Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1874-03-27

snow they were piloted by a nelghbor to
the lonely house. They made known their
errand, and in the course',of half an lhour
the officers and their prisoner were out in
the storm en- route fornthe distant city OF
Montreal
1t was many days before the woman saw
her son again. For four months John was
imprisoned, awaiting his trial before the
Canadian courts. Doubtless those four
months seemed long to the solitary woman.
She had not much opportunity to indulge
In melancholy fancios; she spent much of
her time in pulling brush and wood out OF
the snow and breaking il up with an axe,
so as to adapt il TO the size of her stove.
The neighbors tried to be kind, and often
took commissions from her 10 the store and
the grist mill in the valley "But after all -
said Peter Searles, one OF Johns friends, in
speaking of the matter anerward,' "what
could neighbors amount to, when the near
est Of them lived a mile away, and all oI
them were plain TO say that.they believed
she was the mother of .murdercr9"
But the neighbors said the woman did
not seem to mind the solitude and the
rough work. Morning, noon and night she
was out in the snow or storm at the little
hovel of barn back of the house, taking
care of two cows and a few sheep which
were hers and Johns. At other times tray
| ellers upon the Wilderness road would see
her gaunt, angular figure clambering down
rocky ridge, dragging poles to the house
TO be cut up for fuel.
Gbp rppniyoJ turo Io,,,r. r.,.,, IT.. a. %
course Of the winter. The first told her
that he was imprisoned, and awaiting his
trial in Montreal, and the next one said that
| his trial had been set down for an early day
in March.
This correspondence was all the nforma-
ton the mother had of her son; for the
lake was frozen during the winter, that
boats.did.not run, ard no news could come
from Canada by the boatmeu.
When March came and passed away
without intelligence from 1Ohn, II was TAX
en- Icy the dwellers upon the lake-sh ore and
along the Wildornes, road as a sure indica-
ton that he had been convicted of the
crime. A letter or newspaper announcing
the fact was confidently looked for by the
nelghbors whenever they went to the dis
| tant post. office for their weekly mail
As March went out, and spring days and
sunshine came, 1t was noticed that the face
OF JONAS mother looked sharp and white,
but she went about the same daily duties
as before, without seeming to feel i'll or
weak
On plashy April day full Of sunshine,
she stood on the rocky ridge back of The
house, looking down upon the lake. A few
early birds had come back and were twit.
tering about the clearing. Although the
snow still fingered in patches upon the
highlands, the valley looked warm below,
and the first boats Of the season were dot
| ting the wide, distant mirror Of "old Cham
| palm man came slowly up the
muddy line Of road through the gate, and
around the house; then first the woman
saw him. slight spasm passed over her
] face. There was little pitirul culver of
the muscles about the mouth, and then she
walked slowly down the ridge 10 where the
man STOOD. She struggled little with her.
self before she said, "Well John, I am
| glad to see yon back"
John tried to be cool also, but nature was
too much for him. He could not raise his
eyes to hers, and his simple response, eyes,
mother was chokingly uttered.
The two walked into the house together
in the old familiar way; the woman with
out word began to spread the table, and
her son went out and prepared fuel. and
bringing ii in replenshed the fire. Then
be sat down in his accustomed place by the
| StAEp will, "A ~ l.
well the fire burned, and how good it
seemed 10 be home again. And the wo-
man spoke few kind, mothery words.
fl was the way they had always done
when john came back, but now there was
great sadness in it, for he had come "from
prison. Jupiter seemed fully to realize
the situation. He exhibited none of that
friskineSs which characterized the welcome
be had usually given but when John was
seated the old deg came slowly up to him,
| laid his fore paws aud his head in his mas
| ter's lap, and looked sadly in his face.
A, they sat down TO supper, John began
to tell of his fare in the Jail at Montreal,
and 10 speak freely Of his life there. 'Will
you have 10 so back ?" said his mother
with that quiver about tho mouth again.
"No, mother" said John, ait is finished,
aud am discharged
Amer supper the story was told over, how
well Johns counsel had worked for him.
and how the judge bad said there was moi
sufficient evidence TO convict of so great a
crime.
John continued from this time on through
the spring TO live at home. He allowed
his sloop TO float idly in the bay, while, as
he said, he himself rested. The truth was,
he saw, as others did not, that his mother
had carried a fearful weight, and now.
when it was lifted by his return, that the
resources Of her life were exhausted. The
change, not yet apparent to other eyes, was
clear to his vision. So 1t is that these ST.
lent spirits read each other.
AS the warm weather advanced, the
strong woman became weak and as the
June flowers began TO bloom, she ceased to
move about much, ana sat the most of each
day in chair by the open door. John
managed the house and talked with his
mother Her mind changed with the re-
Taxation of her physical frame. She nc
longer strove to hide her tears, but, like
tired infant, would weep without restraint
or conceament, as size told her son of the
early loves and romance of her girlhood
life in a warm valley of the West. HI
learned more OF his mothers heart in those
June days than he had surmis ID from all hI
had known of her before. And he under
stood what this predicted. He felt that thu
heart nearest his own was counting over
the treasures of life ere 1t surrendered them
forever.
There was no great scene when the wO
man died. II was at evening, just as th'
July fevers were coming on. She hac
wept much in the morning. AS the day