Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1858-02-26
miscellaneous.
From the New York Mercury.
THE BLACKSMITH'S PRENTICE.
A TALE or THE REVOLUTION
ny JOHN COOPER VAIL.


4 TALE or THE REVOLUTION
ny JOHN COOPER VAIL
CHAPTER /.
1t was the darkest hour of the Revolution
for the American cause. There were traitors
in the camp, though the great mass Of the
people remained firm and determined in the
cause Of independence The British army
outnumbered the American forces as three to
one, but liberty was the prize TO be won, and
brave hearts led on by Washington, did not
despair. What If they were clad in tattcred
garments, and their feet were shoeless leav-
ing marks of blood on the frozen ground
wherever they followed their loved command
er, so long as they battled for the birthright
of freedom
At the period of our story. there stood in
the vicinity of the village of Brunswick, log
house of rather large dimensions, and built in
manner that proved that its proprietor went
in more for comfort than appearance, as re-
garded his dwelling. There was an air Of
neatness and taste about the garden, that
seemed to prove that it was under the ospec-
ial care of woman, even though currant
bush, honeysucklo and hop vine had been
for many days under the SHOWS of December.
nc PIopI'e'o oi 'ne must i','o"eN 'uo
uoUD'' o"","S VI oi''N''s'i'i u''' ,'i '''o'
! ne l.. was n"ie oi0 MA" VI "OV1' ~ '.lu
his family were composed solely of his wife
Dorothy, and his daughter Mary, a beautiful
girl just budding into womanhood. In his
youth, farmer Jonas Hutton had advocated
quaker principles Of peace but in his age his
~ lulPN'",.9 "''o '.,.0"' ~ 'i0
VI M'"s ueois - Oo''u,'. ~ 10y,
"'V" So '' P'''' "e "PPg
SNi0, n'u''a"'y ~ i'b","O" D0'n 'No "'.
!sn anu AIle, Io"l 'ause' 'no'' 'Ho"Bn 9"SP,'-
IONS "c'o RUG VI MS oA'e"uln5 "'u u 'No
lorner' ne mad thus Jar, escapeu actual proof
ne on'y person hlrCu "Do"' ms premises was
n taii uhBalhly YOUTH Oh ABOUT twenty years
oi age ana VINO served as neiper IN tne
smithy' "nen occasionally ne'shDor "isned
MS morse shoo or n'S wagon Wheei uteu, nus
name was Maiachi Jones' ana ne ha'leu rom
the bay nt''f, from whence ne n"o "anuei e"
20 ms present st'Ion' some 'n'ee years o,
lore oinoinE hihsg" TO ogYlte mutton .''
one-aha-t" twenty JIG nag a.' 'nv p'C"ila' l''eS
"i tne migratory race OF Ne" England, ana
though as we have stated DE was tau ana
uhgaihly 10 ms department warm near'
beat under ms homespun vest ana ne as
Played much genus ana taet Ior the dement,
oi nis employer. AS matter oil course ne
mad been m love ior long TIME with the iAlr
form ana oiue eyes oI n's master daughter
Mary tnonsh she had always treated ms case
so cooily' that any one else put genuine
ankre wo0et would have ieit the heia IN
despair no girI Gan pear 20 nave IL sara .hat
her lover is an ooicct OF rdicnie' and Mary
was wei, aware mat t'll Maiachi-the name
by winch her iAther s apprentice was general
~ addressed--was the sport OF a'i the young
girls the neishoorhood. ANA yet she might
nave maze many d worse cho'Ce' TOT ne oiu
lair 70 oocone h's.ora'e ,'oonani'' was d
crack shot Win .nc fi''o' anu oVu'" ou'-'uu'
OF outJ nmp' as ne eApfessVu IL h'inSci'' any
thing that stood m TWO shoes' lie was
hrm advocate OF the Anerican cause ana
"hoh MS ooss was NOT uy' Auu nc couiu g"'u
a listener ear he would express nus aaIllra-
uon Tor washington IN inc hignest terms
IL was IN tue '"lIer pafl o. Deoei,losI' "'ig
elose upon ausH' Wnen a yonns '''',p' Il'iIeu
IN 'ne uh'o'I' Oh an ensign 'N 'i' No''''''n-
ta' army ana mounted upon ~, a powo'iul ste!
morse Iouo UP 20 o4u'le il-'.oI sl"',"y,
anu 49, ''''' nus animal '''s'' 'oN
,.,,u. ..,...
reno, 'lo'' 7uu''''I W oI III 'p'io,' nav
ing at 'no s'f1ug ava" as N"'1oHl y o"s!
iouuer'nS Ino Ie'',o' anu nav: P'or'taJe ~
n'No Ao's "o"i ''N' ~ "''' ~ an
bo"F' perhaps 'nee ma" ogt'eI Apply "' ',,o
next snoP, "hich tAee VIII nnu "Dou' d mlle
ana " h9i l'r'ncF On '"c S''"'s"' Io"N 10
brun'"icN' anu
"A plague on nG'Snooi lalAei anu ms WSB
on wheel saia ,ne youuf m"1 lulPD'''p,'y'
"AS you nave stated h'W''er, 1 am III ,. "a nui-
iY' anu oe" lHl''''a"' N', 'H'''V' " "'n
lnBlon' ""om Un"9l s'a"u ~ "u ,',S way "
attack our enemies a' ..nc'lo"' M"y "'@'-
en- l.'or '.e i'sl. c'N'e an
amen, s"'u vac sin'th, earnestly n"'
aS / nave informed 'n1' ot'o'c' " E.i' oS 'l'
poSSlo'e 10 a''cnu 10 ,n' Snoe'"s " r"y 1I'9'
to-hl5hl ~ is nearly uaIA' anu se'Noii'
Protl"ct my i"po'S "''', n'sn' l''l
Ing stranger neSeu +" 'lo,'en'' a,u '',en .t..
mu''eflhs 10 h'hseu' III Is nov Poss'o'e wa.
l can nave oeeh hl's'n'olneH' Ute" P",0'
rom ms pocket ana nauueu /" 10 'q1'0
Hutton
Nv hat inns ne exclaimed
'Someihlns that 1t would not be polite 70
let every ono pernse IN these times On, l
have heard that you afe st"onch man 10 'he
cause OF King George and can trust YOU
Inc eNlgencles OF my case wlh not aahli' oil
delay. My horse must ne shou, ana must