The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-09-16

| fariu' an settled down to farmD' ont
and he sot by that Bible dreadful
sight, expect for he gin our Sail tho
brightest red an weller handanuer you
ever see she used to keep i. to tnke to
meetin'P
Miss Ranney was certainly right in
her guess Josh had heard in that mis-.
cradle midnight the discussion of bis fu-
ture, and, having a we'll founded dread
| of the selectmen's tender mercies, had
given last caress TO his dead mother
and run away to Boston where he ship.
ped far whaling voyage, was cast aw y
on the Newfoundland shore after ten
years of sea life. aud being at that time
a stout youth OF twenty, sick Of his sea-
manship he had h cd himself to work in
a stone yard and D, the time be was
thirty five had laid IN enough money to
return thrifty bachelor. and. bnying a
little farm on Piaiufeld Hill, settle
down TO HE ideal of life, and become the
amusement of part of the village and
the oracle Of the rest
We boys adored Uncle Josh, Cor he
was always ready TO rig our boats, spin
US yarns week long and gil our pock.
cts with apples red and russot as his own
honest face. With the bellies of the vii.
lage, Uncle josh had no such favor; he
would wear a pig tail in spite of scoff
and remonstrauce; he would smoke a
cutty-pipe and be did swear like a sal.
lor. from mere habit and forgetfulnoss.
for no man, not professedly religious,
had a diviner instinct Of reverence and
worship than he but it was as iustnc
tive in him to swear MS it was to breathe,
and some Of our boldly speculative and
law.despising youngsters held that it
was no harm in him, any more than
gosh and thunder we're in us for re.
ally he ment no more.
However, Uncle Josh did not quito
reciprocate the contempt of the sex be-
fore long he began to make Sundy night
visi'ations at Deacon Stons's. to brush
bis hat O. mornings, to step spry, and
wear a stiff collar and stock. instead of
the open tie he had kept, with the pig
tail. long after jacket and tarpaulin had
been dismissed tho service so tho vii.
iage directly discovered that Josh Crane
was courting the school mistress. Miss
Eunice,' who boarded at Deacon Stones
What Miss Ence's surnaue g might be I
never knew, nor did it much matter
she was The most klodIy, timid. and low.
able creature that ever tried to reduce
n district school into manners and arith.
metic she lives in nv memory still; q
tall, slight figure, with tender brown
eyes. aud sad face, its broad lovely
forehead shaded with silky light hair,
and her dress always dim tinted jaded
perhaps, but scrupulously neat and sta
Bile
Everybody knew why Miss EuDice
looked so meekly sad. aud Why she was
still Miss Enpice she had been 'dlsap.
pointed !; she had loved a mau better
than he loved her, and therein copying
the sweet angels. made fatal mistake
broke her girls hoart, and went to keep
ing school for living.
All the young people pitied and pat
ronzed her all the old women agreed
that she was a real clever little fool =
and men regarded her with species Of
wonder and curiosity, first, for having q
breakabe heart, and. next, for putting
that member to fatal harm for one Of
their kind: but boys ranked Miss En.
nice even above Uncle Josh for there
lives in boys certain kind of chivalry.
before the world has sncered it out of
them, that regards sad or injured wo.
map as creature claiming ali their care
and protection and it was with a thrill
of virtuous indignation that We heard of
Josh CRANES intentions toward Miss
Eunice nor were we very pi:iful of cur
old friend, when Mrs Stone aunou need
to old Mrs. Ranpey (who was deaf as n
post, and therefore very useful, passive.
ly, IN spreading news confided to her, as
this was in church porch) that Miss
Eunice want going to Lev' Josh Crane,
cause he want professor but she
didn't want nobody TO tell ont so ev.
erybody did
1t was. beside true, Mss Eunics was
sincerely religious woman. and though
Josh Cranes simple, fervent love max
ing had stirred thrill within her, she
had thought quite impossible. still, she
did not think it was right to marry au
irreligious man, and she told him so
with meek frpness. that quite broke
down poor Uncle Josh, and be wont back
to his flrmng with profounder respect
than ever for Miss EnDlcc, and miser-
able opinion of himself
But be was a person without guile of
any sort he would have cut off his pig.
tail sold his tobacco keg, tried not TO
swear for her sake, but he could not pre-.
tend to be pious and he did no.
A year or two afterward, however,
when both had got past the shyness of
meeting, and set aside if not forgotten
the past, there was a revival Of religion
in PIainfeld-uo great excitement, bus
quiet springine up of good seed" sowu
in past generations it may be, and among
the softened hearts aud moist eyes were
those of Uncle Josh. His mothers
prayers had slept in the leaves Of his
mothers Bible, and now they awoke to
| be answered.
1t was strangely touching, even 10 old
Person Pitcher, long used to such inter
views with the oddcst of all people unde,
excitement rugged New Englders-tC