St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-11-08
tFrom the Atlantic Monthly for November,
IN THE GRAY GOTH.

If the wick of the big oil lamp had
been cut straight, don't believe it would
ever have happened.
Where is the poker, Johnny ! Can't
YOU push back that ior'ard log little ?
Dear, d,ar Well, it doesn't make
much difference, does it ? Something
always seems to all your Massachusetts,
fires your hickory is green, and your
maple is knarly, and the worms cat out
your oak like a sponge.
Let me see | began to tell you about
that winter Of II. Ed been out at
wor!, all day about our place, Sticking
things up for Tomorrow there WAS a
gap in the barn-yard fence to mend,-I
left that till the last thing, | remember,
y remember everything, some way or
other, that happened that day,-and
tchre was 4 new root to put on the pig
pen, and the grapevine needed an extra
/ iaver OF straw, and the latch was loose
on tie south barn door then | had to
90 round and take u last look at tie
sheep, and toss down an extra forktuI
Tor TIE COWS, and 60 into the stall tC
have a talk with Ben, and unbutton the
coop door to see if the hens looked warm
j ust 10 tuck 'em up, as you might say.
! ALWAYS felt sort of homeSick-though
wouldn't have owned up TO it, not even
to Nancy-saying good by flo the cree.
turs the night before | went in. There
now, it beats ali, to think you don
know what I'm talking about, and YOU i
lumberman's son. Going in is going
up into the woods, you know, to cut an,
haul for the winter,-up, sometimes, !
hundred miles deep,-in the fall and ou
in the spring whole gangs Of us shut VI
there sometimes for six months, thcl
down with the lreshctS on the logs, an'
I'LL summer to work the farm,-a merr,
sort of life when you get used to ii, John
nv but it was 4 great while ago, an
it seems to me a. ii it must have bee
very cold. SO when I'd said good-by t
the crccturcS,-i remember just as plai
how Ben put his great neck on IN
shoulder and whinnied like a baby
that horse knew when the season cam
round AID | was going il, just as we'll 6
. | did, tinkcrcd up the barn-yard tenc'
- and locked tie doors, and went in
supper.
Y gave my finger knock with Il
hammer, which may have had somethin
to do with it, for man doesn't feel vel
good natured when he's been gree
:. CROUCH to do q thing like that, and
doesn't ike to say it aches either. B
if there is anything | can't bear it
lamp->moke; il always lid put me ou
IS and | expect it always will. Nam
knew what a fuss | made about it, al
by she was always very careful not to he
ID tor me with ii. ought TO have remeE
CT bcred that, but | didn't. Size had lgl
ed the company lamp on purpose, to
T. because it was my last night. liked
better tlian the tallow candle.
SO ! came IN, stamping off the sno
and they Were all in there about the iii
the twins, and Mary Ann, and t
!. rest baby was sick, and Nancy W
Is, walking back and forth with him, Wi
'''' little Nancy pulling at her gown. \
were the baby, then, | believe, ,johnn
les; hNt there always was a baby, and | do
,In nnJ rightly remember. The room was
era; yra black with smoke, that they all looked
HW II they We're swimming round and rou
I-Ss I-S; ard round in it, l guess, coming
81 from Tie cold, and the pain in my fin!
..,o. ani all. it made me a bit sick. At a
n''- rate, threw open the wlndow and bl
is. out the light, is mad as a hornet.
usi- Nancy" said |. this room wo
ai,.s 4Sis stranele u dog, and you might have kno
IS. it, If you'd had two eyes TO see what
>, ,l4 n4 were about. There, now I've tip
,s,; ,.,., tie lamp over, and YOU just get cl
n'|' M, and wipe up the Oil
,s.y Dear me - said she, lighting c
MS die, and she spoke up very soft,
.Scf, Sor, Please, Aaron, don't let the cold in
w. baby. I'm sorry it was smoking, bu
never knew thing about it he's |
,. trettlng and taking on SO the last hou
didn't notice anyway.
- That's just what you ought to h
yaH ysn,s done," says l, madder than ever. g,
know how l hate the stuff, and
fAN + ought to have cared more about Inc