Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-09-13
PROUD MISS FULLER,

All the houses on the street, except Miss
Fuller's were in line. As there had been
an epidemic of painting in the village, they
wore spick and span new coats of drab,
dun-color, white or brown, according to
their owners fancies Miss Fuller's cot
tage, however, stood well back, as if it had
Withdrawn from the line out of shame and
as if fully aware that its paint was peeling
off in patches giving it an aspect of dingi-
ness. The fact that its chimney had been
lately laid up, that there were new boards
at the doorstep, and that the brass knocker
and door knob shone like gold, only accent
uated its shabbiness; it reminded one of
a threadbare person keeping up appear
ances with a we'll brushed hat, neat shoes,
and bit of old-fashioned iewery. The
steps led up to a small porch draped with
btter-sweet. The red berries chung to the
vine the season through, as did the white
ones to the waX-ball bush in the little front
yard. They were all the winter fruit Miss
Fuller had. although there had been a time
when the acres of orchard on Judge Full
ler's great landed property would have been
counted a small part of her inheritance.
BY some inscrutable working of fate, or
providence, or whatever you may be pleas
ed to call it, there came year when one
disaster followed another, and Miss Fuller
found herself without father or mother,
and with only the little house and a small
sum of money for her support.
The proceeds from the sale of the hand
some furniture from the old mansion did
not swell Miss Fuller's patrmony to very
large sum, and before year had passed it
became evident to her that it would not
suffice for her support. She had already
encroached upon her capital, and some
thing must be done. Her future, like some
dreaded object seen in the distance, had
heretofore only given her momentary un-
easness. Now it seemed suddenly to loom
nearer and nearer, and to stare her in the
face with frightful distorted vsage.
She sat down by little table, folded hel
arms upon it, dropped her head upon then
and smothered a sob, trying to think in.
stead. She had such a difficult problem tc
solve. She had been carefully but not
practically educated. She could not com
pete in the bread winning race with the
graduates of college and normal school
and who in all the little town, would care
for her musical knowledge, when there
We're good Conservatives so near?
Just then the only streak of sunlight in
the whole gray day shot through the win
dow and fingered for moment on her
mothers picture. The countenance was
so benign, so gentle; the round white
throat rose so swan-like from its draperies
of lace. A sudden wave of memory swept
across Miss Fuller's mind and-iust as
trivial things will intrude themselves in the
momentous occasions of our lives-she re-
membered that her mother once said, You
have wonderfully deft fingers in the ar
rangement of lace and ribbons, Annis: il
you touch them they fall into graceful
shapes"
The thought grew upon her. The next
day she engaged help and went quietly to
work, and one morning the passers-by were
electrified to read, Miss Fuller on a sign
just over the porch.
''For all the world like vast door~plate
out of place. commented the inhabitants
of the little village. Then they went on
to say: But Miss Fuller, what? If she
means to do dressmaking or millinery.
why not put it so? That is the Fuller
pride. The old Judge used to boast that
none of his family had ever been in trade
Led by curiosity, one Otter another of
them called and found that the tiny front
room had been cleared out and that there
were counter, some ribbons in a case and
a couple of tastefully trimmed hats, while
a half dozen caps hung on stree" The
general verdict was in their favor: and
soon Miss Fullers hats, but more especially
her caps, were all the rage Old ladies
nodded from under the latter at weddings
and funerals, at ea-parties and sewing cir
Giles; while babies in their perambulators
laughed and cooed from beneath the full
rUches.
Miss Fuller occasionally went to an ad-
joining town TO Teplensh her stock; aside
from that, her comings and goings were
chiefly to church, where she occupied, all
alone, the great square Fuller pew. Her
grandfather built and endowed the church.
and the pew was her heritage. She was
too proud to give it up, and yet it was her
crucifiXion to sit in it alone and shabby
for as time went by she realized that her
simple black garments were becoming sad
ly worn, and she had no means with which
to replace them. The times were different,
she thought. Either women ceased to grow
old, or they were very careful of their best
caps; she had so few orders. A few years
before, dozens of babies were her custom
ers, while now scarcely one out of dozen
wore a cap. As her income lessened, her
taxes and the cost of living seemed to in
crease. After a little, one whispered to
1iiOtAlNl blldb AllNl hlh llOL utllNNN Llldl DOOI
Miss Fuller had enough for her mainte-
nance.
''Do you know" said Jane Foote at the
Young Ladies' Relief Society, 81 really
dent believe she has enough to eat. Then
how rusty her black is getting! She is
just as proud as ever for all that
:. "Isn't it a picture of shabby genteel, to
see her sail in and take her seat in the old
Fuller pew, with her jacket brushed thread
bare and her gloves carefully inked?" re-
marked another.
81 "Now girls" demonstrated Kitty Trow-
bridge, 81 don't think it is nice to talk
about her in this way. We might any one
of us be glad if we could sail in as she
does, or if we had her complexion aud love
ly eyes. / am desperately sorry for her."
Lets give her ten dollars, then"
"Will you take it to her?"
"I'd just as soon"
So Jane Foote, as president of the So
ciety, called on Miss Fuller in its behalf.
81 have come" she said, "as' representa-
tive of our society Toto" Somehow,
confronted with Miss Fuller's stately smile