Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-04-14

gone away ana AIce mao Ne
Ess:s5ss{ gun teaching they We're the
tSsiES.S5 subject of much after churcl;
and sewing circle talk.
IF Alice could only cit married
now" observed Mrs. Mcnr5. WHO was
perhaps the leader nmonS the gossips
in S~andgatC. 1t nd he the most fort
nit thing that could happen. but she
holds her head perty middlin' high for
a poor girl, which p'raps is nat'ral. she
comm from one q the oldest families.
They say there want nothin' left to
either on 'en when the Widder Page
died. nm the wonder is how she man
AGED 10 git along as well as she did"
The vpxntiors of an effort to pound
the rudimcuts of an education into
the heads of two dozen or 81 barefoot.
81 boys and girls that comprised her
charge were far less hard to bear than
Inc desolaticn Of q home bercft OF
mother and brother. Occasionally
some one Of the neighbors would drop
in Of m evening or one or " of her
girl friends come and stay all night.
On sundays she was. rs she always
had been. Il regular attendant at the
village church. where she formed one
of the choir.
She was like a flower herself. not
only in locks. but in delicacy of feeling
and sentiment, and her sweet face,
sheltered by a mourning hat on sun
day ar church. was a magnet that drew
the eyes of many Il village swain. The
days and weeks Of her new life as q
tcAcher passed in uncventful process.
sion until one by one the leaves had
fallen from The two big elm trees in
front Of the dpsolatc home, the mead.
ows were but level fields Of snow. and
Christmas was only two weeks away
Then 4hc received Il letter from tho
absent brother that caused her heart
to beat with unusual excitement. II
read;
Dear Sis-Three weeks ago | received n
most tattcring proposal from Mr.. Mason
Frank father who offered me a good
salary to take charge Of his law busi-
moss and also the chance to accept any
thing else that came my way. | have
a nice office now in a block he owns and
am SO busy | do not nnd time TO write Il
YOU even. Its an op"ning # n lifetime
and ! owe II mainly to Frank. Now | an
so hOinrsick am coming up 10 spenC
Christmas with YOU, and I've invited
Frank TO come also. We shall he UP tn,
day before and stay till the Monday aft
~. Frank has done 90 much for me tina
| want to entertain MIN in the best way
possible. He knows absolutely nothing
about country life. ana It may ho dull foi
h.m. but h" s'cms DESTROYS Of coming, auo
- 7 want You 10 help me To- make !
cheerful for hiu To be candid, sis.
think the chance 20 see you. whom h.
haa heard mo sng 50 much about, Is thu
real loadstonc. ! inclose a bit of paper
and ] want YOU to use Ct all in any W.!
YOU wish,
II was n check for 500.
1t vas not strange that at school mex
day Alicc's thoughts We're not on tn.
rccitatlonS. and when one boy spcllc,
boaut. ~"b-o-o-t-i-e" and raised a lauel
she did not understand why it was.
That night Alice said To Aunt Susan
"Do YOU think, aultic, we could man
age between lis 20 make up some sor
Of q pretty house dress? OF course
must wear black when | go out. but I
would be no haru to wear somethin.
brighter AT homo, | could get som
delicate gray cashmere, and Mrs. Si0
per can cut aud fiji il, and you and
can mako il evenings. want n sol
Of house gown trimmed with satin.
wish | dared 10 have Il new hat 70
church, with "A little color in i'm,
mourning bonnet makes me look so ol,
but | am afraid people would talk"
But how the days dragged, and hoy
many times she counted them TO So
how many more were to pass ere tina
dearly beloved brother was 10 arrive
And what sort of "A looking fellow wa
this Frank she wondered. She hope
lie was tall and dark, not tOo tall, bu
good and stout. And how could sh
ever entertain them? She could pla
and sing n few pretty ballads and an
number of hymns, but as for ~convers;
ton she felt herself wholly dehcien
or tho world of art. literature and tn
drama she knew but little. she ha
read a good many novels. it is tru'
and had seen Uncle Toms Cabin,
East Lynne and one or two Otht
tear moving dramas played in the tow
hall, but that was all. She had nev'
even iourneyed as far as Boston {
New York. He will think me as gree
as the hills around U.S." she though
ruefully, "but l can't help II. ! ca
cook some nice things for him TO OF
anyhow, and Bert must do the talkini
wonder If he plays the piano.
hope not, for If he does I'll not touc
it."
Christmas. cane, op. IhugHdqX thu