The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1859-05-07
The broken Vase,

lad who, iu playing about lrrs lat4rT'H room,
bad knocked down O beautiful agate vase,
and shattered lt into d dozen fragments, A
moment before his eyes we're sparkling with
pleasure, his checks glowing with excitement
and his whole air that of conscious enjoy
menl now be- stood pale, shrinking, painting,
his oyes heavy and llpa quIyerng,
/ What will father say| Mournful were
his tones, as he repeated the words, after
brief silence Poor buy how suddenly was
tho bright sky of hs fpllt oyercioudgd,
That vase, NJ TaT6 WnfkmansiAp, the RiIt N
flend. and much priced by his father, lay
ruined 30 hlr feet, u was not in ihu power
Of humnH-skil 90 festrfe itl OF that The un-
hippy lad irlt hOpelrssly conscious, For
awhile he bruuded over tho shapeless ffag-
meuts, yaiuly searching in his mind fnr some
light, then, ~ al remained dark and threat
duiUg, bic feelings sought r,'.a' in gush Of
tears For some minutes be wept aud sob
bed bitterly, then he grew calm, Seated iu
% chair, with his sad face rusling on his hand
aud his ryrs iyrd on the broken vase, ho 20
maiued Tor lo,,S time, medialing on the
nov aspect ul ntairs, and trynF 20 see oleafs-
~ what 10 was best tar him a. do, No one
heard 70 fall Wid hr 90 length, speaking 90
himself mentally, and as he did 90 q feeling
Of relief was experienced. II mother had a.,
heard lho noise sho would have been here iu
a minute
Tho ld rose up quickly aud went silently
from the room, not chat hr bad made up his
mind On deny nl participation loo the accident,
hr uuIy WISHED Go retain tho ability 10 do 30,
II ON reflection that course we're determined
upon, No one Was stirring iu The passage,
lhr dining room aud Kitchen doors we're shot,
and away on iu the third story Of the back
building Was bis mother, scW,"s in the nurs-
rry. $50 Ter nIl MAS Alip. aud the boi lyit
atIll further relieved, On oucol the landings
~ be- went down stairs he saw bis little bls- .
trrs f,Gfiic cat last asleep ~ once the
thought Vas suggested that here ansa seape'
goat Tor him. I'm shut pussy up 10 Ihoroom,' ,
said be- with o suddenly formed purpose,
'and lhrlll think She Knocked down tie vase,
And with the words be- caught up,tGe cat
aud went silently towards his fathers room
bat ere be- reached the door he fclt 30 die.
luTurl and uncomfortable, such pressure Of
guilt fir deliberate wrong, that Dee lrG the cit
E from biS hand, Sngularly enough the
animal, Instead of running down stairs.
bounded oh In the other direction, and gctu-
a,.y entered the very room where the vase
las broken on lhc iluor
j didn't pat her in there anyhow So
the boy thought ~ ho went slowly and noise
lrssly down stairs. Still be- did not feel right
uboulit But for his action iu the case, pus-
sy would silil bc quietly sleeping on the
landing,
% dsar. O dear" sighed the unhappy 10y,
as hc .lt down upon the stairs, what shall
do' Father will bc 80 angry Oh, ! wish
hadn't gone into bis room
AZ This moment the nuTtcG door was
opened.
John Iohu"
o, leiiGG6 hi.,,mqlaer i,Jl, ..!..
tie p-,l.f, teak a hoax from the ccurc'tablr,
and rti.,Bioe II, pretended TO read.
John the mother continued 90 cali
Here Lam, mother John auswsrcd, from
the parlor door.
i want YOU, dear
John wen, up to his mother with 0 new
burden on hi, already heavy hcart. lie had
pretended not 70 hear her first call, and ~
thi, hc had acted unfairly towards her, AID .
In way 10 diminish his own self respect
Go around to the trimming store aud get
me u skcin Of blacl, silk, John
Not ycu,uring to lju his eyes TO his moth .
cs's face, John took The charge that was
reached 20 him, aud unJt qutrkiy owHt p
lie was gone a good while, 80 long that has
mother became slightly impatient at the delay
aud when hc appeared, uttered few repto\.
ing words. These hurt hiuU good drol and
urr,cntcd the revelation he was about 20
make The fact was, his mind had been so
exercised In relation Ia the broken vase that
he had partially forgotten his crraud, OF loth-
rr the urrrS,i,y OF doing 1t promptly, On
his way home from the trimming store he sat
down ON q step TO con over suggestion
which had come 20 his mind. 1t was, TO 20
at once to his mother and reveal the fact that
the vase was broken, leaving 1t with her 10
make the dreaded disclosure to his, father,
who was of rather has,y temper, man who
in too many instances, acted first aud reflect .
ed afterwards. ltw0s because OF this pecu'
liarty IN his disposition that John was so
much distressed lie knew that in the first
emotions awakened on receiving intelligence
of the disaster, he would not look at all be-
youd the fact, or imagine that There might hc
any cxtcnuating circumstance" And so
John came IN from the trimming store pre-
pared TO make n clean breast to his mother,
hut the displeasure she manifested in conse /
auencc of his delay repealed him and he
shrank with the mir and feeling OF dehn-
ouvnt nom her presence. Down into the par
lor he went feeling wrctched in the ex-
,remc.
/ 20 dear. wish father knew it. ] would
! tell him ns soon us he came in and explain
1 all ahont it, | would tell him how sorry feel
and that he may sell my silver iork,nW6 nap
lan-ring, and that he needn't buy me ti'tii
gold watch he promised for a birthday pres
cnt but il wouldn't be of any use. The mo-
ment he learns that the vase is broken he
will he angry, and say he don't want to hear
word from me, aud most likely he'll drive
me to the gurret and not let me como dbwa
! for two or three days, o dear, dear! l wish
/ ! hadn't gone into his room. 1t was wrong,
/ | know, but | wanted n book, and when
there forgot myself ! wish father would
not get so angry when do wrong. l want
J TO tell him all about this. I'll never have
any rest until he knows that / broke the
vase and yet am afraid to say a word about
/ it,
! While such thoughts were passing through
the mind of the unhappy boy he was aroused
/ by the sound of his mothers voice, who APP
pearcd excited about something. Instinct
| ivcly ne assigned the cause, and he was right.
/ She had discovered the broken vase. Pale
aud trembling John stood at the bottom Of