Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-07-14


erking ND his horses head from the sweet, /
,ure grass greening all the roadside.
Let vour PONY feed while he cam she
eplied, What about the sheep?'
How many will you give?'
.IIow many are you going to give your
,elf?'
Twice as many as you will
DO you mean it?'
Il do
Then III give every sheep own.
And how many is that y
"A couple of dozen or So
Better keep some of them for another
time
Mrs. Elderkn laughed again. III say
half :l-dozen then. if Il dozen Is all you
want to give YOURSELF
Eherczer Devotion drew from his wallet
Il slip of paper and headed his list of
names with Six sheep. from the Goodwifc
ELerkin.'
.Thank YOU, in the name Of God AL
mighty and the country he SAID, solemnly.
as he ierked his pony's head from the grass
and rode on.
Mrs. Elderkin watched him as he wound
along the pond side and WAS lost to sight,
then >he chucklng forth the words, i knew
we'll enough my sheep We're safe, went
back to the marsh after t1ag-root.
When every neighbor feels it 4 duty to
carry intelligence from the last speaker he
has met to the next nearer he may meet
news flies fast, so Goodwife Elderkln was
prepared for the accOst of Mr.. Devotion.
She did not linger long in the swamp.
but, washing her hands free from mud In
the water Of the pond, walked swiftly
home.
Bv the time she reached her house the
rrcv pony and his rider were two miles
away. on the road to Canterbury.
The cry of hunger and possible starva-
ton in the town of Boston was spreading
from village to village and from house to
house.
Do Won know how Boston is situated? it
would be an island but for a narrow neck
of land on the south side.
On the east. west and north are the wa
tiers Of Massachusetts Bay ana Charles
River. Just north from ii, AMI divided
only by the same river, is another island.
with lis neck stretched towards the north
and this latter place is Ch,rlr>t"wn and
contains Bankers Hill. Not far from the
two towns IN the Bay are small islands
Noodles Island Hog. Snake, Deer, Apple
Bird and Spectacle Islands are of the mum
Der On these islands We're many Shcel
and cattle, likewise hay and wood, al OF
which the inhabitants of Boston needed
for daily Use. but by the Boston Port Bill
which went into operation on the first day
of June, no person WAS permitted To Iu1d
anything at either Boston or Charl, stown
and 50 the neck of Charlestown reached
out to the north for food and for he p, an,
the neck of Boston pleaded with the sou,i
for sustennnce, and it WAS in answer t'
this crv thai our nine gentlemen ut " ind
ham went sheep gathering.
The work went On four days. and ut the
end Of that time two hundred and fifty
seven sheep had been freely given. The
owners drove them. on the evening OF The
twtlty-stvcnlh day of the month, TO tn,
appointed place, and, very early IN th'
morning of the twrnty-cl@hth, many OF Tho
inhabitants We're come together to see The
| dock start on its long march.
lam afr,id some OF the poor sheep woul'
not have been so willing to 20 had they
known their destiny; but the men Of tn,
town were rerY willing 70 send them an,
in haste to have them gone.
Two men and two BOYS went with The
gift.
Goodwife Ellrrhin was early on the
highway. She wants to III he certain jrI~
how many sheep bore the nltrt of Ehrnczcr
D,v"ti,n'S ownership; but the driver
sheep went past too quickly for her. an
she never lal the abstraction of finding
out how many he gave Followin. TIL
tl,rk mp the hill. She saw in the distan,
-ight that made her heart beat s.. Or
he stonewall, under a great tree. sat Mri
Robbins. little girl. She was dressed il
4 pink calico frock. and she was holdn.
| in her arms Il snow-while Lamb, aroun'
whose nrck She hat tied 4 strip of Gallo.
of which her own dress WIS fashioned.
| Now. if | ever saw the beat of that
cried Goodwifr Ellcrkin. walking almo>
At a run up the hill. and 80 coming to TIN
place W here the cuild sat before the sheer
rot there
Mary Robbins" she cried hreatA'e>
from her haste What have You cot tha
lamb for
Mary b'u>hel under her little sun-bon
net Rugged the Lamb. and said not a word
vt the moment up came the flock. panin!
and wrrm. Down Sprlng Mary Robin
from the wall, the Lamb in her arms
Johnny Manning. aged fifteen years. WI
one of the twr lads in care Of the sheep
70 him Mary ran saying:
Johnny, Johnny, won't You take III,
lamb. tro?'
What for?'
why. for some poor little girl in The
town where there isn't anything to eat,
urrrl Mary, her sunbonn"t falling unhre,'
ed into the dust, rs >hc held up her ohl'
iuy TO the cause of Ii crtv.
WHY. it can walk to Boston, said tn
boy, running back to recovera stray sheep
You can carry it in your arms SIT
urged,
Give it to me then.
She gave it saying:
BE good to it JOHNNY. and give it mill
to drink tonight 1t don't eat much grass
Vet.
And so Johnny Manning marched away
over. down and out of sight. with Nary
lamb in his arms. As for Mary herself
little woman tn 1t she was, having III ,i'
her sacrifice, she would have dropped OF
he grass. after picking up her sunbonne
md had good cry over her loss, hal i
not been for Goolwifc Elderkin. standing
here in the road. waiting for her.
With Il sharp look at the child. the W"
man left the highway to go to her owl
house. and May went home. hoping til,
no one would ask her about the lamb
The flock of sheep marched until tho
nOonlide, when halt WAS ordered. After
that they went onward over hill and river
with Fest at night and at noon. until the
town of RoXbury was reached. At TIN,
place the sheep were left t. be taken tt
Boston, when opportunity could be had.
With Mtry's lamb in his arms. john,
Manning accompanied the messenger. win
went up Boston Neck to carry Il letter tC
he "Selectmen of the Town. The lettcl
has been preserved and is carefully KEEP
| among the treasured documents of tht
Ma>s,chu> cts Historical Society. 1t is
too long to be given here. but, after beg
ging Boston to suffer and be strong. re
mcmbcring what had been done for The
country by lis founders, it closes in thes'
words: We know You suffer, and feel fol
YOU As Il testimony Of our commiscrator
of Your misfortune>, we have procured 6
small flock of sheep, which at this season
are not 20 good rs we could wish, but III,
the best we had. This small present