The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-04-19

HIS arm up elaiTS ana ;uONn, spent MS
evenings by her side, instead of joining
other young men in racing over the city
to find ways to kill time.
t was beautiful sight in these days,
when beardless boys come stamping and
whistling into their mothers presence.
with their hats on, and call her +" the old
woman
spent q pleasant autumn under Mrs.
Harris quiet roof. And now, winter
had set in, with its nice long evenings.
John came into tea, one night, with his
brigh. face overloaded Johns master
had failed and John was thrown out of
employment.
Then | learned that it was only bv
the strictest economy, and boarding of
every cent of Johns small salary, that
the house rent was paid, and the table
provided.
And now, SO the widow said the house
must be given up for John might be a
long while getting another place; clerk
ships were so difficult to obtain, and
they must not think of running in debt
1t was such n pity. We were all so
comfortable and happy there, in that
cozy little parlor, with its sunny bow
window full Of flowers, and its bright
Lehigh fire, and softly cushioned chairs;
that coy porlor. where the little round
table, with its snowy cloth, had been SO
often spread and fragrant coffee, and
delicate tca-biscuit, and racy newspapers
had been 50 often discussed where John.
in his slippers and dressing gown with his
dark hair pushed off his broad forehead.
read to us page after page fsome fayorito
author while the wind was welcome to
whistle itself dumb outside the thres-
hold, and old winter to pile up the snow
at the door till he got tired Of it.
Il ac0S hard.
John walked up and down tie floor.
with his hands crossed behind him, and
Mrs. Harris went round the room, hunt
lug after her spcctacles, when they were
comfortably reposing on the bridge of
her fine Roman nose.
\ knocl; at the door
A note for John
Enclosed find 500 to pay John
Harris house rent for the coming year.
a FRIEXD."
John rubbed his eyes, and looked at
his mother; his mother looked at me.
and | looked at both of them and then
we laughed and cried til! we nearly had
regular Mysteries.
But who was the "Friendn2 That
was the question, We were all born
Yankees and did our best at guessing
but it didn't hcl p us. Well, at any rate,
1t was very nice all round. | hadn't to
be routed. No, nor John, nor his dear
oid mother. And pussy purred round as
If she lad as much reason to be glad as
any of us; and the canary trilled so
sharp strain that we were obliged to
mulle his cage and his enthusiasm, with
Johns red silk pocket handkerchief
Mrs Harris and had not got orr
feminine tongues still, the next day,
when John came back, in the middle Of
the afternoon, with another riddle, to
drive our .womanly curiosity still moro
distracted. He was requested to call
lmmediatel $50 note he had just re.
ceived read at Mrs Cos. and
= accept the head clerkship, at salary
OF $1,000 year. being highly recon-
mended by person whose name hls em.
ployers decline giving"
That was greater puzzle still. John
and his mother had rich relations, to be
sure but though they had always been
Interfering in all their plans for making
living, they had never been known to
gre them anything excopt--adrice, or
to call on them by daylight, and it
wasn't at all likely that the leopard
would change his spots" at that late
day. No, it couldn't be Johns rich rel.
atives. who were always in such panic
that their cousins, the Harrises, lived in
an Questionable part of town, dinod at
one o'clock, and noticed trades-poople
and mechanics.
We were to sensible to believe in fair
les, and who the mischief was emptying
the = horn of plenty" that way at our
feet, was the question.
When we woke the next morning. VIC
found in the back yard barrel of ap.
pies, barrel of flour, kog Of butter,
aud bag of buekwheat -four, labelled
" for Mr.. John Harris, street"
John declared, (after pinching him.
self to see if he were really Jobn.) that
he fastened the gate inside the very last
thing before he put on his night.cap
Mrs. Harris said somebody must have
climbed over and untastened it, and
jumped right up aud down, for a bright
thought had just struck me. and l was
determined to hold on to it for | didn't
have bright thought ere,y dag.
What nowl" said John, as capered
round the room.
Oh, nothing said only it takes
woman after all, 10 find out secret.
and to keep II, too," / added, swapping
my finger at him.
That day though it would do me
good to ride about in an omnibus.
tried several 1t didn't make much diff
ference to me whether they went up
street or down, Or where they finally
stopped | was looking more at the pas
Fsengers.
By aud by | saw the person wanted
SAID |, IN whisper, setting down beside
him, =" house rent-clerkship-f four-
butter-crackers and buckwheat; all for
giving you scat in the omnibus !"
| Didn't | know that " the fairy was
the nice old man with silyery locks?-
Didn't he bribe me to hold my tongue,
by telling me that he would come and
drink tea with me- 50 that he might get
a peep at John aud his motherl Didn't
he come and didn't look as much as
tonished when he called, as if it hadn't