Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-04-18
ny ceremony, l beg I'm quite prepared for

any ceremony, beg 10 quite prepared Tor
you"
= Are you?" said the man curiously.
Eyes, | am John replied. :" L know
your errand as well as you do yourself"
do you ?" said the man in the same tone.
DO you come here to mock me ?" cried
John, angrily, rising and facing the intruder !;
- to mock me as we'll as ruin me ? !"
|. - Mock you " said the msn.
6 Yes, mock me- John repeated, in the
same angry tone.
= L did not come here to mock you far
from it, the man returned. 1" In fact, my
business is not with you at all. | came to
see MIR. Dodd, who was an old neighbor of
mine.''
- beg your pardon, SIR said John.
I GU II excuse me, | hope; but we are IN
great distress, and L expected nothing but bad
news. -
g Ii | am not mistaken" said the stranger,
:. 1t Is goo1 news | bring you. You are Mr..
Dodd's son-in- law are you. not
. am, sir, and | wish l were richer SON.
ln-aw ior his sake John replied.
= Perhaps there will be no need for that,
for has sake" the stranger returned.
- " nat do you mean?' John asked.
'' Well, just thIs,' said the stranger. &c
few days ago | noticed an advertisement in
the paper, addressed to Daniel Dodd INFORM
iuS hiiii lL4it IL He dptlic0 " MI oOuLsOu,
solicitor, in Bedtord-row, he would hear of
something to his advantage. Now, thinking
that the Daniel Dodd wanted might be my
OLD neighbor, anu knowing Mr.. johnson of
Bedford-row, | called upon that gentleman,
! and lra(Bed that the person wanted IS Daniel
Dodd, my old neighDor, and that under the
will OF his brother George, who died sOne
time ago 10 India, he is entitled to"
"hold hard, SIR" said John, grasping the
stranger by the arm, and staring at HIM with
fixed eyes. YOU'RE not having lark, a
cruel lara with US, are you "
God iJlbid,' SAID the stranger, gravely.
"And answer me another thing, sir" John
con ,luued in the same excited way. '' You re
not oug of your mind, are you
- sC-rCainly not," returned the man.
. Very we'll" said John L" you may go
on"
=. was going to say" the stranger oontin-
ued, " that under the will of his deceased
brother George, who died some time ago IN
India, Daniel Dodd is entitled 10 five thou
sand pounds
" Martha" cried John to his wife, who
was upstairs cleaning the rooms.
Yes, John. W hat ls IT .
d" FA hers moneys come back again Fa-
ther's moneys come back again Fathers
moneys come back agaIni" And he shouted
II over and over again up the stairs, and slap
I'd the banIs ers every time to give IL empha-
Sir.
= lro you gone mad, John ?" was Mar
tha's reply, when she was allowed 70 speak.
{" You see, Sir, said John 10 mis- visitor :;
- she thinks must De mad no wonder II |
thought you were mad. But here's Daddy !;
he knows you, | dare say, and you can tell
ann he often talked about his brother
George vino went to India; | thought he
nai been dead long ago
At that moment Daddy came in from one
OF hIs walks with Benny, and was told of his
fortune.
- Dear me" he said, sinking into his chair,
= brother George Is dead. Poor boy, poor
BOY
Inc poor boy had died at the good old age
of threeecoge aud ten, but Daddy still thou ght
Vi aim the lad the blue JACKIE, from
whom he had parted at Wrapping when they
were boys.
Not without many difficulties, long delay,
ana considerable cost, Daddy's claim To the
i've thousand pounds was established. John
gave ali hls tine-utterly neglectlng the
pOrIum-to the prosecution OF the matter,
but be proved successful !; though previously,
when he had hunt bied himself In the dirt to
iInplore her ior single smile, she had con-
tenpsuOus4y passeo onward, besp1tterIng him
WITH mud from her charlot-whee.s Ana one
day John, knowing Daddys weakness brought
h0m five thousand POUNDS all IN notes In The
very canvas bag winch had been the old mans
bank in the days when he was we'll to do.
= There, father" said Martha, &" Putting
the bag ais hand. And now what will you
do with It =
Nv bat will do with ltt'' said the OLD
man; "il-i'll keep my promise to Benny,
and buy him that gun ."
hut there more than will huy tha uun
father
- You don't mean that, Martha ~ SAID the
old man.
On YES, father. heap more
. Then, said Daddy. "ill give the rest to
John TO buy horse ana cart"
"But there is more even than that, father
ever 50 much uoie
On We'll, you just keep that for yourself,
Martha, Tor taxing care OF your old father"
And Daddy, with no elaborate design but
with the simple Innocence OF child, which
sometimes wiser than the acute provisions
OF Jaw, saved the dangerous fornalities OF
wall making ana the charges tor legacy duty,
By hanuIne To his dauS Shter Martha the bag
Containing ali MS money.
Before John even thought of his horse and
cart-th0ugh n that was lurking In u corner of
ms mlnd-he reSalned the tenancy of Dad
dy's OLD house, furnished 1t with as many of
the old sticks as he could recover fIom the
brokers shops, with many splendid new ones
besides Tor the drawing room, and, when eli
was done, leo Daddy back TO his old quarters,
and joined him here with Martha anu all the
family.
bul dotage bad been coming upon poor old
Daddy, md he could scarcely be made TO un-
dersIand the change which had taken place
his position. He came at last to tancy that
II Wa u dream, and sitting by the hreside Of
an evening, and recognizing his room peo-
pled with the faces of John and Martha and
their children, he would tell his daughter to
wake him up by-and-by
And SO ne went ON dreaming, unit one
winters night, he woke up in land where
there was no more going to sleep.
And the days of John and Martha are like
iy to be long and prosperous, for they hon.
ored their old father IN his age and need, and
the bread which they cas-. upon the waters
has come back to them with a blessing.
For the Freeman.