Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-06-09
THE BLUE
ORGANDY DRESS
by NJ. II. W. CARTER.

had flashed before Cynthia
admiring eyes, she had been able to
think of nothing else.
1t was now week ago since she first
saw it, on the Sunday when she went
to church. That in itself was a great
event, for Cynthia rarely went to
church, The poor farm, where she
lived, was several miles out from town,
and OH Sunday mornings there were
always many reasons why Cynthia
could not attend church. Mr.. Curtis,
the keeper of the poor farm, was tired,
or Mrs. Curtis had too much to do, or
the farm horses were lame, or it was
too hot or too cold, or too wet or too
something. At all events, the times
when Cynthia had found herself in
the small white country church of a.
were few and far between.
How it happened that on this partic-
ular Sunday all conditions should be
favorable was something with which
| Cynthia did not concern herself. 1t
was enough for her that here she was
on the back seat of the big farm
wagon, Struggled in between lame Aunt
Sally, who would take snuff, and old
Mrs Plummer, who was so deaf that
she couldn't hear a sound, clad in her
new calico dress, with a clean cotton
handkerchief squeezed tight in one
small hand, and with the prospect be-
fore her of leisurely ride among the
pleasant country roads, sweet and
fresh with the mornings fragrance,
and echoing to the music of birds and
bees and breezes.
Then at the end of the ride was the
church service, which Cynthia always
enjoyed. True she did not understand
much that the minister said; but he
was pleasant to look upon as he stood
there before his people, calm, benign
and dlgnlfed, and Cynthia always ex-
perienced a sense Of well-belng, of
satisfaction in the general order of
things when she thus beheld him
The church was cool and somewhat
dim, thanks to the big protecting elms
which overshadowed it, the open win
dows admitted the Wandering summer
breezes, the attitude of the people was
reverential, the hymns were sung with
a fervOr and devotion which made
them indeed part of the service. All
these things had their effect upon
Cynthia's impressonable nature, and
made for her Sunday service a thing
eagerly anticipated and long remem-
bered.
On this particular Sunday something
out of the nrdinnrs' l,o1 A's'Ff's''s''a'z
The minister was about to begin his
sermon, when there rustled down the
aisles two ladies, and, following them,
n little girl about Cynthia's age, wear
ing a wonderful dress. The little girl
was fair, with rosy cheeks, sunny hair,
and eyes the very color of the blue
cornfiowers in her dress. To Cynthia
she was an embodiment of beauty-all
life and color and sunshine. She
was a summer visitor, of course. No
little girl in Fl. possessed gown like
that or had sunny curls or such
pretty way of quickly tossing her head
and looking up, for all the world like
a little bright-eyed bird. The entire
morning service was lost upon Cynthia
after the advent of the stranger. She
had eyes for and thought of nothing
else; and afterward on the way home,
and all through the drudgery and
monotony of the following days, the
memory of that beautiful dress and its
dainty wearer made pleasant picture
in Cynthia.s mind.
She was thinking of them now as she
sat ON the doorstep resting for a few
minutes. She had finished picking
the blackberrieswhch would go to
town the next morning, and now she
must sew on the coarse brown toweling
as soon as Mrs. Curtis had prepared
the work.
Cynthia did not like to sew. The
toweling was stiff and rough, the cot
ton would kink up so tiresomely, and
the needle got so sticky in her moist
little hands that it was almost impossi-
BILE to push it through the cloth. But
Cynthia's likes or dislikes were not
consulted about sewing or about any
thing else, and she had learned to ac-
cept the inevitable with as good O
the pleasant things which might lie
hidden beneath the surface.
Now, for instance, Mrs. Curtis was
certainly very Kind to allow her to sit
on the doorstep to do her work; she
might have insisted on her sitting in
the living room where it was close and
hot. Here 1t was shady and compare
lively cool, and the road was in plain
sight Perhaps some one might go
by. Even as the thought came to her,
she saw a carriage slowly approach
ing. Very slowly it was coming, and
soon even Cynthia's inexperienced eyes
could see that something was wrong.
When it came near enough to see who
was in it, imagine Cynthia's delighted
surprise to find that it contained two
ladies and little girl-the summer Wis
itors of the preceding Sunday, and the
little girl wore the blue organdy dress
The carriage stopped at the big gate,
and one of the ladies reckoning, Gym
thia shyly drew near.
isn't there some man here who cGn
mend our carriage2 We have met
with an accident and dare go no fur
ther," said the lady.
Cynthia called Mr.. Curtis, who pro
nOunced the damage slight, although
it would take some time to repair. Mrs
Curtis offered the ladies the use OF
the best room; but they preferred to
have chairs out Of doors under the trees
and the little girl, whose name proved
to be Gladys, announced her intention
of playing with Cynthia.
Every well, dear, do as you like, "
remarked the lady, who was evidently
her mother.
Cynthia glanced at her unfinished
sewing and at Mrs. Curtis. you may
leave your sewing till later" was Mrs
Curtis response to the unspoken ques
ton, and Cynthia turned delightedly
to her unexpected guest