The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-12-01
THE MAN on THE,ELLAR DOOR.

AT Nuo lluupI'hi0lo uuot' ilo nau JUS
come out of it. but he was on the cellar
steps and began it thus muttering t
himself, us fair. .iaced child passed by
jack my boy, Jack :" and then SOM
one discovered he had maundered int,
narrative, and stopped to listen. IN,
boy Jack, don't | remember the day h
was born in the two-roomed house in th
meadow The doctor he rode over, anC
Granny Webb.
He's fine child, says Grannie. 'Th,
finest in Charlotte, says the doctor. s.
he was, and he grew protter every day
He was his mothers boy, and it was jus
picture to see ihem--L Liddy aud bel
lad. in the high grass. or under apple
trees, together. Was that me that useC
to stand aud look at EN- 7 reckon so
but yet-Lord help met seems us if
lied when | said So
The prcltiest picture They were
like each other, these two, And one fun
ny thing-right on her round, white
throat was red mark--a birth. mark
don't you know-liko little straw berry
No bIemish, only a beauty. And some
how it was on the baby's too, just under
the chin. Learned folks may tell you
why such things happen. l only jus,
know it was so, and used to say if ever
the child was lost we'd know him by that
mark, Happy Yes we were as happy
as two babies-she ahd |. Aud the real
baby Well, he throve, and began to
walk, and began to talk, and grew to be a
boy.
Il forget good deal niuu does for.
&c; n good deal-only-yes--he was only
eight years old when they built the store,
and | took to going there now aud then.
A man likes to :alk bit, and glass
with a friend seems only right. Yes,may.
be | did take glass to much now aud
then, even then; and somehow the farm
didn't thrive, and Liddy she fretted, aud
woman-ike, blamed me. remember
her blaming me, but one thing never was
was the boy. Oh, the boy I!
fair and sweet and good, good and sweet
as n girl, as his mother-tbere was no one
better than her-and he did all be could
on the farm with his young hands
You see me sitting here-you see how
cold | am, and how | shake. | haven't
had drink to-day. Do you expect me
to remember how it all went on? think
| vent on sprce--yes, ! know | did
and when came home the mother was
sick, and there was 10 food in the house.
I-yes, I'd pawned the plow and sold
the oxen, aud the land laid waste we
couldn't feed Tho COW. II was all going
to rack and rain. And hc-a slim young
thing; no was fourteen, think stood
up before me, and to!5 me | ought to be
ashamed OF myself. That my drinking
vas running all, and killing his mother,
and lot more Al true but I'D
been on spree, told YOU, and | was
furious.
There was stick IN the corner-a
twisted thing, slender but strong |
caught it up, and caught him and beat
him. | beat him uutl the blood ran
down his white back, and his mother ~
h.l .L.;o,oa .,d ohr;ol.o1 III.
,"s ,"s1 - ,b;na hn, ho nn,,,n - n,nanoa n INV .
last | dropped and be dropped. He laid
quite still for Il minute or two. and then
got up aud crcpt out Of the room was
getting sober, and began to feel what
'''' u .un' nn' 81, c,,ho., I.,;d. AoL.,.o
.;,h, ~ m sno.i' ms so - h;s ra,hD, " ' NV
s.And ,ton + r.i,od hn, ho d;dn,, ,o.o
,ooL No NJ d;dr,, oomo haor I mas
sobcr ono,.b nrottv soon ! reI, bs, I'd IA
dono rronG and I,r;ed :, nolonn cor
!, I 80, ,hn Lat,,o ho;l;nn ana ,hon
want 70 ,hc s,ore for ten myse,f hsd
= p,,,s crod;t ye, you sse ala mora
,Lnn ia Aono ,or ion, ,rhuo -, hnm,a
anJ co,,;no sohor,, ond sohoro. hoaan
70 tb?nk of NV how Jacl a, ho wos wLon
na.,;od h;, ,nr asma ana go ''
motner, pretty siri. unu ''o' q, M .ur Uiums Vi '
I'd given, him, and | began to know ia
cry soon.
so tried to make believe to myself
I'd done right, and l says to his mother,
sobbing and choking still
Lddy, boy shouldn't be permitted to
preach to his father.
Il had to do my duty; aud then |
pushed open the bedroom door and SAYS
|:
Jack, my boy come TO tea, aud ALWAYS
b. respectful
But there | stopped. The window
was wide open bis little trunk stood emp.
ty in the middle Of the floor; and pinned
to the bed.quit was a paper wrstten on
10 pencil. This was what it said
There's a name for the place devils 20
to. think we'll meet there for you
are one, and | think you've made me one,
too. Good-by.
He didn't even call me father. but
knew he wrote to me; and searched
far and wide for him, but found no SIGN
of him. and it nearly killed me. Some.
thing happened to my head or heart.
laid on my back for months, and that
wife of mine forgave me and nursed me.
and when | was well again | swore ia