The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-07-21
SELECTED STORY.
A Bow of Ribbon.

The little bell was continuously tink-
ling and the shop wat often full of Gus
toners waiting to be served. or course,
the shop was not very large, and was
choked full of things, principally ready
made pinafores, skirts and shawls,
while in the glass case that stood beside
the door woods and bright colored rib.
bons were displayed, and on the coun-
ter were laid tapes, pins and needles
and all kinds of small ware.
Craseby was q large manufacturing
town, such as the North abounds in,
when people earned in the factories
good money" which they were al
ways too ready to spend, and among
the women not a little of each weeks
wages found its way to Miss Hanson
in exchange for the bright ribbons dis
played in her glass case or in the cot
ton blouse of brilliant tint, and Satur-
day afternoon was the time when these
important purchases were made. Fri
day evening was pay time, and the
money was burning holes in the own
ers' pockets until the halliday holiday
gave them the leisure they required to
go and spend it.
Ellen-or Miss Hanson as she was
always called-was a general favorite
in the way we regard some we rather
pity. She was so quiet and humble in
manner, 80 ready to please and oblige,
and would take as much trouble in
serving a penny customer as one who
came for things many times that
amount.
In appearance she was rather gaunt;
her clothes seemed to hang loosely up
on her. and her hands were rough and
red with hard work. There was a pa
tient look in her brown eyes, and her
hair, had she allowed it, grew loosely
and lightly over her temples, but this
was strained tightly back. Undoubted-
ly she had the makings of a good look
ing woman, which for lack of being
made the most of were going to seed.
For many years she had supported
her mother, but now she had no one
dependent upon her, and her loneliness
and desolation were keenly felt by
Ellen. 1t had never been her way to
think of herself. Indeed, she would
consider it a real waste and almost sin
full to have things comfortable just for
herself. While the mother lived, her
one thought had been for her, and
toward the end the mother had grown
CulIulSu anu lICblul3 Oub bhlo hou Ohl1
made her the more patient and thought
full for the helpless ones comfort. She
was essentially one Of those natures
whose greatest happiness consists in
having some one dependent upon her.
1t was very meat to her hungry, lonely
heart, for hidden beneath her natural
reserve was a whole sea of love simply
running to waste. Love-such a
o-A4,o ALsp- 10 ha uvnotnl Sti11 -
would SEEM, no one desired 1t.
How often it is so! Those who have
the greatest love to bestow and are
most worthy are often those whose love
is least sought.
"I've a good business" Ellen would
say, land l just live in that, and p'r'aps
Pm downright ungrateful to expect
more. But cottons and tapes are poor
company, and now mothers gone 1
never feel as though it matters whether
customers are few or many. Each
tinkle of the bell seemed like a luxury
for mother"
But it wasn't often she had time to
indulge in such wicked thoughts"
as she called them, for business was
brisk, and it was only during the week
at odd moments" that she could sit
down a bit, and then this desolation
came and almost seemed to ~suffocate
her. And ON Sundays she seldom ven.
tured out except to go to church, for it
was 30 doubly dreary to walk out alone
when everyone except herself had a
companion, and right down in the bot
tom of her heart she envied the young
couples who would stroll by arm in
arm, utterly oblivious to everybody or
everything except themselves.
Years ago, when she had been q girl
of about seventeen, young George Sea-
ton had wanted her to keep company
with him. But the mother had de-
clared she was to young, and now Ellen
thought, with a sigh, 81 am too DID,"
thong in reality, she was not very
much the wrong side Of thirty, but
then, she looked very much older, and
it is supposed a woman is as old as she
looks.
So, however bright the Sundays were,
Ellen would not be tempted out of her
little parlor 10 60 for a walk, for she
felt her loneliness more in going out
than when sitting by herself in the
house. 1t was almost like being a
leper, to walk alone. Doubtless there
were many people, had they known
how much pleasure they could have
given, who would gladly have invited
her out walking, but the general i'm
preston was that Miss Hampson wal
rather dull sort of person, who wal
happy enough in her W way.
1t had been a warm, sultry day, anG
toward evening Ellen stood at her doc,
trying to get a breath of air, when Dicl
Darnley came along the street. HI
was a good looking man, with an homes
face and clear blue eyes, and was
general favorite. Craseby was not hi
native part, for he hailed from the Mid
lands. He was a carpenter by trad