The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-04
PRICE FIVE CENTS.

~ ''Nf - ~ t'Nps'iAiNyf maven hnu ohu
for some time"
So they informed John, when the defunct
bird was stuffed, that he had won turkey,
which he might have after treating them
and having treated them with the last money
he had, John departed with his prize, re-
fleeing, as he staggered along, that the
present Of turkey would make it "all
right" with the old woman--the sold wo-
man." who was lying on the mesgre straw
bed, thinking what IN the world she should
do-for the grocery bill was running up,
the coal was most gone and not paid for,
the chldren's feet were on the ground, and
"John" was "drunk again"
Yes-drunk for the last tune for, as the
clock struck twelve, or shortly before, John
dreamed dream.
1t was, perhaps, eleven o'clock when Mr..
Thompson cast himself upon his bed in the
sttick which, like all the rest of his house,
was of a primitive kind, being tick stuffed
with fifty cents worth of rye straw-whole-
some, indeed, but very democratic
for awhile, he knew nothing, snoring heav-
lily as his vitals labored under the s,imu-
lants he had taken, but after some time
strange shapes seemed to fit before him;
he felt cold; queer consciousness of being
in some strange place took possession of
him, and hazy light showed him strange
sights. Big iccles jumped round on legs;
snow men walked solemnly past him, look
ing at him with their wooden eyes, and
pointing at him with their broomstlck arms;
he heard the jngling of unearthly sleigh
bells and the scraping of unearthly snow
shovels as the spectral sidewalks we're be-
ing cleared off then suddenly great ring
of aurora borealis blazed up with purple
light, and John saw, seated on a gittering
throne of ice, old King Winter himself,
with heavy beard and snowy garments, with
frigd face and s,eaming breath, while
around him stood myriads Of his courtiers,
armed with long, sharp icicles for spears
Beside the ice kings throne stood, leaning
upon staff, worn and hoary man, bent
nearly double, with wrinkled face of in
finite severity, who gazed on John; while
on the other side stood fair and rosy boy
with little sceptre in his hand, who also
looked on John. "This," said John, sis q
sight worth seeing" But the old Winter
King cried out with awful sternness, "Si-
lence, sir" and dozen of his courtiers
pointed their'icicle spears at Johns heart,
and shivering seized him and quaking,
so that he was glad to hold his tongue.
Then, when John had ceased to SILVER 80
violently, the winter king remarked "John
Thompson
"That is my name" said John.
81 desire to introduce you," continued
the Winter King, "to personal knowledge
of the Old Year, whom in a general way,
you have known for nearly twelve months"
"And /" said Old Year, in wheezy
broken voice, yet with awful sternness.
"am sorry to say that | have known you,
Mr.. Thompson, and hope have seen you
under unfavsrable circumstances; hope l
am prejudiced against you; trust do not
utter the exact truth when | say that you
are contemplate man"
"Such language" began John-put the
Winter King roared, "Silsnce!" and the
icicle spears pointed toward him with such
awful vengeance that he was Immediately
silenced, and began to SILVER.
~ have looked upon your course with
extreme regret and displeasure," resumed
the Old Year; "you have not improved me
as you ought to have done. You have
wasted my precious moments, and have
desired to warn you. At your present rate
of travel to perdition, you will not have
many more years to waste and insult; and
your children will curse your memory"
John was visibly moved at this allusion
to his children, and he ventured to remark,
81 suppose YOU reIer to my unfortunate
weakness for drinking"
81 do" said the Old Year.
"Well," said John, ''if you have known
me for almost a year. as you saw you have,
you must be aware of the number of good
resolutions have made; you must know
perfectly we'll that have made up my mind
dozen times TO swear otf-that the thing
has got such holt on me that can't give it
up; it's no use trying
cts because you're a dastardly coward"
roared he Old Year, in a voice Of thunder;
sits because you want to undo the awful
evil of dozen years in moment without
trouble, without pain. It's because you
can't bear the touch of the caustic that
must burn away your fault. Miserable
coward Let your poor, suffering wife fill
premature grave, let your four little girls
go to perdition, but don't o don't you bear
the disciplinary throe which might make
you once more man.
There was a touch of awful sarcasm in
the Old Years voice, and the Winter King
was evidently much worked up
ale won't bear the necessary pain, won't
hep said the latter, "he's averse to the
cauterizatiou, is he? Well, he shall bear n
little. Ho! we Arctic supernumeraries,
touch him with your two hundred aud forty
zero poles, and teach him little endu-
rance"
At this command the earth opened with
a loud cracking sound, and battalion of
frozen imps jumped forth with wands of
concentrated frigidity, and they danced
around John Thompson, and their cold
breath burned him like hot iron, and they
| touched him with their wands, and at every
touch John shrieked with pain, but there
was no such thing as escape.
"Will you promise never TO drink AGAIN.
said the ice king. "Will YOU"
81 will, so help me Moses " cried John
| Thompson, in agony and Immediately the
| imps dessted and ranged themselves all
| around, and John Thompson, looking up,
saw that the hands of the big clock over
the throne of the ice king were upon the
| figures of twelve. The next moment the
first stroke struck. and the Old \ ear trem-
bled and closed his eyes, while two Ice men
supported him as the strokes continued,
the Old Year was let gradually down back
ward, and when the twelfth had struck, he
was completely on his back, while the rosy
youth who was the new year Ofor new
years are always born mature enough &c
perform their functions), waved his hand
in token of acces sion and smiled on John.
| The next moment there was tremendous
crash, and Mr.. Thompson found himself
awake and tolerably sober, while the clock
in the city hall tower (Which was always q
little behind was just striking twelve.
Thunder !" said Mr.. Thompson, "wha
time / have had ~
Just then he became aware that his fam
lily below were moving about, and presently
a light on the stairs approached his room
the light was carried by his wife, who was
followed by series of little girls, symmet'
REALLY graded as TO hight. In the hands o.
the oldest of them, some nine years old.w
borne triumphantly the turkey which Johr
had won.
II think, john said his wife, "the leas
you could do when you come home Xix,
this is not to rouse the neighbors. 70,
have been shouting and screaming the las
ten minutes, as though the fiend bad 90
YOU"
Sand the fiend will get him. won't he
mamma ?" chimed in one of the medium
| lgnana,... H..