Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1857-01-03
MISC ELLA n Y.
THE MAN THAT KILLED HIS NEIGH
B0RS.
BY MISS l.. MARIA CHILD.

Send thou abroad love for all who live.
And feel the deep content in turn they give.
Kind wishes and good dcels-they make not poor;
They'll home again, full laden to thy door
The streams oe love flow back where they Begin
For springs of outward joys lie deep within
r. W. DANA.
1t is curious to observe how a mans spirltu-
al state reflects itself in the people and animals
around him. nay, in the very garments, trees
and stunes.
Reuben Black was an rfesta,ion in the neigh
borhood where he resided. The very sight Of
him produced effects of the Hindoo magical
tune, called Raug, which is said to bring on
clouds, storms and earthquakes. His wife
seemed lean, sharp. and uncomfortable. The
heads of his boys had bris,ling aspect, as if
each individual hair stood ON end with perpotu-
al fear. The cows poked out their horns hor
izonaly. as soon as he opened the barnyard
gate. The dog dropped his tail between his
legs, and eyed him askancc, to see what humor
he was in. The cat looked wild and scrasgy,
and had been known to rush straight up the
chimney when he moved towards her. Fanny
kenble expressive description of the Penn
sylvanian stage hurses was exactly suited 10
Reuben 5 poor old nag. "lis hide resenbled
an old hair trunk" Continual whipping and
kicking had made him such stole, that no a.
mount of blows could quicken his pace and no
chirruping could change the dejected dropping
of his head. All his natural language said, as
plainly as a horse couu say it, that he was
most unhappy beast. Even the trees on Ren-
ben's premises had gnared and knoted ap-
pearance The bark wept little sickly tears of
gum, and the branches grew awry. as if they
felt the continual discord, and made sorry faces
at each other, behind their owners back. His
:. fields were red with s0rrel, ur run over with
" MULLEN. Everything seemed as hard and arid
Us his own vsage. Every day, he cursed the
town and the eighborhood, because they poi
soned his dogs, and stoned his hens, and shot
= his cats Continual lawsuits involved him in
SO much expense, that he had neither time nor
money to spend ON the improvement of his
o. farm.
Against Joe Smith, a poor aborer in the
neighborhood, he had brought three suits ii
succession Joe said he had returned a spade
he borrowed, and Reuben swore he had not
He sued Joe, and recovered damages, for which
- he ordered Joe TO seize his pig Joe, in his
wrath, called him an old swindler, and curst
to the neghborhood. These remarks wer'
- soon repeated to Reuben. He brought an &C
Z. ton for SANDER and recovered twenty five cents
Provoked at the laugh this occasioned, he watch
ed for Joe to pass by, and set his big dog uPo'
.. him, screaming furiously, "Call me an OIL
n swindler again, will youl" An evil spirit
in more contagious than the plague. Joe wen
n home and scolded his wife, and boxed little Joe
ns ears, and kicked the cat and not one of then
IN IN knew what it was all for. A-fortnight after
Reuben's big dog was found dead by poison
NJ Whereupon he brought another action agalns
Joe Smith, and not being able to prove hir
guilty of the charge of dog-murder, he too
his revenge by poisoning pet lamb belongin
-, TO Mrs. Smith. Thus the bad game went or
ic with mutual worriment and loss. Joe's ten
OIL per grew more and more vindictive, and th
lot love of talking over his troubles at the grog
10 shop increased upon him. Poor Mrs. Smit
- cried, and said it was all owing to Reube
r. Black; for better-hearted man never live
rs than her Joe, when she first married him.
III Such was the state of things when Since
Green purchased the farm adjoining Reuben I
'45 The estate had been much neglected, and ha
- caught thstles and mullen from the neighbo
As ing fields. But Simeon was a diligent MAJ
hill blessed by nature with healthy organizaic
od and genial temperament; and wise ar
J. kind education had aided nature in the perfe
az ton of her goodly work. His provident indu
le's try soon changed the aspect of things on Il
.ore farm. Rver-mud, autumn leaves, old shoe
ry, and old bones, were all put into requisiton
be assist in the production of use and Beaut
The trees, with branches pruned, and ba
- scraped, free from moss and insects, soon loo
ed clean and vigorous. Fields of grain wav'
where weeds had rioted Persian lilacs bow
mac gracefully over The simple gateway. Mchig
- roses covered half the house with their abun
ant clusters. Even the rough rock which forI
IM- ed the doorstep, was edged with golden MOS
mao M The sleek horse, feeding in clover, tossed