WE lnu't go to her at once with our con
gratula tiOns,' continued Abigail.
''Shail we wear the moire?" asked Eliza
beth timidly
"Cortaiuly- of respect to the head of
our house"
The girls, stiff with proportional shares
of that MORE antique whose wholesale pur
chase had been one of the last acts of their
late lamented father and a viaticum to his
departure, stalked across the street in order
of age-that is, in an equal line. The even
ing was balmy, and the parlor windows
opening on the porch were thrown apart.
I'VE mustn't stand on ceremony with
relatives" said Abigail. And one by one
they passed into the room like camels
through a needles eye. The interior was
dark; yet from the conservatory, in the
rear there came a glimmer, and thither
they made their way. Before the broad
arched entrance they paused and reformed
their line with the precision of veterans
Then forwp~d Through the clustering
palms appeared glimpse of white. Yes,
there was the sweet child musing doubt
less on the blissfulness of her lott Twelve
arms were elongated to fullest extent, six
tongues lisped Dear sist-" and then Glove
with horror to the roofs of six individual
mouths For as Ruth rose to receive n
guests the young doctor rose also, nor did
he deem it unbecoming to retain his en-
thralling embrace.
"Hussyp' Kissed Abigail.
We'll, never" exclaimed the five And
with vehement gyrations they swept back
and away, and if any dust of that house
chung to their feet it was not from lack of
vigorous shaking.
After this it was generally remarked that
the LOOMS girls began to show their age,
for ideality, like all other cosmetics, Is only
successful through constant use.
AS for Benjamin, when the news was
broken to him, he became quite tremulous
of hand and pallid of lip. But later In the
day at the club he regained his equanimity
and boosted that however sweet the song Of
the sirens there was no remedy so effective
as stuffing ones ears.-NeiO York Times.