Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-07-07
Tu.O LITTLE .vO.u.EDS.

"Well metr cried the two raindropsi !
and as they settled down in the snug nook
of my window sill, saw by their twinkle
of delight that they were old friends.
"IIow lucky that we should meet again
so soon 1t is scarcely hundred years
since we spent that winter together in the
glacier among the Alps, and we hardly
thought when the Sun Father sent us
whrling down the Rhine, that we should
so soon pass night together here in Amer
ica."
"No, indcedl But our lives are full of
such jolly surprises
"Not always so Jolly, brother
So you've have had a hard time then,
since saw you last but don't see bnt
you are looking as bright rs usual, eh ?"
bright enough, perhaps, brother, but
I'VE seen some hard rubs. To begin with,
the very second morning after we-were let
out of the ice, an old Dutch woman dip
ped a lot cf us up in bucket and used US
to do her years washing, then poured ne
around the cabbages in the garden. Most
Of my companions were drawn mp audoi
the filth by the Sun Father and set about
/
ugly cabbage roots and held captive. One
day found myself going into a barrel of
what they call sour kraut, and after a few
hOrrid days | began to feel that deliver
ance was at hand, for our friend Heat was
coming, and you know when he is with us,
good bye to bolt and bars. Well, / sailed
oil in high gee, assure you, and west
hrnpyp mo al
mountains came in sight. Ugh how chill
ly it seemed; how shrank together and
tried to keep warm ; how white | turned
and finally frozen stin, fell,-as thought
luckily,-into the soft fur Of a Russian
bear. One lick of his tongue and thous-
and of us were in the old fellows stomach,
and my luck was to circulate slowly through
his veins till the Cars hunters killed him
and took us to the royal kitchens at st. Pc
tersburg. Our old friend heat again came
to my rescue and the freedom of the city
was rendered me. As / lay CONCEALED on
one of the palace windows, was much adj
mired by the beautiful young princess,
and though never supposed those Rus
SLAMS were sentimental people, yet this
lady confided to me the fact that he was in
love with certain young soldier and with
her hot breath she sent me to kiss his
cheek and renew her troth to him wherever
I might find him."
"Have you ever found him?"
Yes; but it was as he lay dying on the
banks of the Beresina. He was in fever
ish dream of the fight and in his delirium
he was calling his men to rally for the
charge. We are often sent TO. refresh the
wounded and dying on the bloody field,
and as l fell on his burning cheek he SEEM
ed to awake, then murmured, 50, Beatrice,
God bless you,' and in a few minutes was
gone. And if you meet the stricken girl
before she goes to be with her lover, give
her his blessing. Since this adventure |
have had many others, romantic, tragic
and comic; but the night is passing and
the early coming of the sun Father will
send us on our way again. SO tell me,
pray, how have you farel since We parted
in the Rhine?"
"Well, dear brother, | have seen much
and the account is too long for the time /;
but l will hurry over ii that you may have
"A little idea of my doings. | spent a few
days passing down the Rhine, and Just IL
bove its mouth was taken into the wa
ter tanks of large vessel bound for the
southern ocean. The ship was wrecked,
the crew and the passengers put off in the
long boat. One by one they persisted from
exhaustion, exposure ond too free use of
the liquor which some of the sailors SNUG
gled on board. The captain, his little girl
and two ladies were all that remained.
Provisions and water were almost gone.
and when at length they were seen and
saved by a passing vessel | was one of
perhaps a score of drops of water which
the captain had reserved in his flask for his
little girl, from his own meagre allowance.
After the rescue the girl begged the flask
with us few drops Of water in it and had
the stopper closely sealed. We in our
glass prison remained in that family a
precious keepsake-a reminder of the ia
TIERS love for his daughter-till .one day a
meddlesome child broke the flask and set
US free. Since then | have been in the
depth of ocean and the height of air. |
have quenched the thirst of the pilgrim
toiling across the desert sand, and layed
the white breast of the voluptuous Iberian
beauty. | have been in the harem of the
jealous Moslem and in the cell of the her
init monk. | have risen from the boiling
rice of the lIindoo pariah, and fallen upon
the mite of the iniallble Pope ! have
glistened on the spiders web and in the
rainbow. The heart of the outcast has
welled over at the sight of the pure Beau
f,t1 = 4 .t.