St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-01-22
as if he were tired of it, he said {:

as if he We're tired of it, he said:
II never SAW il tree like that. know
, about Christmas, though. About the
star and the sheprrds, and the Christ
Child. ynu spoke of--that they laid in ii
manger."
Then you know all that any one III
this world need ever care to know"
said.
1t may have been an hour. or two
hours. but it seemed but Il minute after
this that the boy shook me roughly by
the shoulder.
I'VE are to get out here" he said.
| was very stiff in all my joints, but
could get up and climb out of the stage,
and no more. II | WAS cold | did not
know ii, my limbs were numb, vet
otherwise | was comfortable enough.
| crawled ont and followed the boy iniO
il miserable looking Sllanty by the road
side, i'll front of which we had stopped.
There was IL rough bar running across
the room; there WAS Il thick. black
haired, brawny looking man behind =.
and there were two or three kegs If
liquor behind him. There was an irnn
stove i'll the middle of the room, Il bcnch t.
along the wall. and that was all The
boy asked for some brandy, drank IL
glass of it after handing one to me which
| drank, and felt so much better for
drinking that called for another and
got IT {: but the boy refused to take the
glass | offered him. Il have had
enough, he said.
We were going out, when the laud-
lord opened the door before lis. Look
ing out into the storm, he asked i'll
credulously:
Are YOU going on -
"IeS." said the hoy, Il was told to
drive this gentleman to llinm tonight
and I'm going To do it"
"lf You get there at all, it will he
night sure enough" said the landlord.
Il will get there all the same" WAS
the hoy's reply.
Let us stop here Tonight | said :;
eve can go Oh IN the morning"
Il would rather take you on, sir ,
There's no danger. cant put my
horse up here, and my master would
Kill me if anything happened to him."
That decided me To 90 on. Besides
did not care /" talk. was beginning
to feel cold again standing in the wind.
50 We got into the stage. 1t WAS not
showing ANY faster than before. simply
We're heavier. aud when we tried to
start. the .iadcd horse balked and strug-
glcd through the dIitt for the stage had
frozen fast where il stopped.
1t was three o'clock now, the light in
the west growing DINNER and DINNER ::
the gloom of the mountains and the
bare woods coming nearer to us, making
their meaning felt III our souls, filling
|, t,,1
covered road hcyond. Ten miles To 90
Yet. the night coming quickly on. the
cold growing more intense, the road
rou%hcr. more PERCEPTIONS. the hOr>"
evidently giving ont But the boy took
up the lines, the bright, frank smile
upon his face. the CHEEKY word upon
/ his tongue. "ti"od-hyr." he said.
We went on along the road that from
the beginning of time il WAS ordained
we were t" go. crrpt back into my
corner.
"po not 90 to sleep" the pleasant
voice warned ne from the front.
"lhank You" | replied. checrcd and
warmed 10y its hearty glow. Il will not
90 I" sleep.
Then followed long silence. in which
| had views of the falling SNOW. the
white hills above us, the white hills
still below IL. in which | heard sounds
from crcakin" grooming branches. from
the wind sweeping Savagely past u>.
Then uncouquerahlc droW>imc>>. fast
coming darkness then night.
trIt Il hand ON my face. then on my
shoulder, shaking me roughly: Il sweet.
cheering Voice III my ears. calling me
back To life.
IF N"u go t" sleep now, You wont
wake up again" it said.
woke with IL sudden start. for au
instant. to Il full consciousness of time
and place. WaS not cold. only sleepy
Il am quite awake" | replied. "Have
We far to 90 -
'Fivc miles, and the voice was still
the same CHEEKY voice that had heard
from the first. He spoke to me often
after that then | Saw him lis i'll Il
dream, fixing Il blanket that he had
taken from the horses back. to the
hickory bows overhead. to keep the
snow from driving i'll upon me. for
was covered with it to my knees As
God is my judge. | did not then clearly
know what he WAS doing. or would
have stopped him. iii not feel cold
though | knew afterwards that | WAS
then freezing and did not think he
was cold. did not think at all WIS
far past that. had begun Il longer
journey than had started upon.
In that longer journey dreamed of
home, of the wOmdrouS Christmas mira
Gle, the lighted tree: of the glad faces
of children whose voices | heard.
heard one of them repeat two or three
times, with startling diStinctncss. wv
are lost" WAS conscious that the child
who said it had thrown herself into my
arms. and was lying there Il dull, heavy
weight. But aside from that cry it was
all bright and pleasant-thiS real, terri
bic journey through the SNOW. over the
rough. dangerous road, in that far oil
December. The dream lasted "A long
while, through all that night and the
day following, and the night following
that.
When | awoke from it | was in Il
large room, which | had never seen be-
fore. There We're piles of the softest
blankets upon me, there was great
) wood fire blazing on the hearth, and |
had never felt So warm and comfortable
III all my life. There were two stran-
gers Ill the room, IL man and Il woman.
whose faces We're kindly ones, but sore
~ troubled. When | stirred, and they
SAW | recognized them, they came and
stood 10y my bed.
Where am ?" asked of them.
AT lliun, in the house of the Meth
odiSt minister
"How long have been here :"
''Since night before last. You came