Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1865-12-08

sionel enupathy they might have for 'ne 'eui'
nm OF work in the abstraos-
Mingling with he creckling OF tires and
the sputterine OF The meat chimed In the beat
ina OF Mother Marlboroughs spoon, which
was employed in stirring substantial, old
fashioned pudding, thick with raislns, deli
cious with cream and eggs, and large enough
for the King Of Brobdignag while louder
than that came the harsh grating of the heavy
fre-shovel as Rachel Marlborough drew out
several bushels of glowing Goals from the
brick oven, whose huge mouth yawned to
take in these thanksgiving dainties. Loudest
and above all, sounded the music Of the chill
dren's voices and no whit behind them in
chattefing and merriment, the voices Of the
papas and mammas. There were family mat
tiers to dispose of without doubt. Several
new babies to be admired and wondered over,
the astonishing precocity Of the older children,
the history Of their various little sicknesses
and the most ,fficacious remedies used, new
dresses to compare. and the coming winters
styles to discuss, besides a thousand subjects
Of vital Importance to every member of the
Marlborough family, but not of the slightest
interest TO either you or me.
In the midst of this glee and merry making,
who could dream of the doom prowliDg with
out, relentless and pitilees as the memorable
hand which appeared upon the wall at the
feast Of the Chaldean king, throwing bitter
ness into the cup Of gold, bringing mourning
for the oil Of Joy, and the spirit of heaviness
for the garment Of praise.
Smile, mother, in the warmth and glow Of
your cheerful heart, for it will be long before
the cheerful heart will be 80 light again
Look up fondly, wife, at the manliness and
strength which s yours to-day, for your home
will soon be left unto you desolste Wall,
little blue-eyed baby in your cradle, for the
footsteps are even now approaching which
seek to bereave you
Charles, don't think this oven is quite
hot enough supposing you bring in an arm
full of that light pine to flash up quick and
make little more heat" said Rachel Marl-
borough, brsklJ.
All, Rachel, if you had but known, you
would have sooner spoiled even the browning
glory of the dinner-you would have gone
through all manner Of deadly peril and pain
Of body to have spared what was then at your
very door. But so i; was not to be; there
fore. 60 out bravely. young man, to meet your
coming fate. .lU
Charles took bis hat from its peg, and went
through the shed to the wood-pile beyond,
where he had that morning been splitting
some sticks Of dry pine.
In the shadow Of the barn still farther on,
lurking for victim, were crouchlng three
men in guise as drovers, but who had, indeed,
quite another calling--dealers of men instead
Of cattle. For the time Of my story is back
in the far away time, - when good King
George was king" and when America, being
virtually part of England, was subject with
it TO occasional and peremptory calls for men
to ell the ranks of the British Navy. Not
only we're able bodied seamen seized from
shipboard and compelled to serve, but in
many instances even landsmen living near the
coast were not safe from the ruthless clutch
Of adventurous press gangs, who crept up
from the seaboard to impress whomsoever they
could into the naval service of George the
king men, as i imagine, who, living in our
own day, and in the confederacy. would be
guerillas Of the Southern rebellion.
So you know why Rachel Marlborough wait
ed long and vainly for her oven wood. Why
the little boys, and then the women and the
men, who went out to look for him, found no
tract of the missing man. Ill was finished
what well begun" and it was a mournful
feast-day after all at the red gambrel-roofed
house on the hill.
Such seizures were common enough TO make
the suddenly bereaved family readily suspect
the cause of Charles's disappearance, and this
suspicion was corroborated by learning that
several other men were missing in the yicin-
ity. In time, assurance was made douby
snre by letter from Charles himself inform
ing them of his inevitable fate-an aggrava-
ting fate, which had added insult to injury
by plucking it's victim not only from the hear t
of his homo and family, but taken him, OF all
days, on this public feast-day Of New Eng
land. intensifying the contrast Of his past and
present life by that uneaten Thanksgiving
dinner y
The heavy years passed on five times
Thanksgiving day had dawned and faded up
on the gambel-roof, and found each time at
The long, crowded table of Mother Marlbo-
rough one empty plate and vacant chair. The
sixth came around in the fullness Of time, and
again every corner of the old Marlborough
mansion, and OF hundreds of other homes as
well, was putting on fesal and holiday look,
while every chtmney-top was putting out s
welcome eloquently suggestive Ct ospitality,
Of warmth and OF plenty.
Rachel Marlborough, rudy and sturdy as
ssven years before, accustomed to her long
continued loneliness. though nowise recon-
ciled to IL, was standing with the heavy FIRE
shovel, clearing, as before, the large -mouthed
oven CT its fiery contents. Mother Marlbo-
rough was stirring a pudding as Of yore !;
again he roast sizzled and sputtered in happy
contentment over the broad hearth, while the
voices of the children and their elders filled
the house with lively cheer 1t was the same
picture, and at first one might hardly note
change; but the fight Of yesrs was marked
and made evident by the pink-cheeked little
damsel who had climbedirom the old red era
die to be tall young miss of seven, and who
was turning and basting the spitted meat with
all the exper tness OF Rachel the senior. While
the acceptable duties Of the day thus go on,
each mayhap thinks Of the absent one, who
has been, and still may be. in scenes of dan
ger and hardship, and of the day. whose an
niversary this is, when he vanished from
amons them. a.. ltg e q aesr.
But il thsy think Of these things. so does
he. Whether the British colonies in America
had yet set their seal upon the declaration
that the inalienable right Of life, liberty, aud
the pursuit Of happiness, and, having become
of themselves nation acknowledged, had
claimed this man among others as an Ameri-