Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-11-30
A SCOrched Than Rssivfng.
AN ANACHRoNIsTIC SKETCH.
BY EDWARD EGGLEsTON.

John Harrison was not upkind. Bot =
,lozen years of fierce business Struggle in
a new country, had not been without ita
feet upon bin. At least his father, who
had come to live with John after buryipg
bis dear old wife, could not hut notice
snd regret change. What Mrs John
Harrison noticed aud regretted Of change
in her husband no one knew. If she Oh
served such change in her secret heart
of hearts, she did not acknowledge it by
any word or look, she did not confess it to
herself by any thought. But John H"r-
rison's father remembered the fresh
hearted young man who, q dozen years
before, had tsken his wife into what wac
then the wilderness of western Micbigan.
He remembered his devotion to hia wife,
his fine delicacy of feeling, and all that
And the old man looked into the face OF
bis son now with eager inquiry. Was
the former John Harrison underneath the
hard, driving face Of the successful John
Harrison a? He tried to get beneath the
surface. be tried to get chance for prI
va.e conversation with him. But John
wss too much Interested in booms, in
lumber drives and Logging Campo. John
could not talk of anything hut his store
or his bank stock or his pine lands.
Fourteen years before he had bought
the farm on which be now lived. When
he hed got it opened, he found it exceed-
ingly profitable. The proximity to the
.'outfittipg" vilis2e, where the "loggers"
bought their supplies, gave him ready
market. Two winters he had beaded
camps OF loggers a. part owner OF the rs-
suits Good snow for drawing the logs
good water for driving, and high prices
for the lumber had given him a handsome
start. Then he went back and married
his sweetheart, and here be had built bis
comfortable house, aud here. ~ the au-
tumn of 1870 drew on toward TnankPgiv-
ing Day, John Harrison w-s talking Of
the new and faer bouse he should build
in year or two, while John Harrison's
father was wondering whether the Lake
Pitohamalogne Boom, and the Upper Ga
tsuua River Boom. and the store in l.
Du Bots. and the First National Bank of
| Lac Du Bots, and the new Cataqna River
Railroad, and the Eternal Security Fire
| Insurance Company, and the saw mill 90
Lake Pitchamalogue. and the dam on the
Cataqua River, and the Shebsngaway
pine landa, iu all of which John Harrison
was part owner, president, director, or
what not-John Harrison's father could
not but wonder whether all together they
were worth the loss of his fine, fresh
hearted boy that had somehow got chang
ed into this hard faced, ambitious, driv
| ing bank director, who could never speak
of auQht but bis multitu1inous business
And Mrs. John Harrison had but little in
terest in the proposed new house as she
had in the new boom or the new bank
She could not acknowledge it 10 herself,
but che would have given everything to
have had one of the old tender words or
looks from her husband. Even on
Thanksgiving Day. in 1870. be was wor-
ried about his business, snd WA 50 anx-
ious for the holiday to pass that he could
not @ mccall his weariness. He even drove
down to the village of L &C Du Bois ia the
evening to meet Que of his fellow -direo-
tore. aud discuss the affairs of the First
National Bank of Lac Du Rois.
The early part of 1871 wss very
prosperous time with John Harrison. The
two boom companies paid large dividends.
He bought logs In the woods at low
figures, and fine freahet enabled him to
get them all out. His mills paid we'll
The bank prospered. The new Cataqu4
River Railroad managed to negotiate 3
loan that insured its speedy completion.
The Quitting store was very prof BILE.
And John Harrison grew more pre- oncu-
pied and ambitious than ever; his face
never relaxed. He was the very embodi-
ment of drive. He went through the
world pushing two booma, one farm. one
store, one national bank, Que Incomplete
railroad, one eternal security fire insur-
ance company, one saw.mill, one large
dam, and one thousand acres of pine
land, ahead of him. Seeing his wife
look anxious, he sought to cheer her by
telling her that he lad sold thu old place
and would move into Lac D. Bots village
next year. and build her the finest house
in the place. But somehow this did not
cheer the heart of Mrs John Harrison at
all. And John Harrison, senior, still
worked away at the promblem whether so
much success was worth what 1t cost.
That was an awful October. There
was destruction in the very air, which
hung heavy and lifeless over the country
like pail. The clouds had curious.
sooty look. The earth had been so utterly
parohed, and the sooty clouds had 50 lit
tI6 pLOElis6 VI LuotsbuES III bHFU
people trembled. John Hsrrison's mind |
was full of foreboding. He that has
many Investments has given many host
ages.
The first blow came.
"Mr. Harrison, the sheb .ngaway pin.
cries are all afire," said neighbsr. as be
drove hurriedly past in the evening.
That accounted for the smoke which was
now closing about them. John 81 ,rIi ,on
looked anxiously out at the lurky atmos-
pierre until hideous and uunstural night
settled over the scene. Then he went in
and shut the doors. while Mira. John Har-
rison watched his face. Then there came
a quick. sharp rapping at ths door. Mr..
Harrison started, and his face grew white
with terror.
"Mr. Harrison, Mr.. Johnssn sent me
ent to tell You that all the timber about
Lake Pitchamalogue and the hesd-waters |