The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1906-04-19
rvs o,al ssxr ooos.


deue tne uHess
The ycsns nan stretched cot IN the
tisauser.chsif 90 the south plArrA iooken
% With frown. IL Vas the girl nert
aoer, of course. There were great.man
slrls nsri door--ihe small boase was fsif'
" osern nssins wiis thsm. There were The
,lr that 90 to speak, grew there, and the
cue who wss seventh or eighth cousin
noeody ever had taken the trouble TO stsdy
ost the relKtisn,--w had come for
month after her parents died, and stayed
ever sipcs; asa the one who belonged
sosnewbere up IN AsntAns, and WAS spend
lag the winter and goiae TO school. Also
there were, every dsv, other girls. singiy,
In psirs, Ia hslf-dozens. swinging the gate,
aud ,rooping up the steps and calling ell
over the place.
| Yet none the less there WAS one who,
whether by virtue OF the fearlsssnsss Of
her steady brown eyes, or the resslutsnsss
OF her small chin, ora general merry ir'
r,pressiblssess which often reminded one
o, q mountaiu brook, Was distinctivelv the
"xirl ner, door, Her nsme--which did
no, suIt her st sll--was Martha DeRoytsr
LAwton.
"Hello the house
Toe challenge this time held q note Of
impstiesce.
The young man In the stesmer-chalr had
had experience with that voice. He un-
wound his nve feet eleven from the tumble
Of cushions and rug. went slowly down the
steps and across to the next-door fence
Out In The April sunlight the thin, discsn.
tented face and long. white, nervsiess
nands--disgraceful hands, he called them
revealed the secret Of his grudge against
fate.
The girl, tingling with life through oil
her young body, felt pang Of pity as she
watched him, but her womsn's heart
taught her not to show 1t.
"You didn't want TO come, she Knocked
him. "You wanted to cali me names for
making you get up, but did 1t for your
good. You'd be spelled II fsomebody didn't
make yoaIdo things you don't want to-"
YOU'D be wiser to save your missionary
efforts for better MATERIAL" ne grumbled,
fro wing at the lank hand ION the fence
post.
= would II thered been anybody else !"
Martha retorted, promptly. "But there
was nobody except girls, and | had to tell
some one or 10 explode.
"of course" she added, catching the
CLINT in his eyes, "girls are splendid, ten
times Is useful rs boys for things In gen.
eral, but this was something In particular,
aud they wouldn't mean to tell, only they
couldn't help 1t because--well, never mind
that part OF It. | must tell you Rachel
mas 3 spring hat
"Has she, indeed :" he responded, With
sxasperating GOODNESS. "Is that news
supposed ths. everybody, every girl,
that Is, had new spring hat"
"Oh, did you ?" Martha flashed. 81
.uppposd you thought that each Of US In
,bsre"-she nodded back to the house
had one every spring. Eight Of Us, and
dive dollars apiece, and that, let me tell
you, is very cramb to pay for spring
nat forty dollars for hats alone and
fathers SALARY hundred and twenty-five
month !"
"Oh, you know, Martha" he protested,
flushing. ~ never reckoued 1t out.
suppose | thought the spring hats just
cans, like the crocusss."
The Young fellow WAS generally uDcom-
Portable. II was by no means the first
time his money, the money that could not
hasten his slow, dragging struggle, had
seemed almost an impertinence.
But 1t was the girls turn to flush then,
an honest red that swept even to her fore
head, and her frank eyes we're full Of con
triton.
II VA. horrld," she confessed. "Of
course you couid not know-men don't
have to have spring hats. Neither do lots
OF sirls-we don't u1ually. But this was
different. Rachel 10 to sing in the Easter
have spring hats. and her dark winter one
would have looked horrid; u would have |
.poiled the effect, for she 10 10 the front |
ror. So We All put our heads together
literally. Jean took some roses ID her
last summers hat, and Bertha . piece Of
lace from hers, and the rest OF ~ chipped |
10 and we bought frame and some tulls,
asd Jess put the thing together, and tell
you It's 40 achievement Rschel looks
Ike an spple-blossom In u. and she's had
three compliments ou II already. And it's
N .de ont Of ninety.sevsn cents aad the
contr,bu'ions Of six wsrdroSes !"
"Hu. rah for the Lswtons |" Nell re-
sponded, loyally. "Marths can't 1 help |
you celebrate sousvsy'
The eirl from her seat on the back steps |
shook her head, smiling down at him.
"Now you're foe she approved.
ay3w you are nobly fulfilling your mission
.. 4 nsxt.door neishbor and conddsnt IN
time Of need. But 1t sn't the sort Of
thing to cslebrats outside. I wonder II
you'll understand. l get angry lets Of
times over bsi,s poor, bat when ws come
TO thing like this, where We oil work to-
se.her and And-conqusr, you know, II
seems ~ fob, I eap't explain, bu. 1t
scent a. II you understand little OF the
other side Of ths hard thiuss. Ita I"
splsadld 70 get the better OF than, lt-it |
mskss you feel 20 Esstsry 10 sss out OF
yosr fussss and grumbIss !nso 'ssIoiolss
mood u
.rd Ike 70 70. ost Of ny sfunslss Into
'aIo.cire' mocd.".
aysil channlos, doat ycu ever y
oEysf what y
"EsG fesi~Bss,esy I"
"I'vs 10, to feel Eutery about, haven't
lfs When you've ~, your hear, on study.
Ing eurlnsefins. when you knew IT meant