St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-09-12
ST. ttohnsburp (aledonian.
st. bloomsbury. VT. Friday. Sept. IL. 1878.
flor hr Children
Against Wind and Tide.
by LOUISE CHANDLER MorLToN.
Against Wind and Tide.


did not know how to help himself. 1t
was his reputation. and it Is Il curious
thing how naturally We all live up to
our regulations: that Is To say. we d"
the things which are expected of us.
There is deal of homcly SENSE i'll the
old provcrh. "Givr Il dog Il bad name
and hang HIM" Give Il boy Il bad
name and he is reasonably sure to de
serve one. Not but Jack RanSdalc had
fairly earned his bad name His moth
er had died before he was old enough
to remember her. 50 he had never
known what Il home WAS. Once. when
his father was unusually gOod-maturcd.
he had asked him some questions about
his mother.
.'Shc was one of Gods saints. if ever
there WAS one. the man answered. half
reluctantly. "EVcryhOdy wondered
that She took up with me. hut maybe
il WAS because she saw | needed her
more than anybody else did. She
might have made Il different man of me
if she'd lived; at least. I've always
thought 50. ! never drank 50 much
when She WAS alive but what | kept
comfortable home over her head. But
when she was gone, it didn't appear to
me there WAS anything left to live for.
lacked comfort sOrcly. and don't say
but what I've sought for it in by-path>
by and forbidden paths, as she used
to say"
Il wish could ha' seen her" said
Jack.
she WAS II dreadful motherly cree
tur and was always haugin' over you.
Cold nights I've known her get up half
a-dOZem times, often. to see if the
clothes was all up over Your shoulders;
and sometimes I've seen her stand there
looking down at you in the biting cold
till | thought she'd freeze: but | didn't
dare to say anything. for her lips was
moving, and | knew she was pray vim
for you. She was Il prllin' woman,
your mother was. | used To think her
prayers would save both of us
Il cant make ont how she looked,
Jack persisted. He WAS So anxious t"
hear something about this dead moth
er who had loved him 81. Ever since
she died. he had been knocked round
from pillar to post, as they say, with
his father. sam Ram>dale WAS good
help, rs all the farmers knew. when
he was sober; but he was not reliable,
and then he had the disadvantage of
always being encountered with the boy,
whom he took with him everywhere
an unkcmpt, undi>cirlincd little fellow
whom no one liked. Now. Us his ia
ther talked, it seemed To him 50 strange
thing to thing that some one
used to stand beside his bed in cold
nights and pray for him, that he could
hardly believe it; and he said again.
ont of his dcSolatc longing,
Il wish | could ha' seen how she
looked"
Il don't suppose folks would ha'
said she was much to look at His |
father spoke, in Il mu>ing sort of way.
'She was little pale slip of IL woman.
with soft yellow hair droopin' about
her white face and eyes is blue is
them blue flowers You picked up along |
the road. But there. | can't talk about
her, and | aint IL goin' to, what's more
and don't you ever ask me again :"
From that time Jack never dared to
ask any more questions about his moth
cr, but all through his troublesome.
hoyhood he remembered TIA,
meagre outlines of the story which had
been told him. No matter how bad
he had been through the day. the
Ntlt ltN " llt'll ~ llllllh l
how once Il pale Slip of il woman. with
soft yellow hair around her white face.
and eyes blue as the blue gcntian>, had ,
bent above his Slumbcls and said
prayers for him.
When he Wa> ten Years old his father
died i'll the ponr-hou>e. Drink had en-
fcebied his constitution ; Il sudden cold
did the rest. There were Il few weeks
OF terrible Suffering, and then the end
came. Jack was with linn to the last.
There WaS nowhere else for him to he.
and the father liked to have him in his
sight. One day, just before the end.
when they were all alone, the man call
ed the hoy To his bedside.
Il can't tell You to follow my exam
pie, Jack that's the shame of it. I've
got to hold myself up a> il war!im, and
not as an example. just You steer as
clear a my ways a$ NOu can; but Ic-
member that your mother waS IL pray in
woman. sp0>c nohudy'd hclIcve it.
Jack but since I've been lyin here I've
kinder felt NEARER I" her than | ever
did before since She died. Seems a< if
| could am"st hear her prayiu' for me
and | think, 10y times. that the God she
lived 50 close to wont say no. Its the
Eleventh. hour. Jack. the lcvcnth hoW.
| know that a> we'll a. ANY body : hut
she used to sing Il hymn about while
the lamp holds out to bum. When !
get there | shall get nd of this awful
thirst for drink. Its been an drjui
u'.,t,.h ~ I ,,i1' , N' ~ " t I"i
when this old body goes to pieces. And
what does saviour mean, If ii aint
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