Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-05-07
The Day Of Judgment.


and a quarter. Jill is my brother. That
isn't his name, you know, his name is Tlmo-
thy, and mine is George Zlcha, las; but
| they've always called US Jack and Jill: I'm
sure l don't see why, Ii we'd had much
| water to carry-but 1t isn't a well at our
| house, it's pipes. And we never broke our
heads on hills, or anything of that kind the
| most ever broke was toe-jont, and it was
| splintered up, besides the cash in Jill's neck
| from coasting.
But don't think you often understand
about names. There's Mahersh ilal-hash -baz
for instance. We had that at Sunday chool
last Sunday. I'm glad l wasn't 1saiah'<
boy.
Well. Jill and l had an invitation down
to Aunt Johns this summer, and that was
how we happened to be there. It's q great
thing to have an invitation to Aunt John's
We don't go visiting in our family without
invitations; | mean if we're relations. We
like it better. Then they're glad to see you
and the girl isn't sick, and there's berry.
cake for supper, and you have the spare
room, and like as not maple syrup on your
fapjacks. Once | had broiled chicken foI
breakfast three times a week at Cousin Pal
mer's.
Aunt John can't afford chicken unless It'll
Sundays, because her chickens are most all
guinea-hens and one turkey. But d rather
go to Aunt Johns than anywhere else in the
world. When | was little fellow | used tC
think I'd rather 60 to Aunt Johns than tc
go to heaven, But | never dared to tell
But when [ had the scarlet lever down there,
| let it out to Aunt John, and she never
scolded a bit. | thought she cried, but
never was sure, because she was just digging
out the guava-jelly with teaspoon.
You couldn't tell what it is about going
TO Aunt Johns 1t isn't SO much the
maple syrup. Nor the four O'Clock dinner
Sundays, and the crisp on the mashed po-
tato. | don't think its the barn nor the tool
house it isn't all the old c4rryall out under
the butternut tree Aunt John leaves that
cdrryall there yet, though it's just smasn
| from the wind and weather and US boys, be-
cause jill says he d feel homeslck not to see
it; and she couldn't even play go for the
doctor in it, it's such a smasn.
Aunt John takes photographs and tin
| types, Most boys think it's funny for n
| lady to take tintypes, but Jill aud don't
She always has. At least, uncle dii, and
she helped, and 50 he died. aud she kept
right along. Sae has saloon next the pos :
office, and her girl gets dinner, and she comes
| home at twelve, to Sit round IN the shady
places on the steps with jill and me, and
guess what we're going to have for dessert.
l don't know but it's the saloon that's a
good deal OF it at Aunt John's. You ought
to see the album, jill and I've got, of just
pictures OF ourselves every way You can lm-
| agine with two heads and three; and
upside down; and backside front and eating
! haplacks and the turkey for a trontispiece
| besides.
1t takes me a great deal longer than
thought it would, to get to what set out tC
say about how we went to Aunt John this
| time.
| She'd invited US to come on the 18th o.
August. 1t takes all day to get to Aunt
Jonns. She lives at Little River, in New
Hampshire, away up. You have to wait al
South Lawrence in a poky little depot, anC
you have to change cars at DIVER, and you
get some played out. At least, | don't s.
much, but Jill does SO We bought paper
| bought the paper, because he bought the
popcorn and the mustiest jumble ever ate
But got some prlze-uandy, when it came
my turn, and fsh-hook in it | shouldn t
have noticed the fsh-hook, if | hadn't come
so near swallowing it.
So we bought the paper and Jill sa
up and read it he tipped his cap on the
back of his head and sat up like the mar
in front of Us with the big neck and the Ions
mustache. I'd have punched pin in hin
to see him jump, if he'd sat up 50 long, bu
he didn't. When he'd sat minute anC
read along:
Look here - said he
Look where?" said |.
Why, there's going to be a comet to
night" said jill.
/" Who cares ?" said l.
Jill laid down the paper, aud crunched
popcorn all up before he answered that
Then said he: - | don't see why father neve
told us. s'pose he thought we'd be fright
ened, or something. Why, s'posing th
this paper says. 1t is predicted-it is =
yes, where's my place Oh, see pre-
dlcted by learned men that a comet will com
: into c)n-conjunction with our planet ~
- our planet this night Whether we shal
or suffocated with n-o-x-noxious gases, o
scorched to helpless crisp, or bla sted a
once into eternal an-ni-hi-'"
A gust of wind grabbed the paper out o
Jill's hand just then, and took it out of th
, window so | never read the rest. | locke
it up 10 my definitions when got home, an
| thou yht that word must have been annihl
, lation.
{" Father isn't GOOSE said l. Is Ii
: didn't think it worth mentioning. He ISM
going to be afraid of comet at this time O
life -
So we didn't think anything moro abou
the comet till we got to Aunt Johns. s
when we got to Aunt Johns there was com
pauy there after all. 1t wasn't relation
: only an old schoolmate, and her name Wa
3 Miss Togy; SO she'd come without an invita-
:, tlon, and had to have the spare room becaus
she was a lady. That Was how Jill and
/ came to be put into the little chimney bee
room.
And so Jill went out to the carryall, frt
. thing; but went over to the saloon befor
supper, and took the yellow cat and th
. bakers boy before supper, besides Miss Tog
standing on her head. l didn't like he
: much tor being there, because Aunt job
had to pay 20 much attention to her.