Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-09-26

The woodward was 10 lie the bay. Large
logs of wood were loaded and primed and
laid in parallel lines upon gun-decks of
| fancy. Two slips of red and blue flannel,
| hoisted upon a couple of clothes poles,
were to signal England expects every
man to do his duty" of the sullen man-of-
war; and "Don't give up the piukey" Of
the Yankee privateer. Fancy was to nail
them to the mast With this utter lack Of
sea-room and scenic properties, he was to
present to the excited audience (Mr. Tic
tom) all the incidents of the unequal and
desperate encounter.
As the whole affair was to be at the ex-
pense of Mr.. Tictom, it seemed proper that
he should have some choice in tho conduct
of it. So the saver deferred to his employ
er's views.
"Sball we spare the prisoners?" said
| Teet.
"Certainly, Tommy, don't for goodness
sake shed any blood"
Tommy looked upon his employer with
something like-it could have been only
the shadow of-contempt. To expect sea-
| fight-to behold all the pomp, pride, and
| circumstance of glorious WARMTH real
gunpowder-and not drop of blood drawn!
| o timid Tictom
Jerry was to let fall his bandanna when
ready for the affair to begin. With his eye
upon the signal, the saver waited with
| slow match of oakum to touch the first
| gun, which he announced would be from
the pinkey. The handkerchief fell and the
| latter called upon the ship to surrender or
| be sunk. There was a grim silence on
| board of the bulky merchantman, which
the pinkey attributed to fear. But the si-
lence was soon broken by frigate's broad
side, and Mr.. Teet's personaton of surprise
was admirable. He allowed his wooden
| leg to shiver with it.
Tommy stumped from one line of loaded
| logs to the other. Both shot handsomely.
| presenting to the audience perfectly brill
| liant though somewhat bewildering scene.
Such was the celebrity of Tonny's move
| ments, that now and then Mr.. Tictom lost
the situation completely, and only recover
ed il by chance, or when Teet struck some
| familiar attitude of which he knew the
meaning by heart.
OF truth there were times when either
| tors fancy failed him, for often it was i'm
| possible TO see in Teet other than the pro-
| sale little wood-sawer. 1t was trying
moment to the looker-on when-the pinkey
| having tackled to deceive the enemy-Ton-
| ny stun bled and nearly fell into the jaws
| of the frigate.
Mr.. Tictom played the part of statesmen
| to perfection. He sat upon an embankment
out of harm's way, crying, "Never surren-
der! don't give up the pinkeyr Perhaps
| it was easy TO show good craftsmanship,
| but for poor Teet bearing the burden Of the
| day,-personating alternately the scorn of
| the friGate and he daring of the pinkey.
| with broadsdes to be given and taken.
| holding tho doubtful pose of battle now
on this side now on that, it was not so ca
| sy. When he felt the perspiration running
| from the scuppers, as ii were, and after the
| last shot had been fired, he allowed the
| piukey to escape. He sat down upon the
wood-horse, hot breathless, and content.
For himself, he would ather have fought
both craft, bobstay to yard-arm, to the bot
tom, but the limits prescribed by Mr.. Jer
ry forbade such bloody conclusion; so he
invented the darkness and the escape of
the pinkey in it as mastery maneuver,
which, under Providence, it was.
Tommy considered it no mean triumph,
that, during the conflict, he succeeded in
| bringing Mrs. Holm TO the window with
curiosity in her face and her right hand
over her good ear.
"Well DONE" cried Mr.. Jerry from his
| faf
hurried down therefrom, went into the
house and brought out to the thirsty actor
glass of wine that had not seen light for
twenty years. Jerry saw this battle fought
| over and over in the winter fire, always
hearing in the cracking of the forestick the
smack of Tonny's lips over that annual
glass of wine, fitting finale.
| But let it not be concluded that this play
as now played, was the sudden offspring of
Mr.. Teet's genius. When Mr.. Tictom
heard it first it was a simple rill of a story,
trickling shyly along from the lips of the
lively old wood-sawer. Mr.. Tommy told it
without illustration, except here and there
wave of the hand; then at later telling
he set the wood-horse TO represent one
thing, and pile of saw-dust another. And
again-for by such slow marches perfec-
ton comes-the falling of the beetle upon
the axe made thunder though rather of
thin quality. The loading of the logs as
cannon for the engagement, was thought
of later growth, "a flash of inspiration like,
which only visits genius. Thus the story
grew to play, and the play had grown and
was growing with every repetition thereof.
But for Jerry and Tommy it continued TO be
history of taking the frigate," and no
| play at all.
Luckily jerry was a bachelor. AS head
of household the time devoted to the
"story" would have been required to quie.
the baby, and thought, which was now clear
as a spark, would have been bewidered in
seeking for the hidden ills of infancy.
He lived in an ideal world in which he
made ecstatic journeys. In our bread and
butter world he travelled very little. Here
he was punctilious and methodical to an
ace. The business of his life demanded it,
for he was the executive officer of mon
eyed institution. For certain part of the
day his mind futtered among notes, bills =,
discount, and balances, at the beck and call
of the trader, and borrower, and money
changer of Seetown. But when he placed
the key in the satchel and drew tho string
thereof, his other life, of which we have
had glimpse, began, to continue until the
opening, next morning of the Seetown
Bank.
1t was an old institution, Tommy Teet
was its messenger, connection which con-
tributed not little to his sef-importance,
and in his own eyes he knew the myster-