Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1864-01-20
AN APPRoYRTATE EPISODE.

This reminds me of an incident of to.
day. l have not told you before shat this
is the day before Christmas, lit will have
passed SO long before you can hear me.
had long talk with Santa Claus this
morning and you should see what have
hidden in a basket-what woAders for
Ellie and Bel, what treasures for May
the child who walks in perpetual night
with the smile of seraph radiating from
her pale, shut eyes. Santa Claus told me
not to forget the three children of a SOL
dier, crouehing in filth and darkness in
the hole of a ruin under the hill. Be.
side the children and their "mammy,"I
found for the first timc their father SOL
dier of the-"Virginia, ""home for Christ
mas" While Matilda and Noah in their
rags, with flying tow hair, were dancing
and devouring their goodies" and Miss
Victory. two years old, was pinching the
stomach of her new baby. to make it cry.
the father proceeded to relate his expert
ence. 1t was hard life-history. lis.
tened to it full of sorrow, till he CON-
m enced to tell how he tried to shoot his
brother, and how nearly he succeeded.
"O,' said, 'you don't mean you tried
to shoot him, but you felt that he must
take his chances with the rest" 'Yes,
did," he answered, II tried to shoot him.
1t was out here to Winchester; he came
up with forty men, and | picked him out
of the forty. I'd hit him, too, an laid
him fat, if hadn't been nabbed from
behind, and taken prisoner" But he
was your brother!" :" | don't care if he
was my brother, wasn't he id rebel?
I'd rather shoot my brother than any 9TH.
er man when | knows he's rebel. I'll
never git over it, to think how near | came
to KILN him an didn't, cause | was
nabbed"
The scanty light struggled in through
the boards which covered up the glassless
windows, revealing in more than twilight
shadow the ferocious man, squatting on
log; the saffron skinned woman smoking
pipe over heap Of ashes, the murder
Qps gun leaning against the heap Of stones
which had once been chimney. I was
afraid of it. The man SO eager to shoot
his brother might dispatch the messenger
of Santa Clans. Having no reputation
for herOism to sustain. | was glad to bick
up my basket and through very small
hole struggle out into the light. leave
the commentator of this man to people
whom | have met hundreds of miles away.
who. far from the sights of war, secure
from sacrifice, in comfortable homes, are
vociferous in their devotion to their
country, bloodthirsty in their zeal, and
never weary Of telling what they would
do, and what everybody else, under every
possible circumstance. should do. 1t is
not SO difficult, perhaps, to pile up adjec-
tives and agonies of patriotism on paper,
or on the air, in cosy Offices and luxuri-
Gus parlors. To those who shudder with
the horror Of war. who sit in sackcloth
amid its ruins, who catch the last breath
of the martyred soldier, pouring unavail-
ing tears up on the mute faces of our holy
dead. it is all that we can do to struggle
for strength. hour by hour. simply to our
duty. Praying to God to override the
passions of men, and as He leads forth,
through blood, into sanctifcd liberty, tho
dusky bondsmcn to enfranchise also the
spiritual slaves Of fairer race.
q On Monday horse was stolen
from Mr.. Drew at Burlington, and on the
same night Sheriff Brown Of Waterbury
caught the thief The rogue got away
from his guard, but was recaptured on
Tuesday. Brown is equal to old John
on rogues.
B The foxes are not all dead yet.
The old fox.hunter of Barre, Mr. Rich
ardson, has taken seventeen this winter.
Pclts are at high figure.
Ca The subscription book for the erec-
tion of a new hotel in st Albans, was