Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-03-08

1. THE ALTAR OF LIBERTY, OR 1875.
The wellsweep of the old house on the
hill was relies ed, dark and clear, against
the reddening SKY as the early winter
sun was going down in the west It
was brisk, clear, metallic evening the
long drifts of snow blushed crimson red
on the hill tops, and lay in shades of
purple and lilac in the hollows and
the Old wintry wind brushed shrewdly
along the plain, tingliug people noses,
blow open their coats, putting in the
back OF their nccks, and showing other
unmistakabe Indications that he was
getting up steam tor real registering
night
"Hurrah! How it blows!" said little
Dick Ward, from the top Of the. mossy
wood pile.
Now Dick had been sent to said wood
pile, in company with his little sister
Grace, to pick up chips, which, every
body knows, was in the olden time con-
sidered wholesome and gracious employ
ment, and the peculiar duty of the rising
generation. But said Dick, being a
boy, mounted the wood pile, and erected
a flagstaff, en- which he was busily tying
a little handkerchief, occasionally ex-
orting Grace ito be sure to pick up
| fast :"
30, yes, [ will" said Grace; ':but you
see the chips have got ice on 'em and
make my hands so cold!
80, don stop to suck your thumbs!
Who cares for ice? Pick away, [ say,
while | set up the flag of liberty"
So Grace picked away as fast as she
could, nothing doubling, but that her
cold thumbs were in some mysterious
sense an offering on the shrine of liberty;
while soon the red handkerchief duly
secured, futtered and snapped in the
brisk evening wind.
"Now you must hurrah, Grace, and
throw up your bonnet" said Dick, as he
descended from the pile.
"But won't it lodge down some place
in the wood pile?' suggested Grace
thoughtfully.
80, never fear; give it to me, and just
holler now, Grace, 'Hurrah for liberty;
and We'll throw up your bonnet and m
cap; and well play, you know, that we
are whole army, and I'm General
Washington
So Grace threw up her little red hood,
and Dick swung his cap, and up they
both went into the air; and the children
shouted and the flag snapped and fut-
tered, aid altogether they had merry
time Of it. But the wind-good for
nothing rogueish tellow!-made an un-
generous plunge at poor Oracle little
hood, and whisked it off, of, otf-fut-
tering and bobbing up and down, quite
across wide, waste, snowy field, and
finally lodged on top of a tall strutting
rail, that was leaning, very independ-
entity quite another way from all other
rails OF the fence
"Now, do see!' said Oracle, 'there
goes my bonnet! What will Aunt Hitty
say?' and Grace began to cry.
Don't you cry, Oracle; you offered it
up for liberty, you know; it's glorious
to give up anything for liberty"
80, but Aunt Hitty won't think so. >
"Well, don't cry Oracle, you foolish
girl! Don't you think | can get it:
Now, only play that the great rail is a
fort, and your bonnet is prisoner in it,
and see how quick I'll take the fort and
get it! and Dick shouldered stick and
started off.
"What upon oirth keeps those children
so long? L should think they were
making chips" said Aunt Mehetabel
''the fires just going out under the tea
kettle"
By this time Grace had lugged he1
heavy basket to the door, and was stamp
ing the snow off her little feet, which
were SO numb that she needed to stamp,
to be quite sure, they were yet there