Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-07-12
ity which had not befallen him before in

ity which had not befallen him before in
years.
AS he journeyed from jar to Jar and
from cake-box to bread-box, he whis-
tied to keep up his spirits, but between
whistles swallowed frequently. Sallie
had remained up half the night, baking
and cooking
Presently Jake sat down to a cold din
| ner, consisting of cake, cookies, pie,
| bread and boiled meat, while out of the
| open door fioated ill-smelling smoke
harbinger of scorched potatoes and
burned ham. Beside him sat his favor
lite cat, occasionally mewing mournfully
FOR its two lost mates. 1t was a soli-
| tary meal, the precursor of many anoth-
er. as three desolate months went by.
| Loneliness, bakers stuff" and an I'M
| easy mind were all responsible for the
| change which took place in Jake. The
hesh fell away from his round face and
the ruddiness forsook his cheeks. The
| laughter died out of his eyes and his
| shoulders began to sag He no longer
J gossipped daily in the post office with
the denfzens of Pleasant Valley, because
or the inquiries concerning Sallie's alb
sence. and he was ashamed to own that
all which stood between the end of Sal
| lies protracted visit and home was n
| surface of ugly dull red. Still, during
| those miserable weeks the idea of
| changing that red did not occur to him.
| Had he not said that that side of the
house would never be touched with white
paint as long as he lived? And his word
| was the word of a Marvinl
Bitterly he pictured Sallie enjoying the
| fruits of idleness in a South Bend board
| ing-house-as though Sallie, who was a
born worker and lover of home could
| ever enjoy boarding! But had not Sal
| lie said she would never set foot in that
house again until it had white front?
AND Coll a. IL
| a Marvin!
One day, the latter part of August,
| Jake hitched his whte-nosed horse to
the blackboard, and tying a lamb secure
| ly behind the seat, started for the butch
| er's beyond Pleasant Valley. Across the
| Valley he journeyed, and up among the
| hills on the other side Along the ridge
| of one of these ambled the white nosed
| horse, while it's driver stared at the
dashboard immersed in his own troubles.
Suddenly turn in the road brought
| him on a scene noisy with the creaking
| of ropes, the sudden Tightening of trace
| chains, the sharp word of command 1t
was a scene which electrified Jake with
| a wonderful idea, the solution of all his
| trials and the return of domestic peace
despite the opposing word of two Mar
! wins.
| 1t was supper time before he returned
to his own hillside, whistling as he Jog
his seat in front of the barn door he
| was astonished to see the lamb cycling
him meekly from the back of the buck
| board. He had quite forgotten his orig
inal intention to dispose of it to the
| butcher. He united it and drove it into
| the barnyard.
IT'S the last one in the flock" he
muttered, and Salliell want to raise
| it'-for so soon was he counting on Sal
lies presence as the result of his idea.
Three weeks he gave over to the COM
pletion of that idea, He had never
worked so hard before, and yet, despite
the heat and the work and the bake
| stuff, the flesh returned to his face and
the laughing good nature to his eyes.
At the end of the three weeks he la
boriously indited a letter addressed to
| Miss Sarah Beaseley Marvin" The let
| ter merely said, II have just given the
front of the house brand new coat of
white paint. Come along home"
When the stage bells announced the
| approach of that vehicle two days later,
Jake Marvin was outside the barn, his
| eye applied expectantly to a convenient
crack which commanded few of the
| house.
| Around the curve came the stage, and
out of the stage, as it drew up outside
| the gate, stepped Sallie, clad in her linen
buster, the handle of the cat basket
grasped firmly in one hand. Her face
was aglow and her eyes shining with
| the joy of homecoming, She looked
eagerly toward the house with its white
front, but with the first glance a start
| ling change came over her. She stopped
| short in the dustry road, staring dazed-
| ly at the sight which greeted her The
basket of cats dropped from her nerve-
less grasp. Her mouth was slightly ajar,
| and the delighted Jake saw her gasp
| for breath.
For the house which she had left on
the upper side of the state road had
been moved across the road and further
down, where 1t now rested-minus Its in
| convenient basement kitchen-on a level
foundation. In front of 1t was the wide
| porch, and from turret to foundation
stone 1t glistened with all the snowy
| glory of three new coats of white paint
that Is as much of 1t as Sallie could
zee.
She darted around the corner of the
house At the back she stood one long
moment looking up at the fresh red
paint with which the former front was
decorated. Finally her face relaxed. Her
| eyes crinkled down at the corners and
| her mouth curved up to meet the
crinkles as she disappeared inside the
back door. Then and not till then did
Jake, his own eyes dancing, saunter out
and aid the stage driver with the two
trunks and suit case, the shoe-string bag
and the basketful of cats.
| This process completed. he turned. his
| eyes still dancing, to meet his sister
who stood in the front doorway looking
about the beautified home with a happy.
| proprietary air. the while she felt a
| family pride in the fact that no Marvin
had gone back on his-or her-word.
| -tAlice Louise Lee.