Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-06-21
VOL. 71.-3636. NO. 36.

" forgot the children" took both Of them
mp IN his arms and kissed them. Then he
went down the long stairs, and walked
slowly homcward. lie had gropcd in the
dark for thirty years. and this old woman
had given him his first living revelation.
After that he kept his eye upon her.
Every morning and evening he passed her
stand on the Common, and never went by
without saying a cheerful word, or pausing
to ask after her sick daughter and children.
" The children is well, thank you, sir, and
Eliza is as well as could be expected was
her almost invariabe answer.
But one sultry day in August She said,
" She seems 10 be sinking fast, sir. Way up
where we live we don't get none but hot air,
and the sun don't come In till into the after
noon. Pears to me we need sunshine a.
much as the plants aud the flowers
The next day the gentleman went home
earlier than usual, and as he came near the
old womau's stand he caught sight Of the
invalid daughter, seated in a hand-wagon,
propped up by pillow, and shaded by the
big umbrella. The attention Of the old
woman was engrossed 10y a juvenile Gus
toner; but the daughter noticed his ap-
proach, aud called TO him as he made as
though he would 90 by without speaking.
Sir, sir" she said, please to stop; |
want You 10 see shall soon be well for
now | can go out every day in fine weather.
And who got yon down the stairs and
upon the Common e
"The man that lives on the lower floor
he carried me down and Tommy drawed me
here before school time
" And who sent the wagon 2" asked the
old woman, her ugly face lighting up with
the smile that, TO this man, always made It
handsome.
"The Lord, suppose. All good things
come from Him; aud this is good wagon
answered the gentleman.
The old woman looked at him for a mo
meut without word. Then she said, The
Lord will say to them on his right hand,
Ye did il unite me, inasmuch as ye did it
unto one Of these, my poor children.
The man turned aud walked away-in his
eve a tear. and in his soul another revelation.
lle had learned the whole of religion-faith
and good works-at the cost Of carrying an
Old woman's basket and buying for her
daughter cheap hand-wagon.
Every pleasant day for month after
/ this he found the sick woman seated there
| in the wagon under the old umbrella. She
| always had a smile for him, and he al
ways fingered awhile to get that smile and
/ a little OF the old womans sunshine. But
one morning he went by, and found there
neither the apple stand Tor the hand
wagon. II was so, too, when he went by at
1 evening; and then, without going home,
/ he made his way TO the home OF the old
woman. Softly opening the door, he en-
I tered the dingy apartment. Anew rays from
the setting sun came through the open win
/ dow, and by the dim light he saw the old
woman and two children kneeling by the
Al I..s. h..N. .Itstar thta
hand of the young woman, who lay with eyes
upturned to the fading sky as If looking in
the clouds for some one coming. lie had
come. the Great Angel, and he had already
taken her to the bosom Of the All-Father;
For several years after this the old wo-
mans life rippled along as smoothly as
gentle stream flowing on over sandy bed
to the great ocean. The old umbrella got
many a patch, the new bonnet grew old, and
the black silk gown that she first wore at
her daughters funeral was turned and re-
turned to fit il to appear on Sundays but
she never begged and never borrowed, and
the winter was never so hard but she had
enough ready money at command to buy
her small wares by Wholesale"
Little by little the young lads and hungry
lovers who frequented the Common, came to
know her; and though many rival apple
stand from time to time disputed her right
TO monopolize the trade in stomach-ache,
they soon had to eat their own candy, and to
4" fold their tents like the Arabs, and silently
steal away
One day the gentleman who had learned
of her his first lessons in Christianity, passing
her stand, noticed some new flags OF truce
! floating from her pippins. Who wrote
these, Aunt Betsey r he asked pausing "a
: look at the placards.
"Oh, Tommy did them, sir. Hes amaz'
ingly smart at such things. lie can write
like any schoolmaster."
And how old is he now 2"
Going on fifteen and I'm thinking, sir
it's about time he was doing something.
might support him some longer, but hes
! larned all he can out of college
What does he take to 2"
- "Well, he wants 10 be a merchant.
; suppose he gets a hankerin' arter il from my
A bein' in the business but there's a worlt
; of wickedness between buyin' and selin'
! Don't We think he'd better be a lawyer Z"
"a lawyer2 There's not an honest law
l. yer living. Let him be a merchant Sent
: him down TO my countng-room tomorrow.
!, Tommy went, and so became underclerl
in large commercial house on Contra
+ Wharf. When he drew his first month
!, pay he brought it home, and pouring it al
9 into his grandmother's lap, threw his arm
J about her neck, aud said;
; "Now, grandmother, you shall shut u
y shop won't have no more of your sellini
- apples"
=. But the old woman was not so easily lure
u from the walks OF commerce" She di
II not shut up shop" She still kept he
stand ON the Common; but in summer sh
-. - L.. att.sr II nd N
u laid by, like the frogs doing neither wasi
y ing or sewing.
x So three years went away, and then Sun
70 ter fell. and President Lincoln called 10
y seventy-fve thousand volunteers to suppress
g the rebellion. When Tommy went HON
J. that night with the news, his giandmothe
~ was thoughtful for time then, looking /
III his face, she said " Tommy hadn't yo
II ought TO do something for the country y
~ You mean ought TO volunteer" sal
~ Tommy.
OF "Yes; If Mr. Speegle is willing"
- Mr.. Speegle was willing; and so, 500
III afterward. queer scene was witnessed o
l. the Common. The whole parade-groun
Ut was la coinmotion. A regiment, which ha
been under review, was marching out OF OF
" of the gateways, and the old woman, perche
} on her three-legged stool, was wildly wayir
- ! her umbrella, aud at the top oil her iung
/ cheering the departing soldiers. At h
ei back sat a little maiden holding her head
ny her hands, and trying to hide her tears
I'd, her handkerchief, This was Rosei al
a, Tommy was going away with the regimen
~ lie was away several months, and tn.
~ came back, Te-enlisted, and went away agai
ne leaving his bounty with his grandmotht
ma After this he was often heard from, al
d, always with honor and the old wont
tl seemed TO grow young again, in recountll
his daring deeds TO some patient listener
ed her apple-stand. Just TO think" she wou
ow saw. with tears in her eyes, that po
en woman like me should rear such brave b.
les for the country
AT last news came OF great bait
Thousands, as was said, had fallen ON DO
an sides and every morning, with beatil
AT, heart, the old woman went TO the mail
MI letter from Tommy. But no letter can
and few days later she found his mar
IN, among the list of those, in the great str'
nd Gle, Who had died for their country.
ry. She went home that night, and the ne
NJ morning did not go as usual upon the Coz
as mon. Noticing her absence, Mr.. Speee
went to her humble home at nightfall. L.
an curtains were down; butt the dim light
saw her stretched upon her bed, aud lio
| t.....i.,e, bv lar aiIa wpfpiuo He took Ii