Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-11-08

SlEnl i'll Ailt hleAdIiEs anu AhNh NNAiANN
her mother with laugh that was not al
together forced. after all, for the humor of
the thing struck her for a momenO and
said:
II wonder if they took it for permission?
| shall be more careful how | give advice
in the future. One doesn't usually expect
to have it taken
Her mother looked at her searchingly;
saw the struggle she was making to keep
from breaking down entirely, and said,
lightly, 81 am sure that never saw advice
taken quite so promptly. The geese may
not have been so foolish as you thought
them"
Neither dared TO say any more, and Alice
scarcely looked at her mother as she went
about her evening work.
Her father was very much troubled when
he heard the story. my poor little lass"'
he said. 81 have heard Of riches taking to
themselves wings, and flying away, but
never knew the wise cid proverb to be quite
so literally fulfilled"
"Now, father" Alice said, trying to
laugh, ''you are disgracing the family; for
plainly see tears in your eyes, and you
know they're forbidden here"
She kept brave face until she was up
stairs and alone in her room, and then she
cried herself to sleep.
And mother, in her room below, knew
it though she heard no sound and her heart
ached TO comfort her brave little girl.
"Can nothing be done for her, John?"
she asked.
Nothing" her husband answered sadly.
81 would give anything TO be able to help
her, but / can't this winter"
Mother thought about it far into the
night, and at last confded TO him a plan
she had made.
She watched Alice narrowly all the week,
but the girl brayely fought down her dis
couragement, going about her work cheer
lily, and not throwing aside her drawing in
disappointment, but working at it as ear
nestly as ever. In those days the mother
wrote a number of letters when Alice was
out of doors but said never a word about
them. Thanksgiving passed, and Deem
Der came, and with it the drawing teacher
but Alice, though she did not join his
classes, was learning other lessons-lessons
beyond his power to teach.
On Christmas morning, mothers face
wore an unusually radiant smile, and faith
er went about laughing and nodding al
| mother and trying to look mysterious; and
Alice's wonder increased; but matters
reached a climax when she found upon her
plate square envelope, from which fell a
thin letter and little folded slip Of blue
paper.
She opened the blue paper-it was a
check for fifty dollars.
The note read: "Send your girl TO me
and I'll put her in an Art School for the
rest of the winter, and we'll see what She.
made Of" 1t was signed Joanna Harr
man. Miss Joanna Hartman was Alice,
| great-aunt, who lived alone in New York
and who had little TO do with any of he
kinsfolk.
When Alice realized that her mother haC
told Aunt Joanna the story of the geese, anC
asked her help, she fell to hugging mothe
convulsively, and showering her with kisse
and endearing terms. But at the yer,
height of her JOY, she suddenly drew back
as if she had forgotten herself, and locke,
very sober and resolute, whereat mothe
laughed gaily at the solemn face, and said
"Oh, don't say you can't leave father ant
me, for Cousin Sarah is coming up TO stud,
music at the academy, and she will keel
house for us for her board. Just be glad
and 60 TO the reward you deserve becaus
of your bravery when the geese flew away
Everything's arranged, and you will go
day or two after New Years"
Alice ate her breakfast in dazed sort O
way, and all day went about in a delight
full dream.
The whole busy holiday week SCENE
unreal, and then came the reality; but A
ice was very homesick, lonely girl whe
her mother was really out of reach.
Aunt Joanna was so cold and distant
and seemed so to regard the whole affai
as matter of business, that Alice wor
dered if she could really be dear, CHEEKY
loving little mothers own aunt. And the
TO feel that mother would need her-tha
no one else could care for her dear mothe
quite so well. This was a great trouble I
Alice.
The work at the school, too, was yer
hard, and she had much to learn and to III
learn, and no one in all the busy hiy
seemed to care whether she succeeded {
failed. But Alice was proud and brav,
and, after all, what a pleasure it was I
know that she learned something every da
and was advancing in the art she loved
And by and by, when the first strangene:
wore off, and size made new friends, no
the days did fly!
When she went home in April, she wa
very happy girl, although her aunt gay
no sign that she was pleased with her nice,
or would give her further help.
But in the summer she made them a
, unexpected visit, and then Mrs. Creighto
found out what Alice did not guess-thf
the hard-working, earnest girl had quit
won the old lady's heart, and that sh
wanted Alice again.
So for several years Alice spent the viii
ter months in New York, and the rest
the year at home, working hard wherevC
she was; and at last her work began to a
, tract attention in the school, and gain ret
ognition among artistic people outside.
Her work was not all easy, and it wa
ten years from the time of her first lionel
journey to New York, when she painte
the picture which was her best, and brougl
her ''little cup of fame as she laughingl
said. She painted it at home in the al
tumn, with her mother lovingly watchin
every brush-stroke. How they talked an
laughed, as it grew, over the scene it rel
resented!
1t was the picture of that same bacl
yard, glowing with autumn colors, in I'll
midst of which stood young girl with III
stretched arms, looking in great distress
departing flock of geese.
The scattered corn, and the cobs whic
she had dropped, her mothers dismaye
face at the window-all were there. The
named the picture, "Riches have wings"
Fanny L. Brent in ST. Nicholas.
!
we have found Hoods Sarsaparilla very ben
nclal and recommend II 10 our friends Mi