Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-04-18

excitement and haste he quite forgot Daddy's
feebleness, and hurried him along at such
rate that the eld man lost his breath and was
nearly falling. 1t was not until street had
been put between them and the work-house
that John relaxed his speed aud allowed Dad
dy to recover himself. After that he led
him gently back to the emporium, took him
in, and replaced him in his old chair by the
freside.
81 couldn't do it, Martha" he said "my
hand was on the bell when he looked up at me
and spoke to me and his look, and what he
said, struck me to the heart. couldn't do it.
felt as if was going to murder the poor old
man. It's worse than murder, Mar ha, to put
feilow-creature in yonder, it's burying him
alive"
But john"
81 say it shall never be done by me, Mar
tha." John inierposed, sternly. . W e must
do the best we can for him, and strive to the
last to save him and ourselves from thai dis
grace"
An interchange of looks sealed the compact
between them-that Daddy Was to have a
home with them while they hada root to call
their own. and a loaf of bread to share with
him.
Old Daddy had not only been considera-
bic expense to John and Martha, out during
the winter months he had been much in the
way. He was always puttering about in the
shop which, being also the slttIng-room, did
not afford much scope for business and do
mesticity combined. But now the fine days
were coming, and Daddy would be able to
spend gooi deal of his time out oi doors.
80 when the fine days came, little Benny,
John youngest but two, who not old
enough to be OF any assistance IN the business.
was appointed TO the sole and undvld, i duty
Of mihdIng grandfather, and taxing him tGr
walks, when II was convenient 90 get hlm out
of the way. Little Benny, little. large
headed, wise looking boy OF SIX years, was
Daddys especial pet and iav0rite; CT, per-
baps, IL might have been said, SO much more
responsible person was Benny, that Daddy
was has pet anu tavorlte. Be tuar as 1t would,
they loved each other, and on hne oays, when
the sun shone, it was their delight 10 wander
hand IN hand among the ne ghboriDg streets,
prattling together like TWO children, and ga4
ing IN, with chlld-llke wonder, at the pretty
things IN the shop windows. The people
round about called them the Babes In The
w ood, and old Daddy was certainly much
babe Benny. He took the same interest
| IN the contents of the toy-shops, and sighed
as deeply Benny signed u think tnat MS
| youthful guardian could not become the pos
SCISSOR of "a much-coveted toy gun (wIth pink
stock,) which went off VITA spiral spring
In their wanderlngs, day 10y day, the ba oes
| saw many strange things, anu htudle1 the Won
ders OF Somers Town with the deepest interest.
Ii WAS their special delight 10 stand before
any open door or window, which Afforded them
a view ot process Of manufacture. They
stood on gratlngs aud listened u tno rattle Il
sausage machines, &" thai went by steam,
| Benny informed MS charge and pupil, who
Was not very well up III the mo1ern arts and
sciences they gazed at the little men IN shirt
| sleeves and fAt caps, who turned = miniature
| coffee mill under glass case at the grOce1s-
| such Industrious little men, who always Kept
on grinding whether their master was IL tue
shop or not, and never seemed to 20 home To
their meals. They superintended tne lJwer
ing Uf barrels into pubic cellars, learning the
mysteries OF the inclined plane, and specuIaI-
ing to whether the bAr els Contained the
| particular kind OF sIx-ale when grandfather
liked they watched the making OF shoes ami
the turning of wood, and were sometimes OBJ
served to be much absorbed IN the haylng OF
sheep, process which had deep abstract
interest Tor Benny while II set Daddy bab-
| bling about the dellghts-;o ham now purely
vsionary-of a boiled leg of mutton ana c4per
| sauce.
Ia these wanderngs Bepjy careful not
to release his hold ot Daddy hand, for he
was particularly eDJ0ined never to leave him
| for a moment, and whatever he did not 10 let
hIm tumble down. One muddy day Beujy
dl1 let Daddy tumble, anu d sac state of mind
| he was in ior fear his mother should find IL
| out. He did his best with his little cotton |
| pocket handkerchief To eflce all traces OF |
mud from Daddy trousers: bur he was
afraid lest the old man might :" tell ON him.
| Not that there any want OF 10y yaity te- !
tween them, but Daddy was getting garru-
| lous, that he vmetlmes, quite unlutentIOnally, |
| let out things which got Benny into trouble j.,
| 50 when any thing happened, Benny was obliged |
| to remind grandfather that he vas not - tell. |
4" You won't tell mother that | let you iall
IN the mud, viii you, grandfather" he would
say, they Dent their steps hOmewaId.
| - on, no, Benny The old man protested. |
I-shsn't say word about IT,
At first, before complete confidence had |
been established between them, b rjy sough
ON one occasion purch- Sc his grandia hers
| silence with penny (whlch be did not ~ ina
| moment possess, but expected t. have some |
| day } but he had come 90 know now that the |
| bond of love between them was strong enough |
| to sustain their mutual devotion, except when
| 1t was occasionally ioosened by lnadvert |
| ence, OF d lapse OF memory, which, IN Daddy 5
Case, was beyond The power OF either love or
money to control Going home the sum
mer evenings, after their ramb.es, Daddy and
| Benz had deeply interesting tales to tell the
| family of the wonders OF the great world of
| Somers Town.
| Alas, that those relations should 50 often
have fallen upon Indifferent ears But John
| and Martha were becoming suiien and moody,
u rey both of them TO the deepest anxiety.
| rne family was still increasing, but the Duei-
ness continued 20 resist ali efforts the direc-
| tion Of development. john was getting inoo
| debt at the coal wharf, aud at the potato
/ warehouse The times were hard aad were
coming on hardec with the approach OF win
ter. Goals were at eigh 'een-pence a hundred
potatoes al penny u pound. The poor peo-
pie could ut pay the price. Poor women
came for "a few pounds OF coai and took them
away in their aprons. There Was scarcely
any use for the truck. Yhen Goals were so
dear and fires SO small, Cualdron street was a
good deal gwen to warm Itself In its oed,
| The consequence to John was that his bed
| wrench rusted In idleness, and IN view of the
oxyde which accumulated upon IL, it might
| be said to have been engaged III the disastrous
| occupation of eating Its head Oft. The fer
| tunes of the emporium were at very low
| ebb John and Martha could scarcely provide
bare food for the family. The black beadles,
camorlng for victuals, and not hnding satis-
faction at the iIttle round table, passed ike
| cloud of iocusts over the stock In the shop, |
and making short work OF the carrots, at
iacked even the cabbage-leaves and the tuTnip-
| tops John and Martina were denying them
| selves day after day, that the old man might
! have d bit of something nice and nourishing.
| But things were coming TO crlsis now The
coal merchant, the pOtato-merchant, ana the
| landlord, ell three threatened process, and
John was IN hourly expectation of an execu-
tion All his STRIVING had been of avail