Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-08-09

I'm kinder on watch tonight; and Hetty
won't never know what did do, if don't
send homo the log long II the cargo.
Well, you see was born ia, them parts,
down to Canton, where father belonged; but
mother was Simsbury woman, and afore was
long-togged, father he moved 9nter the old
humstead up to Simsbury, when gran'ther
Peck died. Our farm was right 'longside o.
Miss Buel's; you'll sect when ya& go there
but there amt nobody there now. Mother died
afore | come away, and lies safe to 5he leeward
O. Simsbury meetin house. Father he got
stroke spell back, and he couldn't farm it
so he sold out and went West, to ParmeIy
Larkum's, my sisters, to live ButI gusss the
house is there, and that old well How etarnal
hot it's growin'. Doctor, give tlsstsdrink
" Well, as was tellin', lived there next to
Miss Bucl's, and Hetty y'n' [ went V deestrict-
school together, up to the cross-njads. We
used to hev' ovens in the sand t6gether, and
roast apples an ears of corn in lef4; and we
used to build cubby houses andfx EN- out with
broken chiny and posies swan makes me
feel Gurus when 1 think what chil4ren du con-
trive to get pleased, and likewise riied about
One day reclect Hetty d stepped aTito my big
gest clam-shell and broke it, and up and hit
her switch right across her pretty lips. Now
you'd "a thought she would cry and run, for
SHE wasn't bigger than baby, much but she
jest come up and put her little fesarms round
my neck, and says,
"' I'm 30 sorry, Eben
And that's Hotty Buel declare | was
beat, and l hav'n't never got over .bein' beat
about t at So we growed up together, always
out in the woods between schools, huntin'
checkcr-berries and young winter feens, and
princes piney, and huckleberries, arl saxifrax,
and birds, aud all them woodsy. ngs that
children banker arter{ ard by ~ " got to
goin' to the 'Cademy; and wher 85,tty was
seventeen she went in TO Hartford t6+ner Aunt
Smith for spell, to do chores, and get little
Seminary larnin', and l went to work on the
farm and when she come home, two year
arter, she was growed to be a young woman,
and though was five years older'n her, [ was
as sheepish land-lubber as ever got stuck
a-goin' to the mast head, whenever | sighted
her.
"She wasn't very much for looks neither
she had black eyes, and she was pretty behaved;
but she wasn't no gret for beauty, anyhow, only
thought the world of her, and so did her old
grandmother for her mother died when she
was m but two year old, and she lived to old
Miss Buel's cause her father had married agin
way down to Jersey
carter spell I got over bein' so mighty
sheepish about Hetty her ways was too kindly
for me to keep on that tack We took to goin'
to singin' school together then always come
home from quiltin'- parties and conference meet
ms with her, because twas handy, BEN right
next door; and so it come about that BEGUN
to think of settlin' down for life, and that was
the start OF all my troubles. | couldn't take
the home farm for twas such poor land. father
could only jest make live out ont for him and
me- Most of it was pastur', gravelIy land. full
of mullens and stones; the rest was principally
woodsy, mot hickory, nor oak neither, but hem
lock and white birches, that a nit of no account
for timber nor firing longside Of the other trees.
There was little strip of mcdder-ot, and an
orchard up on the mountain, where we used to
make redstreak cider that beat the Dutch but
we hadn't pastur' land enough to keep more n
two COWS, and altogether knew 'twasu't any
use to think of bringin' family on tot. So
wrote to Parmely's husband, out West, to know
about Government lands and what | could do
ef was to move out there and take an allot-
ment; and gettin' an answer every way favora-
bic, l posted over to Miss Buel's one night arter
milkin' to tell Hetty. She was settin on the
south doorstep, braidin' palm leaf; and her
grandmother was knittin' in her old chair, a
little back by the window, Sometimes, a,lyin
here on my back, with my head full o. sounds,
and the hot wind and the salt sea.smell a,comin
in through the wnders, and the poor fellers
groanin' overhead, get clear away back to that
night, so cool and sweet the air full of freely
smells, dead leaves like, and white blows in the
ma sh below; and wood robins singn' clear fine
whistles in the woods; and the big sweet brer
by the winder all a-aowered out and the drip
pin little beads of dew on the clover-heads; and
the tinkln' sound of the mill-dam down to
Squire Turner mill.
81 set down by Hotty and the old woman
bein as deaf as II post, it was as good as if I'd
been there alone. So mustered upm courage