Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-05-07
So we had an o. K. time till we went K

DeQ.
They talked about the comet too. at sup
per, but didn't mind; and Miss Togy said
she'd been nervous ab1ut it all day; but Jill
said women always were.
At last We went to bed in the little Chin
ney bedroom. We went early; it was dark
early, Aunt John said from a storm some
where about; and we'd been in the cars all
day.
That little chimney bedroom is the funni-
est place you ever slept in. l never slept in
| ooe 80 funny, unless it was the night we had
missionaries, and l slept under the attic
stairs, and the mouse ran up my shirt sleeve.
There'd been a chimney once, and it ran up
by the window, and grandfather had taken
it away. 1t was big, old-fashioned chin
ney, and it left the funniest little gouge in
ths room. So the bed went in as nice as
could be. We couldn't see much but the
| ceiling when we got to bed. It's pretty
did blow up little Wouldn't it scare
Miss-Bogy -
"Togy," said l.
Well, To" said Jill, and right in the
middle of it he went off as sound as weasel.
The next thing can remember is a horri-
BILE noise | can't think of but one thing in
this world it was like, and that isn't in this
world so much. | mean the last trump with
the Angel blowing as he blows in nay old
primer But the next thing l remember is
| hearing jill sit up in bed-for l couldn't see
him, it was 50 dark-and his piping out the
other half of Miss Togy's name, just as he
had left it when he went to sleep
"Gy Bo-gy Fo-gy! Soa-ky Oh, y
said Jill, coming to at last, '' thought L
was up aud tried for heading photograph
ers strike, and going to be hung unless
could rhyme Miss LDgy's name, and make
sense all the way through to q ! That red
pincushion mother keeps in the spare cham
Der at home was Judge. Why what's up =
was up, but | couldn't tell what else
was, for little while. 1t was as dark as a
great rat-hole out of doors, all but streak
of lightning and an awful thunder, as If the
world were cracking all to pieces. L knew
the cherry-trees in tue garden must be shik.
ing and tossing, for the wind blew SO it took
nv breath away; but could not see them
not speck OF them. Then the lightnin :
lightened, and saw the old carryalI under
the butternut, aud then | saw nothing more.
"Come to bed ~ shouted Jill ; you'll
get struck, and that'll kill me :"
| went back TO bed, for l didn't know
what else to do. We crawled down under
the clothes and covered ourselves all up.
W-would- you--call Aunt--Jonn ?''
asked JILL He was most choket. | came
| up for air.
NO" said |, g don { think I'd call
Aunt john
should have liked to call Aunt John
| by that time; but t1en l should have fell
ashamed.
Il pose she's got her hands full looking
after Miss Croaky, any way" chartered jill!
bobbing lor breath, and then bobbing under
By that time, the storm was the worst
storm | had ever seen 10 my lie. Jill sa
| he thought it wouldn't have seemed so bad il
he hadn't beer in the little chimney be I-room
thought so too. 1t was so dark in the
gouge where the bed stood. Then though
the ceiling came down over our heads like {
coffin-lid. said SO to Jill. He said he {
kick me out of bed if said it again.
| And 50 it grew worse and worse. Thun.
der, lightning and wind Wind, lightning
and thunder Rain and roar and awiulness
| | dont know how to tell how awful it was.
| All the house shook if it had fit. And
our bed ratified up against the wall. AnC
there was hail, and 1t beat the window in
1t cut me on the face when | bobbed up t
look. 1t felt like great sword.
In the middle of the biggest peal we'd hao
vet, up Jumped Jill. Jack ~ said he
- that comet !" I'd never thought of the
comet till that minute. | felt an ugly feel
| ing, and little cold all over. - 1t is til,
comet" said jill. 90 It's the Day of Juds :
ment, Jack
jill SAID this in funny way, just al
everyday way, as if we'd been playing in :h
saloon, and he'd told me to move the Gamers
little. | asked him afterwards why he
dIdn't how. lie said he was too scared.
Then it happened. It happened SO fast
that | didn't even have time Co get my head
out from under the clothes.
| FIRST there was creak. Then crash
Then we ielt a shake, as if a giant pushed
his shoulder through the floor and showed US
| Then we doubled up. And then we begar
TO fall TIE floor opened, and we wen
thr rough | heard the bedpost hit as W,
scra pei by. Then | knew | was falling
| Then | felt another crash, Then we begar
to fail again Then we bumped down hard
After that We stopped falling. lay still
| NV heels were doubled up over my head.
thought my neck would break. But never
dared to STIR. L thought that was dead.
By and by wondered if Jill were moi
dead too So | undou5led my neck little
and found some ar Ii seemed to be just as
uncomfortable to double up your neck, and
to breathe without air when you were dead
as it was when you weren't.
| So called out, softly, " Jill - No an
swer " Jill - Not sound. " Oh-Jill =
But he did not speak. So then | knew
Jill must be dead, at any rate. | cOuldn'l
help wondering why he was SO much deadeI
than | that he couldn't answer fellow
Pretty soon | heard rustling noise around
my feet. Then a weak, sick, kind of a noise
Just the noise always had supposed ghosts
would make if they talked.
9 Jack p
" Is that you, Jill -
" suppose Is it you, Jack ~
" Yes. Are you dead %
" don't know. Are you p
- guess must be if you are. How aw
fully dark 1t is -
Awfully dark 1t must have been tn,
comet -
Yes Did you get much hurt -
mot much. l say-Jack -
What -
"If it is the Judgment Day" Jill brok
up. So did |. We lay as still as we could
Ii it were the Judgment Day
| thought Of SO many things. remem
| DereQ all the lies L ever tOlO. L cOulun
help thioking how hadn't said my prayer
since mother had the typhoid fever. don
believe | ever cheated at a game of marble
in my life. that 1 didn't think about then
Aud the queerest thing was about Baldwin
apple took from a fellow once-he was
llttle chap-and lame had crooked legs
poor, too. He lett it in his satchel,-
couldn't seem to get yer that BALDWIN apple
to think | took it,
jul ~ said l.
's On dear me - sobbed Jill.
We were both crying at that time.
don't feel ashamed to own up, as far as | ar
concerned.
:. If I'd known said 1, 6 that the Da
of Judgment was coming on the 18th of Au
gust, | wouldn't have been so mean abOu
that jack-knife of yours with the note
|.