Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-11-30

wouldn't be worth anything without Io2a
The dam on the Catsqna river ia burnt.
and the saw mill men in your mill on the
lake have come down. and say that no.
thing can ave the mill"
What John Harrison thought or felt
that night. nobody knew. The dam, the
mill. the booms. the pineries, were gone,
and he knew that the bankruptcy of sew
eral numbering firms by the Are would
ruin the bank. But his disasters fol
lowed one smother like Jobs. At day
light there seemed to be en- unusual num-
Der of wagons hurrying by, and the
sleeplaas John Harrison went ont to his
gate 10 inquire what the matter was. H.
"Wbv, you see." said one man, "i.
seene I'll the worlds afre. Everything's
burnt 10 ahout ten miles above the VIII
lape of Lac Du Pois, and nothing can save
that"
John Harrison sedAled his horse. He
must aa 10 town to Loo L after the papers
in the bark and some things in the store.
| He lefr the family in his fathers care,
and ia if the fire really th'eatened the
village he should return sn5 move them
| 10 y place of safety The vi!fst-e would
Of courae burn first.
| But John Harrison did not know how
near he was TO the fire. Before he reached
the village the hoarse, thunderous roar of
the fl 4mes was in his ears. The cinders
| were all about him. There was something
| awful In the ipdistinotness of the sound.
| He could not tell where 1t was. Some.
| times il seemed ahead of him. Then il
WAS bAhiad him. At last his mind was
! 40 full of terror, and he was so haunted
I L
ger tina he turned his horse and started TO
so back. But column of fire had come
into the road behind him and he could
not go back He was beaten back toward
| the village. hut 80 distressed was be about
his wife and children that he saw the
bank and store burn almost without a
pang. though be knew that he had not a
cent lett.
When the father of John Harrison saw
the fary hnrrio4ue coming, be took the
family and fed half a mile to the Cateqna
river. They got into the boat, all but
| Harry, the oldest bnv. and then the refu-
gees along the road. having left their
| wagons, filed the boat so full that Harry
could not get footing in II. The moth
er aaw n strange man seize H4rry's hand
and hurry up the stream toward another
| heat already filing with people. Then
thu smoke shut him cu' of her sight, and
the boat wae com PEELED to push ont from
the shore. leaving many poor wretohes TO
perish. Thus they crossed the G taqua
river and hurried on. douhtful OF the safe
~ If the head of the family. and more
than anxious for poor little Harry.
| A week OF anxious search, when the
fire WAS over. w4a agent before John Har-
rison was able to find bis family in the
village where they had taken refuge.
| Aud all the advertisipg and writing and
| inqqriu9 which they did brought no
news Of Harry. So. sadly and daapprate-
". they went b OK on to the farm which
| Harrison bought again on credit. There
were ohsrred bodies Of men ard women
| and children on the shore. Which was
Harry's they could not tell. They huried
three bodies, either Of which they thought
might be his.
Tho rude cabin was hastily put to-
gather. With no furniture, no money,
and no food for the winter. they began
life over again. But il wss not the bank,
uor the store. nor the booms. nor the mill.
I nor the dam, nor the bankrupt Cstoqua
Railroad. nor tho home. hut the face Of
lit,ia Harry, which he had rarely no.
ticed in his busy dsvs. which John H4rri.
sou uiared in this time oF trnnb'e. i
was the evaring before Than ksoiving
Dav, a sad, snrrowful evening. with never
y thouvht of TIE holiday on the morrow
They bad heard ot the money raisad for
relief, and Mr.. Harrison's father had gone
TO the nearest railroad station tn ak
share of the charity. They We're whiting
his return with no little anxiety. He
had gone with p neigh hnr who was So
fortunate "a to have p yoke of oxen. At
t n O'Clock they heard the ox-cart come
creskire up 20 the door. Mr.. Harrison
got Ap ia meet his father. Mrs. Harrison
had inst lid down the baby and sat by
the ire. shedding still tears over the poor,
peri-hed little Harry.
81. that you, father ?" asked John Hsr-
rison.
Eyes. with the best If news"
Spmehow there VS. that In his voice
which made Mrs. Fl ,rrisoa look mp.
Here am, papa" and with That Har-
ry himself pushed past hi- father and
rushed into the arms of his mother.
An hour or two later Harry was asleep
and John Harrison wept with his wife.
Little Harry had believed himself the
only aurvior until dsv or two before.
And when the senior Mr. Harrison re-
turned thsnkss the next day over the
meaRer meal given by charity. the tears
trickl9d through the fingers of John Har-
rison.
~ never was 20 rich in my life ss l am
tonight" he seid, looking around on the
upbroken family.
And tho father then solved his problem.
He was now sure that the fresh hearted
John Harrison was worth more than all
the mills and banks, and booms and
dams. aud railways and stores in the
world.
Aud somehow, when Mrs John Harri.
-on gave thanks over the recovered boy.
she could not help giving thanks over Der
husband also il seemed to her that he
had been lost for years, and had only now
been recovered.
Aud even You who sit by Ysnr grooming
tables on this Thanksgiving Day are no
happier. aud not half so thankful. as that
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