The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-09-19
Selected Story.
GREEN GRANITE.
BY MARY L. PAINE.

SS$SSSSSSSS~SSSSSSS S~SS~S~S~S~S~S~S~>>S~S
TIME little village of Harrisburg
quivered with excitement. Helen
Payson had taken the five hundred
dollars, left her by her uncle John,
and had bought out the bookstore.
And she, a girl of eighteen, whom
everybody remembered in short
frocks. Such temerity was never
heard of. Out at grandaunt Nancy's
home under the mountain Helen was
hearing very much the same thing as
she shelled peas for dinner with
flushed cheeks.
Quiet Uncle Aaron sat silent while
his wife talked for both. She was
preparing hash for dinner and her
chopping knife few up and down in
the bowl as she used it to emphasize
her remarks.
~ can't see what possessed you,
Helen Payson, to take all that money
and just dump it into james Potters
bookstore. Didn't you eyer hear
faint good sense to put all your eggs
in one basket?"
SIT seems to me that depends on
the basket" was Helen's reply.
Mrs. Payson did not stop to argue
the point. Her chopping knife
played staccato accompaniment as
she continued, Besides it seems kind
of saucy for girl to do such thing
without asking anybody aye or no."
Helen's cheeks grew pinker and the
peas ratified faster in the pan, but she
said quietly, 81 did talk it over with
Mr.. Potter"
ooh, him." said Mrs. Payson scorn-
fully. "He had it to sell, hadn't he9
Anyway 1 can't understand a girl
your age going into business for her
self. And here you was getting six
dollars week for nothing on earth
but just keeping school"
"Yes," answered the girl with
spirit, "and paying three of them for
board. District school only keeps
twenty-five weeks in the year either.
Why auntie," she continued in
softer tone and with suffused eyes,
'if you and uncle had not given me a
home whenever needed one should
have starved"
If this little touch were meant to
mollify Aunt Nancy it failed of its
purpose, and the chopping tray
rocked as it was set on the table.
"You might as we'll have starved be-
fore you threw away five hundred
dollars as afterward, l s'pose," she
rejoined grimly.
"But Aunt Nancy, hope to make
enough money to go to college. With
a good education | could do better
than to keep district school,"
Helen had now touched a vulner-
able point. Unknown to anyone Mrs.
Payson had always longed for some
thing beyond the "three RS" of her
school days, but she was not yet
quite prepared to retreat from her
position. swell, you could "a done
something else. There's millinery
now"
Helen sprang up laughing, "Why,
Aunt Nancy, you know I've no taste
for millinery"
"Oh, we'll, we'll. Have your own
way and live the longerP snapped
Aunt Nancy, setting the peas on the
stove with unnecessary Vigor.
Helen flushed painfully, and even
Uncle Aaron took his pipe from his
mouth and looked at his wife. In
moment she turned about and faced
her niece. The muscles of her lips
were twitching and her eyes moisten-
ed as she said, "I'm a selfish old wo-
man, Helen. l wanted you TO put
that money on the mortgage and
then come out here and live with us
all the time except when. you were
keeping school. l kept runnin' it
over in my mind till it seemed as good
as settled, and when l found out it
wasn't 1 was dreadful disappointed
that was all. And here I've been
forgetting the promises and dis