Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-09-07

garments for other people. Yet If any Of
her relations offered our poor aunt assist
ance, she always firmly aud proudly de-
clined it, saying that he provided suffi-
cently for his family
81 had been married year, and your
good father would willingly have allowed
me TO do something for our poor aunt.
When 'he' was away, which now happened
by the half week together, I visited her.
Her once full face had become wasted aud
pale with inward suffering, but never came
word Of complaint from her lips. II was
only secretly in the kitchen that l dared
slip tho little stores Of coffee and sugar
which brought with ME into the hands Of
the daughters, in whose warm undercloth-
ing recognized their mothers clothes, and
therefore it was that in the cold of winter
she wore only cotton cloth. OF her hus-
band she would say that he was away up
on business. This she certainly believed,
but there were ominous whispers in the
community. You know, my child, that in
those days every little German state had its
own custom barriers; We were closed
against Hano~er as well as against Frank
fort, and the goods that sometimes came TO
us in abundance fiom Hamburg had to pay
high duties al The boundary in Landwehr-
wagen. Thus there came to he all sorts Of
secret baunts where the smugglers carried
their g 9ods aud stored them in underground
from which they were clan
destinely brought into the city. The patrol
was on foot day and night 10 discover and
break up these resorts, the more that all
sorts of thieves found them a ready mar
ket for stolen goods. The penalties for such
smugelers aud receivers were constantly
made more severe, aud no mercy was
shown TO the detected. One day it was re-
ported-it was a week before the great feast
days-that such a haunt of thieves and
smugglers had been discovered and broken
up in LandwebrhageD, and that the ring
leaders were brought in irons. | heard
this with comparative Indifference, and, as
a woman with household duties cannot
Look much into lhe street, if l had not
cbahced myself To be cleaning the windows
should have escaped the spectacle alto
gelher as The prisoners on their way through
the market to the casemates were carried
10y on hsy-iigging, guarded on both sides
by patrolmen. The noise of the crowd,
then, and the yelling Of Tue street boys,
amid which distinguished the cry Jidde!
Jidde ! tJew jew ~, led me to put out
my head; ard had not caught hold Of the
window frame | should have fallen, for on
the foremost part of tue wagon, his hands
bound crossWise with cords, sat he the
unhappy husband OF my poor aunt Gut
trand.
"How shall | tell you, child7 The up
roar in the town was worse than at a great
fire. From doors and windows the neigh
bors were showering abuse upon him and
up pom the Jews. / closed the window as
quickly as l could. Thy father came from
the countiug-house deadly pale. The whole
C ommunily felt the blow, for with us, if a
Jew had done anything, the " hole rom-
munty had at once 10 suffer for II. 1
thought not of the community as thy father
told me the unhappy man had long been at
the head of the smugelers and their accom-
pices. Poor suut Guitfand + was all that
| could utter.
60 over to her. said your father in his
goodness. / went. / believe il was the
first time l ever crossed the street bare
beaded. On my way tried TO arrange in
my mind what / should say TO comfort her,
but could think Of noihing-only Poor
aunt Guttraudr
"When | reached the room found the
girls in fearless, wild despair; their bitter
words aud curses shocked me. Their moth
er was gone whilher they knew MOTTO
1 he police ,r 10 the prison or TO the besd of
the community. They had long suspected
it, though ne bad consumed his ill-gotten
gains upon himself alone; he had brought
none of it home. They had always hated
him, but the mother WAS blind she wonld
endure no word against him : not that she
loved him or thought him better than he
was; only idelily and submission had be-
come a scnseless passion with her. And
now they were all disgraced. was with
d. fficully repressing their unreasoning vio-
lence when the door opened and aunt Gut
trrnd entered.
81 was astonshed to see her so upright
and almost unchanged; only her face was
yet paler, under her large brown eyes dark
rings appeared, and her eyelids quivered
as if with visible pulses. 1 fell
upon her neck weeping aloud the girls
were speechless. My good Betty said
she with calm voice, 1T is heavy trial
from God, but what God does is WELL.
"'This has God done?' cried the elder
da lighter with convulsive, heart-rending
laughter.
"The mother raised herself firmly erect
her noble look fell with sileuciug stern
ness on her daughter. 'Dost thou condemn
him. said she, before his enemies con-
denim him? Is it proved, this that he is
said TO have done? And If he has done it,
for W hom has he done ii? To bring us bet
Ter days because he pitied your fingers
worn with the needle, he bas-I will not
utter it. God be mercful TO hml But
even if men are not, if others-which God
forbid !-condemn him and forsake him, l
am his wife and have sworn before Heaven
TO be true 10 him. 1 will hear no word
against him, or, as true as God lives, 1 will
cause myself TO be shut up with him in the
casemates.'
"Aunt Guttrsnd + cried I, and with tears
of amazement sought to clasp her hand,
but she drew II back.
"'Why are you surprisedf ? said she cold
ly; 'as If aught else were possiblel Are
we heather, that one of us can throw stones
at his own blood? I, thank God am a
Jewish woman, aud know what stands
written. AS think, thinks every woman
fhaf 10 NOT a cnntan,nar of Cod Gnealr IN
thy husband, Betty dear he is in favor
with the burgomaster. 1 have been to the
hea of tho community in vain; he says
they dare not interfere; they will be glad
if they are not involved. But the prison
commissioner, whom they have always de-
nrind Tho rrrnnInsf nnannN of iha IaNUs