Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-09-06
John Danforth's Story.


All day he had been at work
blind though he was-sitting in the
dim hall and the straw mats that he
made were as smooth and even as the
mats made with sight. l had been
standing near, watching the singular
precision of his movements, ten min
utes it may have been, when he laid
down his work and leaned his head
upon his hands, muttering still. l al
most held my breath to learn, if pos
sible, the cause of the unrest which
had fallen upon HIM.
The spells" that come upon the
inmates of our public institutions are
interesting from variety of causes.
They invariably create in the minds
of the guards a vague anxiety and
foreboding.
At last caught the words :-"It's
forty-six years to-night-to-nightw
The man lifted his head with a
sharp movement, as soon as he had
spoken, and put forth his hands, NOV
lag them to and fro in the air about
him, as though half conscious of my
nearness to him. His sightleSs eyes
turned up and down the dull hall,
and a perceptible tremor ran over
his frame. | waited a few seconds,
and then l said :-"Yes, it is, as you
say, forty-six years to night-Christ-
mas night, you know, John"
John got up from his chair, and, in
alarm, began to call upon his com
rades; but they were at the sound CT
the tea,bell, which he had not seemed
to hear.
"There's no one here, John" said
except you and me-not ore in the
hall; so you may tell me all about
that Christmas night lorty-six years
ago. You were Captain then"
dive always meant to tell, cause
! ye see, promised to tell, and l meant
to do it; for l hain't had Christina;
since that time, aship Or ashore" j"
"Why, John, you've been here foul
years. and we always make Christ
mas as pleasant as we can for the
men,"
"Well, Well! Yes, yoa do dres;
up the outside pretty well; but tel
you the real Christmas comes up on.
Of the heart"
There is nothing does q man 81
much good as to tell out a story wher
it troubles him, Joan; SO be quick be
fore the men come in, and then yor
shall eat at my table to night"
81 never promised man or mate tC
tell a story-and it isn't yarn nei
ther; it's only this that have to tel
and it tackled about so. 1t wa.
my first voyage as captain, and uh(
Plover was a good little ship. Tht
cargo was all in, and | ran up to wiSl
my mother good-by, aud take her or
ders for the home voyage; for l wa.
bound for the East. Bout the frs
word she put in, soon's l got home
was to tell me that Susan Kinne,
wanted me to take along her boy, Ca
leb for the voyage. 'And you'll d.
it, John-do it for my sake, John
won't you? she said. It's well sh,
didn't ask me to do it for any othe
soul in the world; but when she beg
ged me that way, up and gave m.
word to take Caleb Kinney along.
"The boys mother, Susan Dear
; was bout my age then, and had beel
all along, since the long Summe
mornings when we used to potter i
the sand and clamshell, atween tn
cottage and the sea. Somehow we,
never been very far apart any of tn
' way along, and l thought we'd ancho
in the same port afore many NOR
voyages; it seemed so in the natera
e course O. things. Well, I'd just bt
gun to calculate how I'd work an
! work and do something famous t
: bring me INTO a captains berth, an
|, then how I'd fix up little cabin 0
r purpose for Susan, into which we
put all our gold sands and shells an
things, and, with a parsons blessin
over our heads, we'd start fair an
square for the big voyage of life OF
=. beyond, when, my old friend Ben XII
ney being poorly, and havin' no mot
er to mend him up, l took him hon
to mine. She cured him, and he sal
ed out of harbor, with Susan Dean,
ID his cabin.
ar 'If Susan and me hadn't been I'll
same age all along, and if it hadn
been for them long Summer evening
- and the sands, and the shells, and Il
little meeting house, with the shal
point up aloft on shore, and so mar
things that when a man begins to ca
em into words they run adrift,
shouldn't have minded it so mucl
and then when Ben Kinney was dea
81 81 and under the sea, to have my moth
m asking me to take Caleb, his DO
an along with me, twas most too muc
We but them last words of her'n was
triae MORN | could bear, and | tot
him.
"His father had been dead nj,
two years then, and Caleb was
smart boy. Almost any captain wi
a heart warmed by things asho
would have took that boy close
and kept him on the lee side of ever
thing on shipboard; but, | didn't
ci- cause my heart was turned acold
ward everybody 'cept my mother, a
twas for her sake, as | told ye, tt
took the boy. | determined
c. wouldn't show him no more fave
than if he hadn't been Susan Kline,
10 boy, and l kept my will to the Ell
and 1t wasn't long afore it come, n
ther.
- awe was sailing along right
.r. mid ocean on that voyage, when
ON first snow fell. 1t showed all d.
Kei Ied and all night, and into the next mig
al all and the day acoming after that v
1se Christmas.
60, "The second night twas cold,
her her full cold, and the snow falling so tn
m that you had to put your hands
VS. keep it out of your eyes, to see
walk across the deck. | took q 10
will out then, cause, you see, twas
its its ship, and the cargo was part mine