St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-10-11

vision. 1t was impossible to let the
manuscript 60 out as it was, and al
though she hesitated before drawing her
pen through the first superfluous word,
she soon grew holder, and under her
skillful pruning "The Story Of Lois"
became chaImingly tender little tale,
told in quantity elegant language.
II took some hours, even working I'M
der pressure, to get it into satisfactory
shape, and Margaret had just begun to
copy it when there was rap upon the
door. She started guilty,
Margaret" came Miss Mahala's
voice, 81 want to speak to you, and |
want to look over The Story of Lois
once again.
ooh, Aunt Mahala, don'tW cried
Margaret piteously. cts perfectlyAweet
as it is-and you would only get upset
if You should see it nowl I'm so busy.
Please go away"
Miss Mahala withdrew in astonished
silence, and the copy waS finished at
last. Then the accompanying letter was
written, brief and businesslike, but
Margaret did not breathe freely until
she was out Of the house and half way
down to the yillage-beyond any chance
Of recall The original manuscript, with
every one Of her telltale changes upon
it, lay carefully locked within her desk.
The days passed slowly by. Miss
Mahala at first was buVant and talked
much of her first literary achievement
and Of the new chapter of "Recollec-
tons, which she soon intended to be-
gin. But by and by she began to grow
nervous, and as day after day passed by
and no answer came, she was despon-
dent, indignant and hopeful again by
turns. 1t was all that Margaret could
do, however, to prevent her from writ
ing confidential letter to the editor Of
The Eastern Star,
For Margaret herself it was a period
of anxiety. AS she walked down to the
u9stoifice every morning and evening
ner heart alternately throbbed with
hope and grew faint with dread Should
the story be accepted Miss Mahala would
be encouraged to 90 ON, and Margaret
was dismayed at the endless labyrinth
into which her first apparently innocent
deception would lead her, for she felt
she could never bring herself to wound
Miss Mahala's pride by revealing what
she had done. But, on the other hand,
if her judgment had been at fault, and
the story should be returned, what would
Miss Mahala say when she saw how her
work had been tempered with, revised,
corrected, changed not by the printer, "
but by her presumptuous niece, without
her consent Or knowledge, and how could
Margaret ever face her then?
At last a letter came, whose contents
Margaret could not fail to guess. "The
Story of Lois had been accepted and
check for its payment was inclosed
Miss Mahala's withered checks flush
ed with pride "Well, now, Margaret,
| declare, you were right, she said
complacently, land it's real pity
didn't take to writing earlier in life,
for, as you say, might have been 6
second Mrs Sigouney by this time
But, come to think, it's queer the editol
didn't sxy GnTthing about the rest O
my 'Recollections 1t would only have
been polite if he had mentioned them
And, Margaret, do you think be ha
paid me as much as my story is worth
It's really great deal more than | ex
pected, but still
"Do you know" she continued il
sudden confidence, "latterly.I began tt
think he warn t going to take it, anC
worrying about it day and night has al
most made me sick!"
1t was proud day for Miss Mahal;
when she saw 1.-THE Story of Lois il
print, with her own name appended il
clear cut capitals
But when, after diligent comparison
with a neat copy of her own, she dis
covered the extent of the alterations il
the text, her wrath arose, and she bit
terly denounced "the printer" for S,
changing her story and "leaving on
half the words. After awhile, how
ever, pride took the sting from such
petty annoyance
A copy of the magazine, opened a
the beginning of her story, was KEEP
upon the center table, side by side will
a volume Of Mrs. Sigourney's poems
And since she had proved herself lit
erary genius" and her neighbors ant
friends had begun to look up to her a
such, Miss Mahala held herself even
little higher and straighter than before
"But amt going to write any NOR
'Recollections, she said to Margare
one day 1.-THE truth is, I'm too old t.
stand the strain and excitement. In
glad wrote that one, and proved my
self a literary character, but The Stor.
of Lois has almost been the death o
me My 'Recollections' must begin ant
end with that. I've been long tim
coming to that conclusion, but In
thankful I've come to it at last"
And i'll her inmost heart Margare
was thankful too.-Springtiold Repub
lican.
The Eggs He Meant.
An Irish witticism is related by tn