National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-04-25
A New Cassblanca.

The man looked ut his boy proudly.
stcnly, sorrowfully. The lad looked
into his fathers face sadly, exultingly,
heroically. II was living tableau no
artist could reproduce. Billy" said
the father, gravely, 81 took your moth
er and sister 10 church yesterday"
Yes, sir" "And left you 10 see to
the things" " Yes, sir" replied the
boy, gazing out through the window at
the flicker as il hitched down the gate
post, and finally dropped into the grass
with shrill chirp. And You didn't
water the pigs2" 5000 Oh, sir
Gecroodv Oh, me Lawsy, lawsy
me !" The slender scion of m apple
tree rose and fell in the hand Of Mr..
Coulter, and up from the jacket Of the
lad, like incense from an altar, rose n
cloud Of dust, mingled with the nap OF
jeans. Down in the young clover OF
the meadow the lark and sparrows sang
clcorily, the gnats and flies danced up
and down in the sunshine, the frosh soft
leaves of the vines rustled, and all was
merry indeed. Billy's eyes turned up
towards the face Of his father IN appeal
ing agony, but still with II sharp hiss
the switch cut the mir, falling steadily
and mercilessly on his shoulders.
And along the green banks OF the
river the willows shook their shiny fin
gers at the lifting fog, and the voices of
children going by to school smote the
sweet May wind. ooh, pap, I'll not
forget the pigs no more p aspect you
won't, heather" The wind, by sud-
LOO, ,,nG l,ftaJ ,ntn tLa noon, ebnwar
Of white bloom petals from a sweet mp
Pile tree, letting them fall gracefully
upon the patchwork carpet, the while a
ploughman whistled plaintively in n
distant field. " Dutch Crackee! Oh,
pap, pap |" "Shut yenr mouth, ri I'll
split you to the backbone" How many
delightful places in the woods, how
many cool spots beside tho murmuring
river, would have been more pleasant to
Billy than the place he then occupied.
"Oh, me oh, me !" yelled the lad.
Still the dust rose and danced in the
slantingjet OF sunlight that fell across
the room, and the hens ont at the barn
cackled and sang for joy over new eggs
laid in choice places.
At one time during the falling Of the
rod the girl quit washing, and thrusting
her head into the kitchen, said, in u
subdued tone, my land, amt Blu
gittin an awful one?" "You're mighty
right" replied the mother, solemnly.
Along towards the last Mr. Coulter tip
toed at every stroke. The switch ac-
tually screamed through the air as it
fell. Billy danced. "Now go, sir !"
,,;a1 Tho MAN +,oa;,e, A. f,;,,1oJ
stump of the CAD out of the window.
" Go now, and the next time you water
them pigs" And, while the finch
poured out cataract of melody from
the locust he went. Poor boy that
was terrible thrashing, and, to make
it worse, it had been promised to him
the evening before, so that he had been
dreading it and shivering over it all
night. Now, as he walked through the
breakfast-l ON, his sister looked at him
in commissioning way, but, on pass
ing through the kitchen. he could not
catch the eye of his mother. Finally
he stood in the free, open air, in front
of the saddle closet. 1t was just then
speckled rooster on the barn-yard
fence Topped his wings and crowed
vociferously.
A turkeycock was strutting upon the
grass by the old cherry tree Billy
opened the door of the closets. "A
boys will is the winds will, and the
thoughts of youth are long, long
thoughts" Billypeeped into the closet,
and then cast glance about him, as if
to see if anything was near At length,
during pleasant lull in the morning
wind, and while the low, tenderly mellow
flow of the river was distinctly audible,
and the song of the finch increased in
volume, and the bleating of new lambs
ia the meadow died in huttering echoes
under the barn, and while the fragrance
of apple-blooms grew fainter and while
the sun, now flaming just above the
eastern tree-tops, launched shower
over him from head to loot, he took
from under his jacket behind doub lie
sheep-skin, which, with an ineffatle
smile, he tossed into the closet Then,
as the yellow flicker rose rapidly from
the grass, Billy walked off, whistling
the air of that once popular ballad:
"Oh. give me back my fifteen cents"