Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-01-17
WHOLE NUMBER 627.

what doughnuts are here in Massa-
chusetts; as big as a dinner plate.
those doughnuts were, and-well
little hard, perhaps. They used to
have it abeut in Bangor that we used
them for clock pendulums, but | don't
know about that. 50 A9
used to think a great deal about
Nancy nights, when we were sitting
up by the fire,-we had our fire right
in the middle of the hut, you know,
with hole in the roof to let the
smoke out. When supper was eaten,
the boys all sat up around it, and told
stories, and sang, and cracked their.
jokes; then they had their backgam-
mon and cards; we got sleepy early,
along about nine or ten o'clock, and
turned in under the roof with our
blankets. The roof sloped down,
you know, to the ground; so we lay
with our heads in under the little
caves, and our feet to the fre,-te...
or twelve of US to shanty, all round
in row. They built the huts up
like a baby's dollhouse, with the logs
fitted in together. | used to think
great deal about your mother. as /
was saying; sometimes | would lie
awake when the rest were off as
sound as top, and think about her.
Maybe it was foolish, and I'm sure
wouldn't have told anybody about it !;
but | couldn't get rid of the notion
that something might happen to her
or to me before FIVE months were out,
and | with those words unforgiven.
| Then, perhaps, when | went to
sleep, | would dream about her, walk
ling back and forth, up and down, in
her nightgown and little red shawl,
with the great heavy baby in her
Iarms.
/ So it went along till come the last
of January, when one day | saw the
boys all standing round in heap,
and talking.
"What's the matter p say |. ..f =
"Pork's given out" says Bob, with
whistle. "Beadle got that last lot
from Jenkins there, his son-in-law, and
it's split. l could have told him that
beforehand. Never knew jenkins to
do the fair thing by anybody yet" ."4i8.
"Who's going. down ?n said |, stop
ping short. Ifelt the blood run all
over my face, like a woman's. "a
"Cullen hasn't made up his mind
yet" says Bob, walking off. - q
Now you see there wasn't man
on the ground who wouldn't jump at
the chance to go; it broke up the
winter for them, and sometimes they
could run in home for half an hour
driving by; so there wasn't much of
a hope for me. But | went straight
to Mr.. Cullen. eFo 'Hai-s5. I'd
TOO late. Just promised Jim ia
cobs," said he, speaking up quick; il
was just business to him, you know
| turned off, and [ didn't say a
word | wouldn't have believed it
| never would have believed it, that
could have felt SO cut up about such a
little thing. Cullen looked round at
me sharp. fa @Fa g.
'i1ilIia, Hillia Y said he. +" What :
to pay?" .s9-.sa39 I zs2- i
Nothing, thank you, sir, says |,
and walked of, whistling.
| had little talk with Jim alone.
He said he would take good care Of
something I'd give him, and carry it
straight. So when night came | went
and borrowed Mr.. Cullen's pencil
and Holt tore me off a bit of clean
brown paper he found in the -four
barrel, and | went off among the
trees with it alone. | built a little
fire for myself out of huckleberry
bush, and sat down there on the snow
to write. | couldn't do it in the
shanty, with the noise and singing
The little brown paper wouldn't hold
much; but these were the words
| wrote,-I remember every one of
them.-it is curious how should and
that more than twenty years ago:
"Dear Nancy" that was it.
4 Dear Nancy, | can't get over it, and
| take them all back. And if any
thing happens coming down on the
logs"
| couldn't finish that anyhow, SO ]
just wrote "Aaron" down in the cor.
ner, and folded the brown paper up
!, 1t didn't look any more like "Aaron''
than it did like "Abimelech, though
for ldidn't see single letter | wrote
not one. .... ~. .....
After that I went to bed, and wish
ed | was Jim Jacobs.
! Next morning somebody woke me
up with push, and there was the
j boss. -r
"Why, Mr.. Cullen r says |, with a
jump. 5..
Hurry up. man, aud eat your
breakfast" said he, Jacobs is down
sick with his cold.'' .sa ~
( "Ohr" said [.
"You and the pork must be back
here day after to-morrow-so be
: spry," said he.
| rather think | was Johnny.
3 1t was just eight o'clock when
started; it took sometime to gel
breakfast, and feed the nags, and gel
orders. | stood there, slapping The
snow with my whip, crazy to be off
hearing the last of what Mr.. Culler
had to say. .4 .l'', Z
They gave me the two horses
1