The daily gazette., 1877-07-03
The s'l, Cranberry rnrfyYt".Me Meadow: a9dd0SHt
alha. raieio itcf 7arT-, fids1ryn hsl
,tsaJtA A,saMPLE EgToRHlsgw dofdJ

.aAes2--A--A-saJ nd L;ff.1ed
II was o clear morning In Apfii. The
ground, bushes and fences, spaFkied with !
their frosty covering The bare hills and
leafiess trees looked as II they could not
long remain bare ana 'leafiess, beneath q
sky so bright. A robin here and there
ventured short, sweet nete,i and earth
and sky seemed to srejoice I'M che ,scens.i
The path that 1ed 10 the Villages school
was trod by yihappy children, wtose glowa
ing cheeks and merry voices testified chat
they partook OF the general gladhess. II
u In the same path. at a distance from a.
group Of neatly dressed children was
little girl, whose pale soiled face, tattered
dress, and bare feet, D bespoke her the
child of poverty and vice. She looked
upon the laughing band before her with
a wistful couutenance3andh dhiding behind
her shawl the small tin pail she carried,
Iliigefed sby the fexee tfii che iAchiidren
were out of sight, and then turning into
another road, proceeded to perform ber
usual errandI at the yellow shop. The
bright calm clear morning had no charm
for her. Herlittle heart felt none of the
tlightness and gaiety the hearts of child
rem feel when nature is beautiful around
them. She could hot langh as they laugh
led, and as the sound of their merry voices
seemed still to llinger ton her ear, she
wondered that she could not be as happy
las they. And then she thought of the
drearness and, poverty Of her home, of
the cruelty of her father, of the neglect
and unkindness of her mother, the misery
of the long cold winter through which
she had just passed, of the hunger her
little brothers and herself often felt, she
thought of the neat appearances of the
children she had just seen, and then
Hooked upon her iown dress torn and
dirty as it Was, till the tears filled her
eyes, and her heart became sadder than
ever. .4.of.', ..I-it-s., ,a.0..0,,
Mary, who possessed degree of in
telligence above what her years would
seem to warrant, knew, what made these
children so different from herself, she
well knew that they would spend that
day in school, learning something useful,
while she would spend it in idleness at
home or in trying to quiet the hungry
baby and please the other children, while
her mother was picking cranberries in
the meadow. q, Mary kuew she was that
very morning, to carry home something
! that would make her mother cross and
wholly unmindfnl OF her destitute child
ren. a.; id.2 y.'t. ~, ,h.'t1'l'a ''7 9,
When she had reached the spirit shop,
Its keeper was not there; but his son, a
bright Intelligent boy of thirteen stood
behind the counter, playing with his lit
tie sister. Mary asked for the rum with
a falterlng voice, and as she offered the
ljug, our young tradesman, looking upon
her with mingled contempt and pity,
said, "What does your mother drink rum
for?" Mary felt ashamed and looked so
sad, that the boy was sorry for what he
had said. He gave her the liquor and
tied up the scanty allowance of meal;and
Mary with heavy heart, but hasty step
proceeded upon her way. When she
reached her dwelling-and who needs a
description of a drnnkard's dwelling2-
her mother met her at the door, and
hastily snatching the jug from her hand,
drank off its burning contents. She then
took the meal to prepare breakfast, and
Mary was sent to gather some sticks TO
kindle the fire. The dough was then
placed on the smoky, scanty fire, and the
| impatient children hovered around to
watch its progress. Long, however, be-
fore it was sufficiently baked, they
snatched it piece by piece away till
nothing but the empty tin remained. i I
| The little boys, with their hunger
scarcely satisfied, then left the house to
loiter as usual In the streets, while Mary
as she saw her mother becoming every
4 moment more incapable Of attending to
the wants of her infant, took the poor
little creature into her arms, and trying
TO soothe its sufferings half forgot hel
own. She had just succeeded in lulling
1.-THE baby when her father entered. He
had been in the meadow, picking the
cfanberries, which had been preserved
during the winter under the snow, and
which could now be sold for few cents
a quart. Though once strong and &C
tive man. so degraded had he become,
that few persons were willing to employ
him; and he resorted to picking Gran.
berries as the only means left him Of
obtaining what his appetite SO imperious-
ly demanded.
| On entering the room and seeing the
state his wife was in, he uttered loud
curse, and at the same time bade Mary
leave the crying child that his entrance
nau dWhkchcu, Pue w hSi oSh.S'f SAAN
hasten to the village TO sell the cram
berries, and on her return to call at the
tyellow shop.
| Mary left the child, put on her bonnet
and with a trembling heart commenced
her walk. On her way she met hel
brothers, and stopped to tell them that
as their father was then at home, they
had better keep away from the house
till her return. She, then called from
door to door, but at every place her
It;mid inquiry, "Do you want any Gran,
berries heree" met the same chilling an
Iswer-"No."
i At length wearied out, and fearful thai
she could not dispose of them at all, she
sat down by the road side and wept bit
| terly. But the sun had long passed 1t:
meridian, and was gradually lowering II
the western sky. She must go home;ant
what would her father say if she return
ed with the cranberries unsoldP Thi
she could not do; and she determined u
J try to exchange them at the shop, for tn
spirit her father wanted. -I.t T.
After waiting some time at the counte
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