The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1867-02-15

Years. ago, when postal arrange
ments were not as perfect as they are
now, the mail was carried between
Boston and tue little town OF Primrose
by a young fellow 10y the name of John
Hedwig who used his eyes and his
ears well, and never, fond as he was
of good story, told lies. To say,
John Hedwig says SO, was to certi-
fy to the truth OF statement, which
certainly was to his credit; and. more
over, he was MS honest as the day,
and could have been trusted with I'M
told gold or uncounted diamonds -
Morally you could not end a fault
with John. Mentally, he was very
we'll for an uneducated mau; but he
had one great failing great, particu
larly in the eyes of little Lucy Hood,
who otherwise esteemed John pellec
ton He chose to consider himself
superior to ali accepted dogmas and
beliefs, and to be what lie termed
free thinker
This theological difference at last
led to a little quarrel; and John tried
to get Lucy ont of his mind and failed
to do it; and Lucy was very miserable,
as we'll for the state of Johns soul as
for herself; for, though she had offers
IN plenty, not One--nOt even rich
Deacon Boulder, who had, goodness
knows how many acres of land, and
was certainly orthodox in his views
could be compared for n moment in
her mind to John, had John only held
proper sentiments. So, though they
kept apart for a whole fortnight, at
last one bright morning, as John rode
along slowly and stupidity for him,
with his mail bag before him, he saw
sitting under tree at the road-side a
little figure in blue dress, that he
couldn't pass for his life. SO he stop
ped Dobbin suddenly, and called.
Lucy Hood, is that you p
Yes, John" said Lucy, showing a
pair of wet eyes. Il came here on
purpose to see you; I've talked in my
poor, weak, womaL ish words, but you
talk so much better than l, that, of
course, it's OF no use; and all the while
there's One who talks so plainly to rs,
and His words are here, and I've
brought them to you, and please, dear
John, TO read them, and perhaps
She did not finish the sentence. hut
she put a pretty little Bible into his
hand.
q had it bound, and your name put
on it III gilt letters, and oh for MY
sake, read it, said Lucy You can
read little at time, before you sleep
and when you arise, and even on the
way, in lonely places, and 1t will teach
you so much, John-so very much.
John took the book For a moment
he felt very angry, and very much like
sneering; but Lucy was very dear to
him; he kept his anger under for her
sake, thanked her for her present, and
placed it carefully in the bosom of
his vest
AS if was to be converted like a
sinner in tract p said John, loftily,
after he had ridden on little, :" But
women are not to be expected to have
minds like ours" And out of his
pocket-book John pulled an infdel
tract, which a friend, an unbelieying
German Doctor, had loaned him, and
fell to reading. 1t was not a wise
thing, as the event proved, for the
horse, left to himself, stumbled over
something on the road, and famed
himself; not badly, it seemed, but it
forced John to dismount and lead
him, and to stop; after while at
tavern, and examine and battle the
limb, and to let the beast take his
own time afterwards; SO that instead
of trotting briskly into Boston before
shutdown, John Hedwig found him
self belated Oh lonely road, some
hours after the sun had quite vanished,
the horse growing lamer, and his