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

Its very pretty, my dear" said
Miss Mahala, "and | don't see but you
write as we'll as most of them. But |
can't help thinking how times have
changed In my young days it wouldn't
have been considered proper for an I'M
married girl to be writing stories and
selling them to the magazines Miss
Pettingill was very particular about the
training of her young ladies, and don't
believe there was one in her establish
ment who would have thought of doing
such "a thing.
Margaret Dillingham; looked up at
her stately great aunt with smile and
wondered why this "story writing" was
more to be despiSed than the binding of
shoes which, in Miss Mahala's chil'-
hood-before the excellent training Of
"Miss Pettingill's establshment"-the
brave women Of the Dillingham; family
had not disdained to do during those
long, hard winters when the men of
the family We're absent on their hazard
Gus whaling voyages.
Meanwhile Miss Mahala had folded
her delicate, wrinkled hands over her
smooth silk apron and was eXpatiating
upon the high feelings Of the Dilling-
hams of her youth.
The two were on the little front porch
together before the open door. Miss Ma
hala was rocking gently in her shaker
chair, while Margaret sat on the step,
with the magazine from which she had
been reading upon her lap. The air was
fragrant with the perfume of roses, and
the sweet, old fashioned pinks i'll the
border were all III bloom.
"But you had some celebrated women
writers then" said Margaret, There
was Mrs. Sigourney, for one
"My dear is it possible that you COM
pare yourself with Mrs. Sigourney?'
exclaimed Miss Mahala i'll shocking sur
prise,
ooh, my, no! l was only wishing
Miss Pettingills ideas hadn t been quite
so-restricted, said Margaret, with a
spice of mischief. "You write such
beautiful letters, Auny Mahala, that you
might have rivaled even Mrs. Sigour-
ney herself had your unmistakable talent
only been cultivated i'll time.
my dear, in those good old days
Young ladies were taught the strictly
feminine accomplishments. We learned
to sew, and to knit, and to do the finest
embroidery, and the most beautiful lace
stitches. There's nothing like 1t done
nowadays, Miss Mahala said primly.
Margaret thought of the exquisite nee
dlework she had seen at the decorative
art rooms the winter before and smiled
'There is something very quaint about
your good old times, Aunt Mahala'
They always make me think of-Dres'
den shepherdesses and sweet lavender
"Sweet lavender-ah, that reminds
me of Lois Pettingill, and that last yeal
at school! Poor Lois was so fond OF
lavender, AID she did have a hard time !!
unused Miss Mahala. "Her aunts were
both plain, hard women, and they dldn
realize things were different when
girl was pretty, like Lois, and full OF
life and spirits! They had been teaching
for 80 years, and they had brought hel
up to teach, but for all that Lois was
only merry, unthinking girl
"I'll never forget that last night sh'
took us out to prayer meeting alone VI
her way home some nonsense OF HettlC
Bradford's set her off laughing, like al
the rest of us, and who should open tine
door to us but Miss Pettingill herself
Lois Pettingill, she said, you am Z Il.
to be trusted with young ladies' ah'
after all the pains have taken ! II
ashamed of you'll Lois said nothing ou
the next day her eyes were red WIZ
crying, and she was never allowed TO o'
with us girls again without either MlS'
Pettingill OF Miss Jane was BY 1ho
went ON for may be a month OF more
ind then one morning-she was gone
Eyes, Aunt Mahala, and they though
she had run away to her mother S lam
lily in Hartford, and they were angry
and never wrote nor ever asked
word"-
"Her name was never mentioned ait
erward," Miss Mahala said solemnly
Except in whispers between US eirls