Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-10-26
A CHILD SHALL LEAD.

Miss Mehitable,'' said Louetta aft
er a long pause, Shouldn't you think
it must be nice to have lot Of dead
folks all your own?''
hiss Mehitab1e dropped the black
stocking she was knitting, pushed her
spectacles up on her smooth, iron gray
hair and stared at her newly adopted
daughter. The girl sat in the little car
pet covered rocking chair, the lamplight
shining on her abundant red hair, her
freckled face, her small, nearsighted
eyes, Not even her own mother could
have called her pretty child, bat Miss
Mehftable surveyed her with perfect sat
isfaction.
Only six months ago Miss Mebitable
had gone to the orphan asylum in the
city and astonished the matron 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.
s'My name is Mehitable SWEET of Roy
ton, ," continued the visitor, 'tand can
refer you to the selectmen Of the town.
"Our holneliest girl! Well, think
we ought to call up az, said the ma
tron to the amused first assistant. So
"42," shrinking, red haired child, not
beautiful, surely, was brought in to the
visitors parlor.
t'You can leave US alone, said Miss
Mehitable, and the matron obediently
withdrew.
''Now, my DEAR said Miss Mehita-
BILE to the frightened child, with sud
den softening CT manner, ''get up in my
lap.
The child allowed herself to be taken
up.
''There, now,'' said Miss Mehitable
"Why, I guess you amt much used to
laps Well, We'll change all that Now
what's your manner"
'Forty-two Esped the little girl.
''Pshaw You must have some other
name than AZ. What is it?''
Ny names Chrissy Boylston, only
it's Christmas, not just Chrissy.' -
''Why DO they call you Christmas?"
The child remained silent.
''Oh, guess I know" said Miss
Mehitable. E'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 Mehitable slowly and gently
drew from the child all the story she
had to tell. There was pitiably little Of
it. She had been only a few weeks old
no II or
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 any ones lap before. She had
never been kissed, and she was 10 years
old.
So "42" was legally adopted by Miss
Mehitable SWEET, and renamed Louetta
Luella SWEET, after twin sisters of Miss
Mehitable's who had died in infancy
Miss Mehitable kept a 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 story current that Miss Mehitable
had once asked young woman to leave
the shop who bad dared to ask if she kept
crimping irons
In spite of these prejudices, her trade
was good. The farmers wives for miles
around knew that Mehitab1e SWEET S cal
icoes never ran and that her "all
WOOL meant all wool. Mehitable was
one of the largest taxpayers in the town
and was one Of the quaint figures on the
train when, on stockholders day, all
the holders Of stock in the railroad COM
pany ride 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 a substitute. She
had been favored by the authorities,
who were much impressed, with an off
cial document certifying that Mehitable
SWEET had furnished a substitute. The
certificate. in a frame, was the crown
ing glory of her shop.
The fact that the substitute was sho
in the back while running away from
fight did not, in Miss Swett's Judgment,
affect her responsibility toward the
mans family, and she had watched over
them-they were a shiftless lot-and
borne with them, until one happy day
they all emigrated, and were forever
after unable to return.
The certificate hung over the door
which led into the parlor, and the ian
Cling bell rang under it all the day long.
Miss Mehitable used to sit behind her
counter, like a Judge on the bench. and
the stately "Well?" with which she in
variably greeted her customers was
enough to brighten timid strangers.
But the village people knew her well,
and though they laughed at her pecul-