The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1896-07-15
SELECTED STORY.
A Child Shall Lead.

stocking che was knitting, pushed her
spectacies up on her smooth, iron gray
hair and stared at her newly-adopted
daughter. The girl sat in the little
carpet-covered rocking chair, the lamp
light shining on her abundant red hair,
her freckled face, her small, near
sighted eyes. Not even her own
mother could have called her pretty
child, but Miss Mehitable surveyed her
with perfect satisfaction.
Only six months ago Miss Mehitable
had gone to the orphan asylum in the
city and astonished the mstron by ask
ing for the homeliest girl they had for
adoption.
"There's always plenty of folks to
take the good looking ones" she said,
with a contemptuous sniff.
/" My name is Mehitable SWEET of
Royton," continued the visitor, and |
can refer you to the selectmen OF the
town"
"Our homeliest grill Well, l think
we ought to call up 49," said the
matron to the amused first assistant
So "42," shrinking, red-haired child,
not beautiful, surely, was brought into
the visitors parlor.
"You can leave us alone," said Miss
Mehitable, and the matron obediently
withdrew.
"Now, my DEAR" said Miss Mehit.
able to the frightened child, with
sudden softening of manner, "get up
in my lap"
The child allowed herself to be taken
up.
"There, now" said Miss Mehitable.
Why, | guess you amt much used to
laps. Well, We'll change all that. Now
what's your manner"
Forty.two," llsped the little girl.
"Pshawl You must have some other
name than 49, What is it?"
"My names Chrissy Boylston, only,
its Christmas, not just Chrissy."
"Why do they call you Christmas?"
The child remained silent.
"Oh, L guess 1 know" said Miss
Mehitable. "They found you on Christ
mas day on Boylston street. Have you
any relations or friends?"
"No, ma'am."
No relations or friends! Well,
We'll change all that, too"
Miss MehiIable slowly and gently
drew from the child all the story she
had to tell. There was pitiably little of
it. She had been only few weeks old
when the policemen found her. Her
mother had abandoned her on Christ
mas day. They had brought her here.
She had always had good food, clothes
and teaching. No; she had never been
held in anyone's lap before. She had
never been kissed, and she was ten
years old.
So "42 :" was legally adopted by Miss
Mehitable SWEET, and renamed Lou
eta Luella SWEET, after twin sisters of
Miss Mehitable's, who had died in in
fancy.
Miss Mehitable kept little notion
shop in Royton, where she lectured the
girls who came to buy corsets and re-
fused to sell cap pistols to the little
boys or colored candy to the little girls.
There was a story current that Miss
Mehitable had once asked a young
woman to leave the shop who had
dared to ask if she kept crimping
irons!
In spite of these prejudices her trade
was good. The farmers wives for
SWEETS calicoes never Gran" and that
her call wool" meant all wool. Me-
hitable was one of the largest taxpayers
in the town and was one of the quaint
figures on the train when, on stock
holders day, all the holders of stock
in the railroad company rides free to
Boston.
Miss Mehitable was a patriot, and
during the civil war, when, of course,
she could not be soldier, she had in
sisted upon sending substitute. She
had been favored by the authorities,
who were much impressed, with an
official document certifying that Miss
Mehitable SWEET had furnished sub
stitute. The certificate, in a frame,
was the GROWING glory of her shop.
The fact that the substitute was shot
in the back while running away from a
fight did not, in Miss Swett's judgment,
affect her responsibility toward the
mans family, and she had watched
over them-they were shiftless lot
and borne with them, until one happy
day they all emigrated, and were for
ever after unable to return.
The certificate hung over the door
which led into the parlor, and the
jangling bell rang under it all the day
long. Miss Mehitable used to sit be-
hind her counter, like a judge on {
bench, and the stately "Well?" with
which she Invariably greeted her Gus
toners was enough to frighten timiG
strangers.
But the village people knew her we'll
and though they laughed at her pecu'
liarities there was no one in Roytor
who was respected more than she.
The adoption of Louetta Luella hat
been matter of intense interest in the
town. 1t was just like Miss Mehitable
they said, to take child that no one
else would have. But all the towns
people were kind to the plain, shy, un
childish stranger.
Day by day Miss Mehitable and Lou
eta grew nearer to each other, the one
80 glad to give love, the other starving
to receive it. Little by little the child
opened her heart, sure of sympathy
and Miss Mehitable was learning wha
strange and unnatural product an or
phan asylum child is.
Louetta's mind was 80 full of quee