The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-10-13


pop-gun all went into johnny Curtis's pos
session. After that such fast friends a:
those boys were. And l never had a bet
ter-behaved boy in my school than Mari
Lowenstein became.
Mary Ostrander occupied that seat mex
to Johnny's, where the girls row and til,
boys row meet. She was a laughing lit
tie brown-eyed beauty, as full of fun as al
elf out of school, but in school Johnny:
perfect match in good behavior. The
worst thing l ever knew Mary to do was
to give Johnny Curtis handful of beech
nuts one day in school-hours, which John
ny receiving tremblingly-for he knew he
ought not to do so, but how could he re-
fuse her ?-spilled partly on the floor. 1t
was inevitable, for the sake Of discipline,
that the oftense should be punished. Ma
ry was the tempter, and on her should
have fallen the punishment. but | saw in
that boys eyes that should break hi
heart if | touched Mary. Hence, johnny
stood for half an hour perched on my
chair with a handful of beech-nuts in each
outstretched palm. He was only ten
years old then. That was fourteen year,
ago, and before Mark Lowenstein's com
ing.
/ This is enough of that period You
are somewhat acquainted with my hero
by this time q don't use the term hero
in a storytelling sense; this is history
mean A IIERO.)
Ten years passed away and Johnny was
a man. In those ten years what life lies
wrapped. The love-life of johnny Cur
tis and Mary Ostrander is all there, and l
know well how beautiful ii was. had
watched those children as if they were
my own; am childless widower-
Many a long Saturday afternoon had that
happy pair seen, in their favorite haunt,
the old Beech Woods. during those ten
years, gathering yellow mandrakes and
brown beech-nuts; swinging in the bic
swing kicking through the deep autumn
leaves that filled the holows talking and
looking love, and feeling it, Oh. those
old woods! How many merry picnic
parties | have seen there-bcvies of white
aproned girls-warm-faced. hilarious bows.
prone to "show otf''-the leaty avenues
ringing with their shouts and laughter .
Mary Osirander was a recognized romp
[ till at least her eighteenth birthday
your grand city society, which | am told
is very well-behaved, would have been
quite Mortified to see Mary L" carry on -
she bubbled with .ioyouSncsa as naturally
and healthtully as a living spring of pure
pure water. And when she was tired
nothing would rest her like going over
where Johnny was, looking on in his qui-
ct manner, heartily pleased. and putting
her hand in his for a moment, with Il
great sigh of content.
They were early betrothed. Johnny
was small man-about five feet only
but plump little Mary's curly head Game
just so high as his manly breast when they
stood together. If my hero were mere
novel hero he should be taller, Young Ia
dies, for your pleasure, and strikin@ly
handsome but Johnny never grew tall,
though handsome he always was. with
that best beauty which is the glow in the
| face of a pure. true soul.
In these ten years there had also been
deaths. Mr. Curtis, the drunkard. had
screamed and danced his life out in a fit
of delirium trcmens one day, leaving
Johnny no more tathcrleSs than he had al
was been. This death was not a matter
of Importance to any one left behind in
the world. Mrs. Curtis shed some nat
ural tears. But the smallpox, which
RACED SO badly in 1856, made Il dreadful
mark. 1t took, among others. Mrs. Cur
tis's two little girls, and it left It's shot
marks on the mother's face also 1t took
Mr.. James Ostrander. and left Mary with
out father
In 1861 came the war, and made the
greatest change of all. Dale Manor raised
a whole company. and n hundred young
men was a great number to be taken from
our village at once, you may be sure
though some of the number were iarmcr'>
boys, and not exactly taken out of the vii
lagc. 1t seemed as if the whole popula-
ton of Dale Manor was at the railroad
depot on the morning when our soldier
boys departed. There was much talking
in groups About every soldier was the
center of one SUCH Hidden loves came
out in that hour No maiden, no matter
how coy, could hide her true feelings from
her lover at such parting Tears, and
smiles struggling against tears, were every
where.
Mark Lowenstein, | remember. was in
very moody frame of mind, arising, as
[ have since learned, from the fact that
Sarah Buswell, the hotel-keepers daught,
er, had refused to promise to marry him
when he offered her his hand the night be-
fore, to be "seized and possessed" when
he should return from the war Mark
looked as if he had not friend on earth
By-and-by saw Sarah go up to him and
shake hands with him. Mark was very
cool, and brushed his long black hair be.
hind his ears so proudly that Sarah began
to cry. Mark looked on in astonishment,
and then bent over and whispered word
in the little body's ear, and the little body
nodded her head with much energy, SC
that bright light chased away Mark
shadows, and after that till the minute Of
parting he was another man.
Lieutenant Johnny Curtis was in high