Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-08-21


so hungry! ,lo want my breaksticks. =.
And Mary with troubled mind, led hin
home.
small anxiety, that ut the next farm
large number of mad and imbecie people
were kept, all of whom. being considered
harmless, were allowed to roam about at
their pleasure This was by no means /;
comfortable piece of news; and everybody
expressed great apprehensions of horrible
danger. excepting the " little gempleman.
WAS the man that speaked to me daft,
flzer?" he asked with earnest eyes.
"Yes, dear, il seems so,n ans lered his
father.
Well, en-" replied Basil, with great
decision. Il like daft people. They has
got booliful minds"
With which saglcious speech he turned
away and lrotted off to his sandy hole. "
After this it was wonderful how soon
his own people appeared to forget that the
- little gempleman was only Il baby, af-
ter all. His own independent ways and
perfect collectedness seemed TO deceive
them. He could not tolerate restraint, so,
in spite of the daft folk" he was allowed
| " Wdlhtl bDOuO 10 uC WOultl. AlDuC lut
little fellow used to travel the long and
lonely road that descended from the house
to the shore. Alone be played for hours
in his sandy paradise. On wet or dry
days, in wind and sunshine. the scare
crow ' roamed happily about alone-or
rather, as it proved, not alone; for one
day his father discovered that the little
fellow had constant, faithful companion
in his wanderings.
1t was II bright sunny day,and Basil had
been absent from home for several hours,
when his father, becoming at last alarmed.
set off in search of him. He went quick
ly along the hill road, rs it was called, till
he came 10 foot path that wound through
Il little wood. BY this Mr.. Waymere pro-
ceeded. stopping at times, not exactly
knowing where to look for his little boy.
By-and-by he heard the sound of laugh
ter, the well known baby voice talking
eagerly, and now and again the tones of II
mans deep speech. The father peered
through the trees, and there upon sun
lit piece of grass, surrounded by dwarf
oaks and hazeis, he saw the little fellow
seated beside the idiot who had so fright
ened the nurse.
The child was fastening Il wreath OF
flowers around the poor creatures taltered
cap, while he sat gazing at the pretty face
with his lustreless eyes, happy because
he child was happy. Already Basil had
stuck a flower into every button hole of
The idiots coat, and had placed II collar,
cite of rowan blossoms about his neck
The poor man had no eyes for his own
adornments; he seemed unconscious OF
them; HIS gaze never lett the face of thu,
child. After little the garland was salts
lactorily adjusted round the hat, and Basil
put it, smiling, on the shaggy head.
There now, Joe, you look bootiful," "
cried he, clappng bis hands, and Joe
laughed and clapped his hands TOO, because
his little III, ster did so.
Now, Joe," confined Basil, " my hun
griness tells me it's time to 90 home"
Yes, very well, Master Basil, answer
ell Joe, in II sepulchral voice; your don,
key is ready for you"
mo, Joe. will walk to-day, thank
you. And you shall tell ME about the
giants that sleep in the mountains
AMI he put his soft hand into the horny
paw of his strange. Calibanic companion,
who allowed himself to be led homeward,
rs if he were the child and Basil the man.
Mr. Waymere followed. He could not
help being little uneasy Mt the thought
that his darling was SO often alone with,
and completely in the power of, this rough
looking man. If any way the child were
to anger him, there was no knowing what
he might not 10. And yet the two seemed
so happy together, it would I've hard to take
light of this panionship out of that
lonely life. He watched them sadly rs
they wended their way through the flow
cry wood, the great figure so full of
strength and power, yet so helpless and
purposeless, and the little fra yile thing
eading and bending the strong being by
the power of that which he has not
mind. Near the gate of the house Joe
stopped, and sloop NJ down to take the
kiss Basil's rosy lis offered him, stood
watching the litllt Ilue figure till it faced
round at he house door and waved him
away. Then the poor fellow turned, and
the father saw that there were tears in
the dull eyes. and that the face usually so
ugly had become almost beautiful with
the radiance of the pure love that filled
the darkened soul.
When ne got home Mr.. Waymere ques.
toned Basil, and learned from him that
for the last week the idiot had spent many
hours with the little hoy.
"Last Sunday when you was all at church. "
Basil informed them, " he canned to me
when | was eatin' my piece at the gar,lcn
gate. an looked ut me very greedy like.
looked ut him an nodded ut him, an
said Fine day. like papa does to the old
| ,,;, n,t ho p,lr s.il tWnllnnnt. hnt ~
irwin get bit?] | couldn't understand
at first, but he said again, Wull ,guta-
butp and looked at my piece; an | know
ed that him were huns ry, an so | gived
him my piece. He Gated it all up; an
then coed and taxed his hand, an were
convulsin' with him, when two boys coined
an froed stones at him. He looked welly
fwiened, an scodeh the boys an scold.
ed them, and they stopped FROM stones
an coed away. An then the man be.
gan to cry, An kissed him-he wasn't
u pretty man, but he were cryin'. An he
looked so funny, and said, Do that
again. an putted my aims wound his
neck an kissed him, an kissed him. An
he said welly funny, Nobody never did
that before-an' he's been my donkey
ever since.
1t todk Basil very long time to get all
this out and have had to translate many
of his words but when he at last came to
Il standstill he was not q little surprised
and alarmed to see tears in his mothers
eyes. .s.-.
=" WILL" she said, turning to her hus.
band, unless you learn that there really
is danger in the man, | think it would bt
wrong to take the child away from him
There is no knowing what good the little
gempleman may do him."
Yes" answered Mr.. Waymere, "
shall 20 and make inquiries at the farm
and about the neighborhood, and if
| learn nothing against him, | shall leave
the child to Gods guiding. Perhaps Ht
has given him work to do here "
From different sources Mr.. Waymert
learned the.poor afflicted creatures melan
choly story. He was the son of well o-do
people; but they had been so ashamed Of
bis weakness that he had been brought
up without ray of their love falling upon
him. Shut out from every pleasure anc
from all instruction, cruelty treated. hal
starved, neglected, lie had at last been
brought, some four years ago, to be hid
den away in this lonely place, where h'
might never be recognized to bring dis