St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-10-08


This deplorable joke had earned me !
my sixpencc My father had thrown 1t |
over to me, laughing, and, like a dog who |
is pelted with a bone, | had rushed has
tily off for fear they should think OF tax
ing it back again.
Six FENCE
For time anything like cool rehec-
lion was Impossible. was too giddy, |
too startled, to think. How think IN
deed. when one has sixpencc! My SIN
pence was AS q moon of which the rays
dazod mc my head SWAIN, my fingers
tingled, my eyes saw whirling through
the air in Il fantastic gallop several mil
lions of sixpences, all white, all lately
issued from the mint, all bearing upon
them, like my siXpencc, Victoria, D. G.,
I}ritanniarum, &c, with her Majesty's
head land the royal arms.
At last, however land happily, too,
for | was small boy, and unused to
these emotions) the intensity OF my SEN
sations subsidized. l grew more philo-
sophical, and after Il time was enabled
to bring upon the subject that was alb
sorblng me becoming amount OF self
possession. You know, Of course, what
it was, this subject that was absorbing
me Ii was the expenditure Of my six
pence Like a Chancellor of the ENchequer
with the surplus of Il years budget,
was wondering what should should do
with it.
Momentous question But it needed Il
refreshing breeze of out door air TO en-
able me to solve il with coone-s.
accordingly rose from my bedside. where
| knelt like 4 Persian worshipping the
sun, and having laid my elbows aud my
>iNpcncc upon the sill Of the open win
dow, ''mul.a cordc volutaS," began deep
ly to mediate
Now, it may, perhaps, be accepted rs
It symptom of my great precocity ot'spirit
that ! had not been merged above ten
minutes in reflection before had made
up my mind upon one capita! point, to
wit, that there were only three things
upon which my siNpence could wortmly
be expended, IL donkey, gold hunting
watch. or a pewter squirt.
The only question to decide was upon
which OF these three my choice should
pitch and here was the rub I.had an
artiStical admiration for >Iuir.s.-pcwter
squirts especially, " which I cla-~ed
amongst the ~ublme<; contriyance- duo
to the ingenuity of man. Their Use a.
mediums for the conveyance Of ink or
~oapy water upon the pa,srrs-by in the
street had always struck me as peculiarly
practical, and think. on the whole. .av
-iNpcncc would have cone 10 tha purcha-..
of one OF these astonishing Instrument.
had not a reflection suddenly fallen upon
ny, and drcnchcI ~ enthusiasm a. IN
der 4 bucket of cold water could not
remember ever having seen a crpwu-lp
MAI make Va OF 4 squirt Ny Gather.
tor instance, had, TO my certain kroFy!-
edgc, never spent his morning in squirt
I'M ink upon the public through the
drawing-room window ana ! could not
recollect ever having heard my unclc>
advocate this species of pa>timc. This
was important Yesterday | had been
boy, and could do boyi,h things to-day
the case WAS altered my sixpence had
laid upon me the duties Of manhood it
was necessary to he cautious and dgni-
fled. | discarded the squirt, and
two things then remained tho donkey
and the gold watch Oncc more | BEGAN
to ponder
The purchase OF donkey. reasoned.
offered unquestionahIc Inducements
There were, first Of all, the advantages
OF locomotion; III tie second place, there
was the satisfaction Of personal VANITY,
for It was not to be doubted that upon
my first appearance in public upon the
back of an ass | should become the cvno-
sure OF neighboring eyes, and at once
take rank amongst the parish celebrities
This consideration nearly carried NV
vote by storm but then, on the other
: hand, a donkey, | could not but admit,
was less handy possession than 2 "oId
, hunting watch The latter would 90 in
to ones pocket, whereas the formc.
would not. Indeed, it was more than
t probable that the donkey would need a
certain amount of space to move about
I in, and if so, what was TO be done, for
, we had 10 stables Second thourht,
I bring counsel. was sharp boy. and
I remembered the staircase. If the DIFF
iicuity of bringing the donkey up to The
= third floor could be once overcome. |
should be happy TO allow HIM to sleep il
my bedroom ; there would be annie
: space for him in the corner close by tho
9 wash-hand-stand; and he would be 4
: sociablc companion when it rainel.
] There was no fear of his catching cold
5 or 4 cough, As he might do if left down.
= stairs in the yard Yes but how about
= his food Tho NOS. cI,;r, . : INV, ,I,,.,..I 4.