Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-06-18

II
made The giddesi pate among us (my own) pre-
fer their Saturdays certificate of the school
mistress approbation,' to all other earthly
good.
Playmates Of my childhood, where are you
now! One lies in the fathomess depths of old
ocean. Over his bones the monsters of the deep
hold their sports. Some are toing for wealth
and honor in the crowded marts of the cities
and villages, too busy to visit their native soil,
save on Thanksgiving day. Many live in honor
and usefulness Some have been laid in the
grave of shame. Others died vile the dew Of
their youth was on them, their pillow smoothed
by the hand of mother. Shall ever forget
the dearest companion of my boyhood, Joseph
Forester! His childish beauty his amable
modest manners, his bright clear blue eye,
sparkling with merrment, and beaming with in
telligcnce; his patient meek, gentle temper, his
heaven-derlved piety-an instance Of the rare
Development of religious character in early
youth, almost without general culture | was
away when he died, on visit to city relatives.
In my absence had read the Burial OF Sir
John Moore, and when came home, the first
impulse was to take my gun and cross the woods
to the old buryiEg ground and weep over it;
and then to fire my gun once and again, at in
tervaIs in his honor. | have both smiled and
wept since that time, when have recalled the
mode in which the boy of nine years expressed
his love for the memory Of his still more youth
full companion cannot now pass by that neg
lected grave-stone tramped down by cattle,
without deep emotion. Twenty years after,
with some trouble, identified the short hillock
over Joseph's ashes, and with starting tear
longed to fire my gun once over it. He is not
here Like all eartb's pure ones, he is "a min
isterng spirit to them who shall be the heirs Of
salvation The holy dead love to watch over
the living and to whisper, as spirits may, warm
ing, consolation, and words of cheer.
But forgot my proposed homely tale, in
these recollections of boyhood My story is a
sid one-,onc of the ten thousand instances on
every hand, Illustrative of the former need and
present blessings of the Temperance Reform,
1t was perhaps, year after the burial o. my
schoolmate, when, just as the sun was going
down behind the pine woods, took my seat on
the stoop of our back door, to watch the many
tinted clouds, though in truth, the much hum
bier business of keeping the hens out of garden
sauce, was my assigned duty. Between the
clouds and my huge volume Of history, the fowls
had fine spor t in the cnlcn beds. 1t was still
hour. Every leaf was motionless. Suddenly
a scream burst on the ear, and mans voice,
as in agony, cred out, O Jesus Christ, o Je-
Ehrict Il boil,
me out of this prison. The devils have got
hold of me. Father, mother Jane let me out,
you'll kill me. o Jesus Christ! Here the
voice died away, and become indistlnct. We
all knew what it meant. The sound came half
mile, and yet seemed to be uttered close to
us 1t was familiar voice. Its tones of kind
ness we had often listened to- 1t was one we
loved, now, alas, a maniac! There was none
but serious, thoughtful faces in our family circle
The mothers eye, after glance around on the
faces of her own manly sons, was upfted to
heaven, and tear trickled down her cheek
What change in only three years. at last
came from one of the circle. Yes said an
other, he was one Of our finest young men, -
1t was true. No one entered life with brighter
prospects than James CIapp. His family was
one of the oldest and most respectable in the
country, They were patriotic race. Three
of the immediate family had fought the battles
Of the Revolution Respectable, from sound
Judgment and such education as the country
supplied, not poor though far from wealthy,
they belonged to that very class from which the
best minds and most honored men of our land
commonly spring.
Endowed with more than ordinary intellectual
powers, fond Of reading, calm in his passions
sagacious and conscientious, who of all our
lyoung men seemed more likely to be honoreC
and useful to his kind than James Clapp? Who
did not respect him! Who could help liking
himl His parents were not the only ones who
said that 'he would one day be one of the first
men in the State He was not without person
al advantages to secure his popularity Consid
eraby above the middle height, well proportion
ed athletic, with finely formed head, GLOSSY
:: black hair, countcnance ruddy with health
eyes of hazel, from which the kindness of hi,
general nature shone out it is not strange
James was popular Had his moral and socla
qualities been less calculated to win regard, HI
would not have lacked friends, and he did not
And when with the gains of his own industry
he commenced business at twenty-three, as
= merchant, in our own town, friends and custom
q ers Aocked round in crowds. A few short years
saw him one of the most thriving merchants il
h the town, rapidly increasing in wealth and the
e respect Of the good, without losing one frient
! or making one enemy
e Those were the days of darkness, darkness
ar that was felt in the ruins of the hopes of thou
r sands. Every store had its casks and hogs
10 heads of cheap, and its demijohns and bottle q
i higher priced forms of acohol as certainly as it
s boxes Of sugar and shelves of dry goods-a
of least in the country No man, scarcely VIC
O. man, went shopping without drinking at Ieas
Mt glass OF cordial, or stronger liquor, betor
St leaving 1t would not do to treat the merchant
,pitb Il,