31G 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



For the Xew England Farmer. 



ELLEN JONES. 



A STOKY FOR GIRLS. 



One fine December night, the air was clear and 

 cold, and three children were pressing their faces 

 against the window, eager to catch the first 

 sound of bells — sleigh bells. 



"I see theiii," said Eddy, the youngest of the 

 tliree, who was allowed the favor of standing in a 

 high chair, and thus looking out througli the up- 

 per squares of glass ; ''I can see something." 



"Let me stand in your chair a moment. Bub,'' 

 said Lizzie. "Yes. 1 believe it is father and El- 

 lon," said she. 



"I know it is," said Mary, "for I hear the bells ; 

 it's our bells." 



Even the mother's ej-e beamed with unwonted 

 pleasure as her youngest darling exclaimed, 

 "here they arc, father and Ellen ! 0, Ellen, she 

 looks like a queen — with a feather in her bonnet ; 

 how beautiful!" 



A general rush was made for the door as Mr. 

 Jones tenderly, and perhaps a little proudly, 

 lianded his eldest daughter from the sleigh. 



How the younger children crowd around, eager 

 to observe every look and catch her tones, as she 

 receives her mother's warm grasp, and returns 

 her proffered kiss. To them, sister Ellen was 

 quite an important j^ersonage ; aside fi*om her be- 

 ing the eldest daugliter, she had been six months 

 ina Seminary. Having been in a city, was, to the 

 brother and sisters, in itself a groat event. That 

 much was expected of Ellen, they were fully 

 aware ; many little arrangements, and alterations' 

 in household matters, had they joined Avith their i 

 mother in making, solely in reference to Ellen's 

 return. 



Farmer Jones felt a glow of honest pride as he 

 gazed on Ellen's fine face with a look of love. 

 Certainly sister had improved in personal ap- 

 pearance — so thought the children, as after tea 

 they all gathered around the open fire-place, and 

 turned their eyes to mother's right hand, where 

 sat Ellen in the little rocking-chair. 



Mr. Jones, instead of reading his weekly paper 

 aa usual, damp from the press, dries it carefully 

 before the blaze, and lays it upon the table ; to 

 tell the truth he knew he shouldn't understand or 

 remember a word if he read, for his mind was now 

 with his children, particularly with tire one who 

 had just entered the home of her happy child- 

 hood. 



The children ask Ellen a few questions, which 

 she answers, not quite as readily as they had sup 

 posed she would, and mother tells them, "that as 

 Ellen is tired, and almost enough of a stranger to 

 be called company, she thought they ought to en- 

 tertain her." 



"Come, Eddy," said she, "can't you tell Ellen 

 something that has taken place since she left us ? 

 I think you can say something that will please 

 and interest sister ; just think, she has been away 

 from us since June." 



Ofcourse, little Eddy supposed his sister would 

 be as much interested as himself, and commenced 

 with, "0, Ellen ! we've had such nice times, on- 

 ly we. wished you had been here," and then the 

 girLs joined with Eddy and recounted the many 

 joyous, free, and merry times that good children 

 who live in the country know all about. How in 



summer they ranged over the green fich's, or 

 played beneath the shade of the tall pines in the 

 deep wood, and in the winter, when the air was 

 clear and bracing, and the long hills covered with 

 the icy snow, how the boys drew their sleds up 

 their smooth sides, and with the girls glided swift- 

 ly down and far over the interval below. 0, those 

 were merry times; even ftirmer Jones' eye lighted 

 up with pleasure at the recital. 



"It's finecoasting now, is it, my son?" said Mr. 

 Jones. "Ellen will be a fresh customer for you 

 to-morrow ; 'twill take a day or two to rub off 

 the city polish, wont it though?" turning to El- 

 len and patting her under the chin. 



"I_don't know, father," said Lizzie, "the city 

 girls that I've seen are as big romps when they 

 are out here, as any of us. There's cousin Kate 

 and Jane, when they were here last summer, they 

 could beat us all*; yes, and how everybody loved 

 them ; nobody was afraid of them, for all their 

 father was so rich." , 



"What made everybody love them I" said Mrs. 

 Jones, who had looked a little sad for a few min- 

 utes. 



"Because they were so kind-hearted," said 

 Lizzie. 



"Because they were so real polite," said Ma- 

 ry. 



"It was because they wern't a mite proud," said 

 Eddy, "and every time I see old lame Isaac, he 

 asks me something about them, and says, 'raal 

 ladies them was.' " 



Somehow the evening wore away pleasantly 

 enough, but without Ellen's seeming quite so free 

 and glad, so happy and satisfied, as was Ellen of 

 A year ago. The children easily accounted for 

 this if the}' noticed it, by supposing it was a very 

 sad thing to part with teachers and school-mates. 

 They retired and left Mr. and Mrs. Jones arrang- 

 ing matters for the morrow as they sat by the bed 

 of bright coals. 



"Wife," said Mr. Jones, "they give me a very 

 good account of Ellen at B. Mrs W. says she is a 

 fine scholar, — ambitious, — and a good share of 

 self-respect. They all advised me to have her re- 

 turn in the spring. But the question is, can we 

 afford iti We've had to make^ an extra effort to 

 do what we have for her ; but there, if I was sure 

 she would reixiy us, I shouldn't mind that or 

 more." 



"We can tell better how to act in this matter 

 when spring comes, — we Avill try and make Elle^ 

 happy at home till then," said Mrs. Jones. 



"Ileigho ! well, I've a notion it takes more to 

 make girls happy that have been to these city 

 schools," said Mr. Jones. 



The next morning found the family seated 

 around the breakfast table before it was dawn ; 

 Mr. Jones being a hard-working, industrious man, 

 found the old maxim, "Earl}' to bed" &c., for his 

 special interest. They knew it would require some 

 effort for Ellen to rise an hour earlier than had 

 been her custom ; so as she did not appear, they 

 said it was "no matter; bye-and-by she would 

 got up as early as any of them." Ellen made 

 lier appearance soon after the fitmily loft the ta- 

 ble. 



Just now Mr. Jones entered and said to the 

 cliildren, that George and Sarah S., children of 

 their nearest neighbors, were coming with their 

 sleds, and if their mother could spare them for an 



