Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-01-24
The Brookfield Harvest.
New York Times.

4 New York Times.
The Rev. Mr.. Sawyer, OF West
Brook6eld, Vt, possesses a unique
treasure in the person of small boy
whose inventive powers and devotion
to his parents have been rarely para
leled. He is not precisely what you
would call good boy remarked his
father on one occasion, when his son
was led home by the ear by an irate
minister of the Methodist denomina-
ton and charged with having fastened
thirty-two distinct cats in the minis
ters's study, 'but his heart is full of
love for whatever is just and right.
This eulogY was fully merited, for al.
though Master Sawyer was in no re-
spect like the good small boy of liter
ture he lately did wise and noble
act for which the language Of ordin,
airy praise is far too feeble.
In Northern Vermont that peculiar
form Of social outrage formerly known
as "surprise party" but oflate CON-
monty called a Bulgarian 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, enjoying one another's
society. The clergyman was reading
aloud the Bishops pastoral letter; his
wife was busy calculating how to cut
up her husbands old oyercoat so as
supply him with new waistcoat,
herself with new oyerskirt and Mas
ter Sawyer with new pair of trous-
ers, while that excellent small boy
was reading the improving adventures
of an eminent pirate and wondering
whether he would ever be able to en-
nlate them. Not one Of the family
was prepared to receive visitors, Mr..
Sawyer had on his dressing-gow and
slippers Mrs. Sawyer had let down
her back hair to give freedom to her
mental processes, and Master Sawyer
had temporarily slipped off his trous.
ers to supply his mother with a pat
tern, while he wrapped the hearth-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 carrying cake and devastation
with them. Master Sawyer fled
bowling; the clergyman pushed back
his spectacles and tried to smile,
CHASTITY smile, and his heroic wife by
hnrriedly twisting back her hair with
both hands and holding her comb be-
tween her teeth, managed to avoid
uttering the welcome which the inva-
ders- expected, but which her con-
science forbade her to express.
The marauders conducted them
selves after the usual custom of their
kind. They conversed with one an
other with great hilarity, ignoring the
sufferings of the clergyman and his
wife. They spread their cake upon
table, and devouring it without plates
scattered the crumbs over the new
carpet. One young man, having laid
a large piece of jelly-cake on the sofa,
subsequently sat Gown on it. After
having reduced the furniture to that
state Of grease that it was no longer
safe to sit down, the miscreants gath
cred around the piano and sang,
"sWhat Shall the Harvest Be?" until
MIR. Sawyer, mild as he was, regretted
that he could not take sharp scythe
and reap an immediate and bloody
harvest.
While those blood-curdling outrages
were in progress in the parlor the
good small boy kept himself carefully
out OF the room. He was not, how
ever, 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 if they would only
writ a few. minutes. Meanwhile he
was busily engaged in carrying pals
Of water and emptying them on the
front step and along the walk leading
from the front door to the gate. The
night was cold and the water froze
rapidly. Under his admirable man.
agement the ice acquired an unusual
ly smooth and slippery character, and
when the work was thoroughly done
the small boy retired to the second
story front window and waited for the
surprise party to break up.
The moon was at the full and shone
brightly, when the first pair of miscre-
ants-the young man who sat on the
jelly-cake and heavy young lady, to
whom he was affianced--issued from
the front door, and instantly sat down
with tremendous emphasis. Close
behind them came the rest of the
raiders, who with one accord strewed
themselves over the ground, until in
some places they were collected three
or four feet deep. The shrieks Of the
ladies and the stronger remarks of the
men filled the air. No sooner would
a struggling wretch regain his feet
than he would sit down again with re-
newed violence. The affrighted cler-
gyman and his wife gazed with won
der at the appalling spectacle and the
good small boy never ceased to sing,
"What Shall the Harvest Be?" at the
very top of his lungs,-interspersing
that stirring hymn with wild
"whoop" whenever a particularly
brilliant pair Of stockings waved in
the air.
Although only three persons sns-
tanned fatal injuries there was scarce.