Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-03-27
Marx Hrbtr's Lack.

ln1 uenaulin- fFNuI ~ sNiNAit"s
His home had been. from his earliest re-
mcmbrance. upon a stony, WORKOUT farm
Of fav aces, situated upon the Seneca
Lake. ia Western New York. His "a
Their had become 50 heavily involved in
debt. that two weeks before bis death the
farm had been s0ll By foreclosure Of
mortgage.
And now what was Marx to do?
tie was a lad Of nineteen. slight aud
boyish in frame, bu, with the strength Of
a man ia his sineWy arms. He had had
the usual advantages Of education afforded
- farmers sons.
dc returned home from his fathers
crave to the small, unpaintod story and a
half house, and after him came his IA
theirs only brother. n well-to-dO-iarmer,
who resided in the neighboThood.
This uncle, Mr.. William Hcber, was a
man Of sixty years, pompus and sels-im-
portaut. His soul was Of the smallest
pattern. aud he had never been known to
do a generous deed, while he had done
many mean ones.
"Weu. Mark" said his uncle, I've
sent my folks on home, so that | can have
good long talk with you. Morgan tells
me he wants the farm. lie has held of
two weeks while George was dying, but
he wants to move in next week. What
are you going to do?"
81 don't know, uncle, am trying 20
think. What can | do ~
81 have thought the matter over"
said Mr.. Heber, aud have thought upon
plan. | am willing to take you, Mark,
and treat you as my own son. You shall
have home at my house, and a seat az
my table. What do you say?'
You forget, uncle, that | have some
one to provide for besides myself" said
Mark. Suppose were to accept this
offer of yours, what will you do for Gay?'
The girl is no relation Of yours.
Mark"
The boy sighed.
Poor little Cay" be said "hcrs is
hard lot. Do you remember how the
child came by her name? 1t is thirteen
years this spring since lady stopped at
our door and asked leave to remain over
night. She staid on day after day, grow
ing weaker and weaker. 1t did not take
long TO discover thai she was insane. She
called the child Gay, and sometimes Ga
briello, which is Gays trne name. But
she did not tell her surname, nor any.
thing concerning herself Late that sum-
mer she died. No one ever came to in
quire after her or her child"
" Her mother was crazy tramp, and
nothing more. No wonder George was
behindhand, when his wife adopted the
child of a tramp and brought her up
lady" said his uncle.
Mark colored
cannot hear a word against my
mother, sir" he said. IL shall protect
Gay while | live, and she shall not be
separated FROM me-"
".Then | wash my hands of you," ex-
claimed Mr.. Hebcr angriy, "You can
go your own way, rnd get your own l1v-
ing"
Every well, Sir" said Mark quietly;
" that is settled then"
In one week Mark had sold a pair of
colts which he had raised himself, for
five hundred dollars, the household furni-
ture for nearly as much more, aud was on
his way, with little Gay, to the far West,
to seek their fortune.
The yong travellers arrived at Leaven-
worth after long and fatiguing Journey.
Here Mark, while looking for wagon
and zoe of oxen with which to cross the
prairies, fell in with an old farmer named
Whitman, who had been living in West
ern Kansas, but did not like it, and was
now on his way to Nebraska. Mark con.
cluded to join him, and Mr. Whitman as
sisted him in purchasing suitable outfit.
and that same night Mark and Gay were
snugly seconded in their huge travelling
wagon, outside of the city. on the edge of
the prairie, where Mr.. Whitman, with
his wife and seven children, had encam.p
ed. Six other families were with them
the seven wagons being parked in the
formed Of a circle-that is, the pole of {
one wagon resting upon the rear of an
other--and the oxen, mules, horses, COWS,
dogs and pigs being gathered into the cir
Gle thus protected.
Outside Of the wagons great fire was
burning and as Marks wagon drove up
the conductor of the train, Mr. Landlord,
came forward and welcomed the new.
cOmers.
1t seemed TO Gay and to Mark that
they had entered new and wonderous
world.
Beth lay long awake that night in their
wagon, close up under the canvass roof i
and talked in whispers of their great fu-
ture. and wondered what it had in store
for them.
The next moring at 1aybreak the camp /
was astir. BY sunrise the wagon train ,
was on its way toward the northwest. t
At night they halted beside small
stream and parked the wagons, and had
supper, and talked aud sang songs and 5
told tories, like one great Joyous family. i
Atday6reak, again they were on their
way. q
ln the course Of ten days, having ira.
yelled rapidly for oxteams, they reached
the Little Blue river, a branch Of the Big /
Blue. The women built fires and began
the preparation Of supper. The men pro- G
ceeded to park the wagons. Q
1.-The last train took over this route |
was attacked by Indians just here" said
Conductor Landlord. "They were un.
usually bold, and we had a tough fight d
Good u,.uat WI :: II. ~, h.