Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-01-13

] No, ! smd ne shall not 60, II he Is |
not quite willing"
81 am not at all afraid the boy replied,
"and ! am quito willing to go. have gone,
often and often, through worse storms than |
this"
There was an earnest, manly grace even |
in the way he shook the gathered fakes
from his tattercd cap and in his voice there |
| was such q hearty. CHEEKY ring, that from |
/ that moment trusted and loved the boy
] jumped iuto the stage, took tho back |
seat drew my great flieze coat close about |
my legs, and We drove of from among the |
| gaping, sooty crowd of miners into the |
lonely mountain road into the cruclcst storm |
OF wind and snow that ! ever saw.
The boy sat on the front scat, waiting TO |
be spoken TO- looking straight ahead.
When we were quite clear of the strag- |
/ Cling huts Of the miners on the outermost |
/ limits Of the town, ! asked him his name.
They caIl me Lewis Shiyley" he said
How old are you, Lewis 2" was my next |
/ question
Fourteen next April sir"
DO you live at home, with your father |
and mother 2"
That man yondcr is all the father or |
mother ! have, and his stable lott is the |
only home have had since he took me
from the poor-house That was better than |
the stable though. for they taught me |
something there"
There were no complaining chords in the |
tones in which these bitter words were said |
and while be- was speaking he was drawing |
/ the long whip gently across the horses back |
brushing of the snow that had fallen on it, |
Have you been driving on this road |
long " inquired.
Going on three years. II will be three
years 10 March,"
"ls il cold out there? Colder than in /.
here, mean ?"
think il is." herepied " the wind and /.
I suuw cut so. bat don't mind IL. siri We
/ get used 20 rough weather up in these hills" |
81 wish you would come iu here my coat |
/ viii cover as both"
No, / can't" be said d" must watch T.
the road now. We have 10 go pretty close /.
to tlte Irocipiccs sometimes"
How CLOSE" asked.
Within q few mchcs. ! can't see now /
I h,e yards ahead. The snow falls So heavily" /
DO you think it safe, then. 10 90 on "
Quite safe. sir and don't mind the |
cold" But his teeth chattercd as he said it, |
and Che uddy glow was all gone from his |
checks.
] did rot talk more then. There were. / 1
I discovered, wide cracks in the bottom Of the /
stage. through which the wind poured iner- |
hAliH"A WIS NAllAttfl tlilNNAi 10 TIE Ithll ]
/ iu l,ss than an hour after starting. | do |
no, know how far we had gone, or how long .
wc had been upon the road when / heard .
the boys voice, CHEEKY and bright, asking.
How are you now, siry Feeling pretty
comfortable, siry"
/ nodded my head. aud crept cluser into
the corner But he was wiser than /. and .
would not 1T me have the sleep coveted
lou are iu "a hurry TO get home" he
said, for want of something better 10 saw
With which to rouse me.
Yes" replied. 81 want 10 be at home
on Christmas Eve"
"' The best days ever knew were Christ.
mases--a rood willie a,o."
IL said II as If lac were, ever and ever So
DID, and what was saddcst Of all. ais if he
We're done with Christmas forever toll .
him uf the tree that was TO pet. and how
Christmas day was kept in the great cities
H. was most interested m the tree. making
me tell him again and AGAIN about IL. But
after while. as II he we're tired Of it, he /
said
IL never saw tree ike that | know
about Christmas, though About the star
and tle shepherds. and the Christ-Child. /
You spoke OF that they laid in manger." /
Then yon know all that any one in thi,
world need ever care 10 KNOW. s,id.
ID may have been an hour. or two hours.
T but il seemed but a minute after this that |
I the bow shook me roughly by the shoulder.
We are to yet out here" he said.
! was very stiff In all NV Joints. hut .
could g,t uu and climb ont of The STAGE. and
no mofe. ii was cold did not know it: .
INV limbs were numb. vet otherwise | was .
comfortable enough crawled out and fol. /
Z lowed the bov intoa miserable-lookin., shanty I
by the roadside. in front Of which we had 1
stoppcd. There was rough bar running .
a-ros. the room there wa, a thick. hlaek
haired. biawnv looking man behind il. aud /
/ there were two or three kegs of li1uor be.
I liul him. There was an iron stove in the /
middle OF the room, bench along the wall. /
and that was ALL The boy asked for some /
brandy, drank a glass of it after handing
one 20 me which drank. and felt So much /
better for drinking that called for another
aud cot il: but the boy refused to take the .
glass offered him. " have had enough" .
he said
We were going out when the landlord 4
opened the door before Us. Looking out in /
to the storm. he asked iucredulously.
Are you going ont
Yes said the boy, was told to drive /
this gentleman to Hum Tonight. and I'm I
soiu. TO do it,"
If YOU get there at all it will be night |
sure enough" said the landlord
~ viii get there all the same" was the .
bows reply.
let us stop here tonight" said; eve
can go on n the morning"
would rather take you on. siri"
rhae's no danger. cane put my horse up
/ here, and my master would kill me if any
thing happened 20 HIM"
That decided me to GO ON. Besides | |
did not care 10 talk. ! was beginning to
feel cold again standing In the wind, so we
got into the stage. II was not showing any
faster than before, simply because it could
not Bur the roads were heavier aud when
we tried to start the jaded horse baked and
struggled through the drift, for the stage
hal frozen fast whore it stopped.
Il 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 10 us, making their meaning felt in
our souls filling mine with an awful dread
of the snow-covered road beyond. Ten miles
to go yet, the night coming quickly ON, the
cold growing more intense, the road Iougher,
more precipitots, the horse evidently giving
out But the boy took up the lines, the
bright, frank smile upon his face, the CHEEKY
yortl ulsou his touuup "Eoo1.hve A" he sail