Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-08-10
We Two.


| sd.---l lCymGelins.
Its just a bit of story, sir, that don't
sound much to strangers, but I'd like TO tell
you about it, if you have time to listen, for
they've all forgotten Bobbery down here,
except me they're poor folks, you see, and
things drift out of folks head when poverty
drifts in.
Robbery? yes, sir, that was his name
leastways the name We gave him down here.
As to father or mother We never had any,
l think; never had any one in the wide world
| to belong TO, except our two selves Robbery
| and me. l was the eldest-two long years
| older than him but then was blind. you
see, so the two years didn't count for much,
and Bobbery got ahead of me after the time
when the long days of pain slipped into lone
night, and God shut me out of the world /;
not that grumble, sir-Fve given over that
and Bobbery was always such a good lad to
me, that perhaps | didn't miss him so much,
after ALL
grew TO fancy things, and make believe |
saw great deal, particularly after Bobbery
took to working at his trades shoe black,
sir /; and sometimes, when | became accus-
toned TO being always in the dark. went
out with Bobbery, and held the money that
he made.
Well. not much, perhaps, but enough for
us two, and the little room We had down ut
hingstown, over against the river only
Robbery was an extravagant lad-not in
drink. sir-we were always sober lot-but
in oranges
They were almost his iuin, sir those or
anges. He used to come up stairs sucking
them softly, so that | might not hear, and
thinking to deceive me but somehow smelt
oranges, and it always made me sharper to
catch Bobbery whistling little tunes TO HIM
self on the way up, just to put me off.
He made a deal of me, did Bobbery-
along of being blind, you see-and so did
the neighbors but was rare proud of him.
You don't know what it is, sir, TO sit alone
In the dark all day, and then, on sudden,
to hear fellow call out, Here We are
again Come down and feel the sun set and
well count the coppers " 1t would make you
love any one. sir. who had n voice like that
let alone fellow like Bobbery
Perhaps yen didn't happen TO be in Kings
town, Sit, last spring, when the floods had
risen, and the land was under water for miles
around. Bobbery had to wade little going
down to his work, but he rather liked 1t, he
said and he used TO tuck up his trowsers,
and call back to me and laugh, as the water
crept around his feet and he said folks
for the water would soon take of the pol
ish.
l used 10 sit on the window sill 10 feel the
sun, and if l listened very hard could hear
the ripple-ripple of the shallow water Mt
every step that Bobbery made. and it had
pleasant sound, and made a kind of company
feeling but when he was ont of hearing,
and 1t still kept ripping upagainst our walls,
the company feeling wens away and left me
lonely, and sometimes l thought the water
hateful, because it lay SO very long between
me and Robbery.
Well, once was sitting alone on the win
dow-sill, and the day was very quiet so
quiet that l did not hear the little ripping
waves and in the quiet grew frightened
at last /; and in the quiet | stretched ont my
hands across the sill, to feel my way down. |
felt something that made Inc shiver, and
draw back out of the sunliSht-that made
my whole dark life grow suddenly n beautiful
and precious thing felt the water ripping
almost up to the level of the sill, and | was
quite alone, and Bobbery would never
know.
did not call out, OF 60 mad with fright,
as thought at first might do only ! crept
away, in my everlasting darkness, from the
warm sunlight, and sat down on the bed
where Bobbery and slept together. and put
my hands over my ears, to shut out the roar
OF the waters.
How long sat there / don't know, but | |
think 1t must have been for hours, for | felt |
the sunlight slanting on my face, and the |
water rushing around me before | moved |
again. was hungry, too ; but when tried |
to get down and reach the cupboard. the wa
ter took me of my feet, and l crept back to |
the bed, and on the shelves of the dresser, to |
be out of the way. | said my prayers two or |
three times, and said some prayers for Bob
berry, too. for knew he would be- sorry when |
he found me some day where | had died all |
alone, and IN the dark. And then | tried to |
with the water sweeping up TO the very sill,
and the red sunset lying on it-aad beyond, |
the pretty town, and the steeple with the |
clock ; and thought it was better for me to |
die than Robbery, after all, for he could see,
while L had no pleasure IN my life. And |
yet wanted to live ! wanted TO hear Bob |
berry voice again | wanted the waters to |
go down, and somebody to remember me at |
last for ! was afraid.
Well. sir God answers our prayers some |
times in a way that il terribly Just. 1t takes
us long time to find out that everything is
very good, thinks, but we come to learn at
last and learn, too, to leave our prayers as
well as the answers to God. Somebody whose
laughing voice across the waters was nearer
every minute somebody whose hands were
on my shoulders. whose eyes. | felt, weIe on
my face somebody who had never forgotten
me -Bobbery
"Bobbery Bobbery " ! cried, and !
stretched out my arms to him.
Robbery said 81 came over in tub
only think such II lark hut as climbed in
ut the window, our tub drifted away. and
however were To get over cant tell.
''You must think OF something, | said
"Bobbery, it was long day.
"Why. of course it was, Bobhery answer
ed, without me. Come along, the rivers
rising like fury"
''Is II very wide = | asked
"Oh, not more'n a good stretch from here
to the dry land but deep over siN feet,
should say and rising"
But the bed. Bobbery," | said, "nnl the
other things 2"
"well, We must just leave them until its
all right again"
'.Will it ever be all right 2" | asked
"Why, yes, of course, said Bobbery.
lie was such IA splendid chap, sir, was
Bobbcry, and so clever He took the two
chairs that were drifting about the room, and
tied them close together, ANA then We Wadrd
across TO the window, and stood upon the
sill
81 think it's Jolly good fun, said Robbery.
"If you could only see how your boats bob
bing up and down IN front here Get III
quick or ! cant hold here. Here port her
helm, or something Are you all nght;'
"lts splendid, said "come along"
But when Robbery put his foot on to the
unsteady rnft, she went down ON one side
with plunge. "Never mind, lac SAID
you've just got to push yourself ashore with
this pole, MS straight as you can 90, and III
follow
swear tn you. sir, thought that was
true, ur never would have lett Bohbery. |
took the pole he gave me. and went out on
the restless waters. that felt were blood red
where the setting sun had touched them.
People on the opposite side chcered and
cried and called me, and Robbery behind
called out once or twice, "Ship ahoy ~ in IL
shrill voice, that ! knew and loved better
than anything on earth, and once heard him