Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1859-06-24

thc mluulc oi the ola stone dyke Ou. cOulu
he only be sure that his treasure was there
also Before bedtime he was twice on the
point of stating the whole case to them,
making a clean breast of it. and getting the
bag in; but he couldn't screw himself up to
that point. Weren't they all anxiety about
him, and the illness Of the day and was he
to tell them il was all sham He couldn't
do it. And by this time his old feet were
being washed by Kate in a tub Of hot water
and Molly was lowering with wooden spoon
the temperature Of large bowl of Cruel
spiccd, buttcrcd, and qualified with whiskey,
which, according to his wies recipe, he was
to drink Immediately he got in amang the
claes."
When he went to bed he couldn't sleep
he could only think and his thoughts wan
dered back 20 the day when he won the heart
of his old partner, Jessie--that proud day;
the day Molly was born and he remembered
a hundred little happy scenes that had hap
pcned before that unhappy bag received the
first miserable note into its stomach and
then on and on, till suspicion and distrust
sprung up between him and those he loved,
and all the old happiness passed away, and
he saw himself become-ay. and he now de-
scribed himself to himself in so many words
IA mean. old, miscrly rascal IL surprised
him TO catch himself thus libeling himself
What had made the change; Had he not
Just succeeded in putting his money safe be-
yond-ah. was it safe How he wished be
could know that And against whom had
he desired security, Against Jessie, and
Molly, and Kate. Poor dcars How anx
ious they had been about him in the morn
ing how they had kissed him when they
went out, hoping to find him better when
they camo back. Why, they hadn't kissed
him for years; but then he had never thrown
himself upon their sympathies. He had
. chuckled then to think how easily they were
deceived He saw now what miserable.
old. hypocritical wretch he had been How
tonderly they had nursed him. and looked at
him. not doing kind things without meaning
them. Oh. yes, they loved him-ay. better
than his bag; for only let him sicken and
die and wouldn't they have it among them
to do with as they liked And after all,
what in the world was the use of it but to
give pleasure 90 himself and them And
when. at this stage of his reflections, his wife
asked her "dear auld guild man how be felt
himself now, and with a kiss turned away for
the night, he nipped his old legs and fixed
his teeth at himself as at perfect brute ;
and that same moment he resolved he'd take
the bag into the house next day, and live an
opon-handed life to the best Of his ability,
henceforward. With this came a degree Of
mental composurc; and at last, far toward
morning, be fell asleep, and into dream-land.
Everywhere was the bag In one dream,
a lot Of boys were playing football with it,
tossing it about, giving it kicks that sent it
far up into the air, to "lop' down again with
dead heavy sound till at last it "lopped'
into a duck-pond and sank and all the boys
waded into the duck-pond, and himself with
them, searching ever so anxiously, but could
get no trace of it. From this dream Andrew
awakened with a smile.
Then he saw it lying in the wooden chest,
as of old and the chest was locked, and
down in the front parlor, as Of old and
there came a cry of Fire fire .' and the
house was burning, and he and his wife and
daughters Just escaped with their lives. but
with nothing else; and no one could be
found 20 venture in TO take out the old chest,
and be stood aiar off seeing it burn, and tear
ing bis gray hairs with rage and grief He
vakcned from this dream also with a smile
for he knew the bag was not in the chest, but
safe ont in the dyke
Then came two little boys, in dream,
playing out in the back garden. He knew
them quite well the moment they appeared ;
and they began to play at hiding toys in the
wall and searching for them when, 10 they
found the bag, and opened its great big
mouth, and took out such heaps Of papers,
and wondered what they were when sud
denly the wind arose, and caught the heap,
and whrled away the whole, and the air was
as white with bank-notes as it ever was with
snow-hakes in a storm. Andrew walked gasp
ing he could stand this sort of thing no
longer.
The gray dawn was coming in at the win
dow, cold and cheerlcss. He got up quietly,
and with nothing on but his trowsers and
shirt, made for the back door, up the garden
to the WALL to the hole; and there-the bag
was gone
am not going TO analyze Andrews feel
inys on missing the bag--the blankness of his
despair as he stared, with dropping heart and
hanging arms, at the damp, old wall, in the
dull twilight. He returned to bed after
time TO find his spouse asleep, and quite un-
conscious of desertion. For some time he
couldn't think nationally Of his loss after
the first paroXysm. however, his good sense
gradually asserted itself and the more he re-
ilected the stronger grew his hope Of getting
back his money. Two things were almost
quite certan-whoever took the bag must
have seen him hide it, and missed, like him
self, the discourse Of Mr.. Thumpanball and
being satisfied that the absontees from church
were few, and could be discovered, he began
to lay his plans so as not only to detect the
thief, but to regain the bag without exposing
his own domestic relation, which had led tc
its concealment, and of which he was now
heartily ashamed.
After breakfast, he walked slowly down the
main street. towards libby Johnston's-thc
halfway house. libby, the leader of the
village gossips, was standing at her door
when he approached it, and at once proceeded
to question him as to his illness.
f "Man, ! was sorry said libby ''ye wer'
p ma in church yester-morn, more because o nC
/ being able. Awcel, auld folks is auld folks
an we hae a the same gate to gang-thougl
/ a folks dinua hae to travel sac lars yourself
h, Andrew Miller, to teach the end OF. Ant
O. what was the matter wi you, nooi" she con
G tinued, pressing home her inquiries withou
= giving time to answer. "Was it the rheu
t MATES or the headaches There was John
e ME Swan was bad, too, yester-morn, an has
n to bide at home, like yourself poor body