Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-01-11

from his incapacity to thrill them with the
crash of furniture and the sweet music OF the
tin horn, we can scarcely feel too thankful
that he is securely buried. The small boy in
his normal state is sufficiently eNasperatlng
but what parent is there who would not he
crushed to the earth with sorrow were ms
small boy to suddenly model himself upon the
dead small boys of Sunday school literature
and at the same time refuse to die: How
true it is that we do not appreciate our bless
ings and at times actually murmur over the
lack of true goodness among our boys.
Rev, Mr.. Sawyer. of West Brookheld, Yer
mont. possesses a unique treasure III the per
son of a small boy whose inventive powers
and devotion to his parents have rarely been
paralleled He is not precisely what you
would call a good boy remarked his father
on one occasion, when his son was led home
by the ear by an irate minister of the Meth
odist denomination, and charged with having
fastened thirty-two distinct cats in the minis
ter's study. but his heart is full Of love for
whatever is Just and right" This eulogy was
fully merited for although Master Sawyer
was in no respect like the good small boy OF
literature. he lately did wise and noble act,
for which the language of ordinary praise is
far too feeble.
In Northern Vermont that peculiar form Of
social outrage formerly known as Il surprise
party, but OF late commonly Culltu u bui-
parian atrocity" is still lamentably frequent
On a cold evening in the first week of the
present month Mr.. Sawyer and his family were
seated quietly by their social hearth, enjoy
ing one another's society. The Clergyman
was reading aloud the Bishops pastoral letter;
his wife was busily calculating how TO cut up
her husbands old overcoat, so as to supply
him with q new waistcoat. herself with new
overskirt. and Master Sawyer with n new pair
of trousers, while that excellent small boy was
reading the improving adventures of an emil
nent pirate, and wondering whether he would
ever be able to emulate them. Not one of the
family was prepared to receive visitors. Mr..
Sawyer had on dressing-gown and slippers
Mrs. Sawyer had let down her back hair to
give freedom to her mental processes and Mas
ter Sawyer had temporarily shipped on his
trousers to supply his mother with pattern,
while he wrapped the hearIh-rug about him.
Suddenly. and without the least warning,
more than four dozen people of all kinds and
| sexes, including men, women, reformers, and
theological students. burst into the room. car
rying cake and devastation with them. Mas
ter Sawyer fed bowling the clergyman push
ed back his spectacles and tried TO smile n
| CHASTITY smile and his heroic wife, by hurried
| w twisting her back hair with both hands,
| and holding her comb between her teeth,
managed to avoid uttering the welcome which
the invaders expected, but which herconscience
| forbade her to express
| The marauders conducted themselves after
the usual custom of their kind. They con-
versed with one another with great hilarity,
ignoring the suierings of the clergyman and
his wife. They spread their cake upon the
| table and devouring il without plates, scat
tered the crumbs over the new carpet One
young man, having laid a large piece of jelly
| cake on the sofa. subsequently sat down on II,
| and Mrs Sawyer felt that she would gladly
Join the Church of Rome on condition that the
medieval fortunes of the Inquisition should be
| revived and she herself delegated to apply
them to that particular young man After
having reduced the furnature to that state of
grease that it was no longer safe to sit down,
the miscreants gathered around the piano and
sang What Shall the Harvest BE :" until Mr..
Sawyer, mild as he was, regretted that he
could not take a sharp scythe and reap an i'm
mediate and bloody harvest.
While these bloOd-curdling outrages were IN
progress in the parlor the good small boy
kept himself carefully ont of the room. He
was not. however, wasting his time in idle
rage. He, too, heard the melodious inquiries
as to the harvest and remarked to himself that
they would find out all about the harvest il
they would only wait few minutes Mean
while, he was busily engaged in carrying pail'
/
and along the walk leading from the from
door to the gate. The night was cold, ant
the water froze rapidly. Under his admirable
management the ice acquired an unusually
smooth and slippery character, and when tn,
work was thoroughly done, the small boy re
tired to the second-story front window ant
waited for the surprise party to break up.
The moon was ut the full : and shone bright
ly when the first pair of miscreants-the yOunC
| cob IL s1l1, oh.
young lady. to whom he was afianced-issuet
from the front door, and instantly sat dow
with tremendous emphasis. Close benin,
, them came the rest Of the raiders who Will
; one accord strewed themselves over tn
ground, until in some places they were collect
; ed three or four deep. The shrirks of the Ia
dies and the stronger remarks of the men fill
ed the air. No sooner would Il struggling
/ wretch regain his feet than lie would sit dow
2 again with renewed violence. The a1riglte
r clergyman and his wife gazed with wonder a
the appalling spectacle, and the good sma
1 boy never ceased TO sing 'What Shall tn
E Harvest Be- AT the very top of his lngs-iu
terspersing that stirring hymn with a viii
Z "whoop' whenever a particularly brilliaI
!, pair of stockings waved in the air.
Although only three persons sustained fat,
injuries, there was scarcely member Of tn
: ! party who escaped without more or less Ser
IA ! Gus wounds, either OF body on clothing. ScN
, enteen legs, two ribs, six arms and a nos
We're broken five ankles and six wrists wer
q sprained. and one shoulder was dislocatet
! The icy pavement was strewed with fragment
= of teeth spectacles, coats, trousers, and skirt
- and Master Sawyer picked up enough cope
and silver change the next morning TO enabl
him TO buy twelve tickets in a rattle for
broken shotgun, and to subscribe handsom,
f ly TO the missionary fund. 1t is generally b.
/ lieved that there win never be another su
h prise party in Brookfeld, and it is under COZ
/, temptation among middle-aged households
It TO present Master Sawyer with a service
Il marbles and life membership in the Foreg
l. Missionary Society, as a testimonial of the
|. .ata.t.. II .rr-aLit..l IL. A i I......