News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-09-13
MISS VICTORINE.
By MARY KYLE DALLAS.
copyright, lsg3 by American Press Associa-
ton

graduated at the Misses Trimmer's Col
Iege for Young Ladies with honors. es-
pecially in mathematics. | knew, as
we phrased it among ourselves, French.
German and Spanish; could paint flow
ers and do embroidery and drawn work.
/ should be sorry if the Misses Trim
meT could see my mistakes in simple
multiplication nowadays and as for my
attempts to make myself understood
abroad the least said the better. Still,
can decorate my door panels and make
as pretty cushions and bureau covers as
any woman in the land. However, this
Is DEPRESSION.
This school going had been proba-
ton insisted upon by my maternal
grandfather when he made me his heir
ess. From - to Is years of age | was
to attend this school kept Ey the three
spinster daughters of General Jehoso-
plat Trimmer, veteran of the Next
can war. who had also figured in the
late unpleasantness. His heiress
must be imbued with the proper
views, " he declared. What he meant
we quite understood. The proper views
were what Victorine called northern
views
Victorine had been young lady when
the war broke out, while | was not yet
born, for though we had one father we
had different mothers. Mine had Of
Tended her relatives by iilting a worthy
young Harvard professor and choosing
my father, even then not very young,
but still supremacy handsome. She died
at my birth, and at my first remem
brance my father, Victorine and lived
on the old plantation, tyrannized over,
cared for and loved by the last relic CT
the scattered band of servants portly,
ebony skinned Aunt Emily, an amiable
tyrant, who toiled for us and adored
us and managed what little there was
to manage.
One day when | was IA came the
news of my maternal grandfather
death. His fortune was to be mine on
conditions. was to be put to school
in New York city and to remain there
for five years. ITO be weaned from
home and me, " said my father. My
wlfe's father always hated me-"
TO forget our lost cause, " said Vic
torine, Ito become at heart a northern
er.
Il will not &c" | said. II will not
earn my fortune by exile from those |
love. Five years-why, he might as
well have said forever. | sat down
TO write an indignant refusal, to re-
nounce the fortune offered on such
terms, but the letter was never sent.
That night my father died suddenly of
heart disease
When our first wild passion of grief
was over Victorine and found that
we had very little left. A mortgage
en- the property would soon be fore
closed We must either find means to
earn our own bread or be dependent on
charity. When | realized this, went
to my own room, destroyed the letter
had written and in another accepted
the terms of my grandfather's will.
The sum apportioned for my private
expenses at school would, if properly hus
banded. also keep Victorine from want.
could save the old home, could restore
it to its former elegance-in fact, |
could do what | chose. 1t was plainly
my duty to secure the fortune, but /
dispatched the letter before telling Vic
torine anything about it and endured
her reproaches, her lnvectlves. heI ac
cusations
lyon have sold your birthright for a
mess of portage, Persls, she sad, and
will have none Of your i'll gotten gain
prefer singing in the streets for my
bread. Victoline was musical.
However sent my remittances to
Aunt Emily, who bought provisions and
fuel and even gowns for her Miss Vic
torine, without consulting her in re-
gard to the matter
The Misses Trimmer received me
affectionately. | was conducted at once
to their distinguished father, General
Trimmer, of whom they We're no doubt
justly proud, though in these days very
little was left of him but few tufts of
white hair and high temper, and |
found that he was to provide me with
the proper political sentiments, and for
five years had been very busy earning
my fortune Now | was 10. was my
own mistress AS have said. | was
going nome to Victorine to make her
happy.
The adiers had been uttered my fel
low scholars and | had wept in each
others arms The Misses Trimmer had
each given me a token Of their esteem
in the shape of go)d book, the gen
eral had presented M with badge of
the Grand Army of the Republic, which
earnestly hoped that Victorine would
never discover amid my possessions,
and had been placed in the care of a
captain of the Old Dominion line,
as though | had been small piece O!
eggshell china and was in danger OF
breaking. Even the trip was over.
had arrived at Norfolk, | had taken
the cars to small station and was now
being conveyed along the road in the
lid yellow stage, which knew of yore
Everything seemed unchanged. There
lyas the same dangerous washout, where
SO many vehicles had been upset
there was the broken bridge which hat
been temporarily propped up by logs
as long as could remember. There
were the old residences, with their bean
tiful, soft gray tipts of implanted wood
set off by the rich foliage of the ole
trees, the front doors all wide open