Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-02-14

In lnat night. Ihey had beds made all over
the ground floor, each one carefully tuck
ed in at the edges, like an immense pie.
lhe cracks in the rough "sidinrn were
not battened, and II huge wind and rain
came up IN the night, II real cyclone, and
sent streams Of water rippling down the
narrow paths between those beds. while
CHESTS and bureaus and everything heavy
llau To be piled against the doors to keep
lhem shut. There was very little tender
poetry about the rain on the homestead
Tool that night, and oh how the poor lit
tie un-braeed house did quake! But, after
all, nobody was discouraged, and Doc real
ly enjoyed the uproar. Next morning the
green earth lay fresh and still under the
bluest sky in the world and Il leathery-
looking old teamster, who stopped there to
chat, remarked in Il comforting way that
nobody needn't be scairt at prairie
blow. 1t kinder couldn't clutch nothin',
with such Il wide sweep to it,"
Doc loved that windmill. Golden sun
sets shone fairer than ever behind it. and
sometimes in gray evenings it seemed to
blend 50 harmoniously into the dreary
UandlneSS of the scene, with its swiftly
whirling wheel, and its chilly clatter,
clatter, borne far on the breeze.
Some sounds, you know, do have Il
different expression when carried lilfully
to ones ears in the midst of wild winds.
Even locomotive whistle Iinging out
suddenly on windy night has remote,
uneathy. desolate sound. Tonight Doc
saw the evening train bound for Sioux
Falls and Yankton, glide along through
the radiant distances, stop moment AS if
for breath at the little station, and then
90 cleaning on, seeming to tescend pres
emily like some uncanny thing, into the
earth.
Then white owl flew noiselessly upon
the stable roof, and sat there in the blue
dusk, quite still and kingly, all muffled
royalty for the winter nights.
| wish were white OWL said Doc
to herself How delicious it must lie out
there in the cold, in the good air. Murray
says there are musk-rat houses down by
the lake-hundreds | wish Billy would
send me some traps. could catch enough
rats to buy shoes for Murray. He'll freeze
his other toes next, because of course he
cant Just sit still in the house. And
mothers shoulders ache so-she ought to
have flannel. And oh dear how | would
love to mix up Il real cake once more, n
real six-pounder, to put in the cellar
Seems to ME that father and Billy might
but no, s'pose I'd better not say that.
How could you begin to think of such
things, Doc Thatcher2 believe I'll take
Billys old skates, and 90 down to the lake
and skate awhile. just to compose my feel
ings. Motherll not care. It's clear
night, and cold, know it will not storm
wish those Petersons would quit spear
ing fish on my skating-icld"
She tied her mothers thickest shawl on
crOsswise over her breast, drew some old
woolen stockings over her arms, put on
Murray's hideous leather - blizzard cap"
and closing the door softly behind her,
swung her skates jubilantly as she ran
down to the lake. A great crack in the
ice stretched across her skating field, -
through which the water ran blue and
deep. Beyond it there was Il network of
them, and Il number of dangerous holes.
among which she never ventured except
in broad daylight. Billys boat lay on the
shore frozen to the ground, with the oars
lying loose at its side. 1t looked desolate,
rs empty piazza chairs do in winter.
Doc thought she would 90 up to the end
Of the lake, and find the musk-rat houses,
first. 1t was quite a long distance, and
the ice was rough, and although all in a
glow when she reached the place. she
did not feel quite so blthe rs She did at
starting. Not that she was ut all afraid OF
the silence. or the dusk, or Of anything
unusual or unlocked for, or of the wide,
empty earth around her There were not
hundreds Of musk-rat houses, but only
five or six, and she felt cross and disap-
/ pointed and discouraged about getting the
new shoes, and the flannel, and the pound
cake.
The grayness had come upon the night,
too. Sprlwllng clouds went stretching
across the sky, the wind was rising, and
there was Il storm-ring hung around the
moon But Doc sat down among the
reeds by the shore, and quickly buckled
/ on her skates, thinking;
IN skate across to the poor Old boat
and tell it goodnight, and then 20 home
and 90 to bed, and get up early in the
morning, and tramp over this whole
prairie till do tnd settlement of EN-. ="
1t was grand to skate in that wind. Al
LoIJ % nMt ,,o,,. w arn's ,vitS ,bo sSa'ui 'a'l
i,", o U"r bon, ILL.,; ,,i,r oH 'o u D''" ,i'-
a.. ,,,;tln,,t ,,a,o ,ar'-',i',,,ar',, ~,
,h "r'"0ti hird '' w ,Go i naa ~ 0,''
H.. tho t'a''l il"otr, M 'lI ~ hat 't0PPr,
fr;snIlg NIL TIM tbnmnu ~ fbnn sSt =Io,vr ',nor ~ IL
ha,,;nniro ~ nnbnnLio Lor .latIs =.
s,e'iJ 9 H. =, sInto I,Tn ~ 'h,, o,..,r. .
sho ,bom%6t :. hnt ~ G,a,i, e., .i'c saf,
na,rb %1entv or rat, I'll IN Lrv ,,'' snn,a n,,0 roi,
stvtT far ,,a,;;,in,, '' T. isn,t - Ii,a rrn,,' ~
~ 1 baao ~ ..''o'' ,,;,;on & A loi'
f1,j a,.,a,,,. F,P,iI a'.,. h,.. 49, -
,..il if tLo - Jo ''S So, ,,.o'u p'pv'
%,n W. ,'J l'',tNi M, uou' ;e ,t a, ii'l
h.I I,,,,' n, - -a-a l'-,Ive I hia
,a, ,Ln ,ln poN1s' '.9 lily,
~ I ~ II,;.H "a ~ p'ii. Suei
NV ~, ,,T'''' '''' 7'' '''
''''.7 ~ Io"' S'e' "..e'G
- ,So 'rrass ~, that H., 1D'I',Ie'
;n,L ' af ' tias - ni ioa o'l''' 0'' ''''' '''"y
't.r .Gnn,, y" 80 ;, .,;3 AN NJ y, - I;t Nt'
rLo" o'io -I'o' o.iiJ ''ssI Ill, ,,.
:; ~ - 90.'41"o"! 'I! e'''!' li9' "elP'
exclamation was, L" !SoDlebolIy M
You have seen that Docs renius. ic she
had onv. was for " doinr and spoing i, I,
was also for thinking straight to The mark
Those ola skatrs wave hnckIad ~, witt
earer fingers. the shawl tjobtened aronnI
her waist and the ends tueked in 70 lnavl
her arms perfectly free. and. seizinr on,