St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-06-21

might follow after.
And fortune favored him. Mindful
only of the fresh breeze, and the Joy of
a nature-lOving soul in the crisp. sweet
air of the frosty morning, the Captain
strOlled about the narrow limits of the
ferryboat deck and took no thought of
the chattel personal on traitorous errand
intent. The wind blew freshly from
the west, as the boat touched the farther
shore. Gabe took his old hat from his
head, and slyly jerked it windward.
The stiff river breeze sent it whirling
up the long, low, sandy stretch of bot
tom. 1t was Gabe's opportunity. To
the behOlders on river bank and ferry
boat, the feet pursuer of the rollicking
hat was no daring fugitive from slavery,
but only luckless urchin in earnest
quest of his elusive head gear.
Back and forth and home again went
the Captain, no thought of the involun-
tary companion of his first trip crossing
his preoccupied mind. At the gate he
met Bridget.
"Sure thin, Captin dear, have ye not
the haythun nagur wild ye at all, at all I?
Faith it's mesilf that do be thrapsein the
house, and the shids, and the shtrates
intirely for the sOight OH i'm. It's run
away he have, an lift his duds ahint
i'm this time. Bad luck go wild i'm sez
Bridgit. Sorra knoife did he spind
his strinth a clanin the noight, an a
soight to be seen they do be. Sure thin
haythun nagurs have no more souls nor
gorang ytangs."
And the Irish maiden having satisfied
herself that no Gabe was coming to at
l. fnnH tn thn Yau1aoraA ly,iv
hastened away, wailing anathemas as
she went, to perform the duty herself.
There was some mild CONSERVATION
at the breakfast table when it was gen.
orally understood that Gabe had be-
come that most disreputable and repre-
hensible object-a runaway.
The Captain enjoyed the joke i'm
mensely. Mrs. Chamberlaine was not
little chargrined. Mr.. Will, like the
Captain, amused himself with conjec-
ture as to the result of the exploit /;
while Miss Jenny was too highly offend
ed fol- conjecture of any sort.
81 knew it would come to this" she
said. 'Did | not tell you that a negro
once possessed of the absurd idea of
freedom was thencefOrth and forever
undOne? A nice tale to tell is this.
Petted and humored and pampered as
he has been, too"
''It is bit rough, Jenny" said the
captain, pitying his daughters vexation
of spirit. "But Gabe's end of the ro-
nance will prove the rougher of the
two. I'd no idea the young rascal was
thinking of giving me the go-by this
morning when he came aboard, but /
can't help feeling a pang of sorrow for
him when fancy his sojourn among the
Suckers And no doubt he has paint
ed it all so intensely couleur de rose"
81 wish him full measure of Sucker
joy" said Miss Jenny, shortly, as she
rose from the table.
''Poor little simpleton," said gentle
hearted Mrs. ChamberIaine, with a COM
passionating sigh.
'"Dade, thin, it's good radiance to
bad rubbish" grumbled Bridget, as she
entered the breakfast room EsDon't be
after lamin' yer eyesight wild cryin'
after the blatherin' an the monkey
shines Ov the haythun nagur."
But for all that, the day and the
night that followed the exit of the boy
seemed strangely to have suffered loss,
if only of "blatherin" and of ''monkey
Shines" When the Captain came home
to dinner-in the good old fashion, at
noOn-on the following day, came with
him humbly, very dejectedly, and in
remarkably poor feather, Gabriel, chat
tel personal, pertaining to the estate of
!, Bryan Blennerhasset. Afier he had
washed, and refreshed himself with an
} enormous dinner, the somewhat rein
spirited lad was summoned to the sit
I, ting-IOom.
''Now, Gabriel, open up," said the
Captain. "Tell us about this runaway
) affair? Think it pays7 How do you
like the Land of the Suckers? Let it
J all out-we're waiting.n
J ''Oh, laws, Marse Cap'n !" whined
Gabe dismally. "Miss jimmy she dun
gwine pear dat unmussiful wild dim yer
looks, it jes' onpossible for ole Gabe tel
make de fus' bit explanation bout dat
! ar Illinoy."
"You need not look at me-" said Miss
Jenny, cOldly. 1 have nothing farther
to do with you. Runaway negroes are
no concern of mine.n
"GOOd golly! Miss jimmy" persisted
Gabe, appealingly, "dat de nose onrea-
sOnin' 'pinion you has. Who specs ole
Gabe any runnerway niger? Kase he
} amt no sich. Didn't he dun git loss
ober de ribber in dat ar Illinoy, whar
J de Cap'n tOted him on de ferryboat fo
: day in de mawnin'? How YOU spec
sich foolish, nO-'count nigger gwine
, fer to fine he way home when he hat
blow way out in de vile kentry, an'Sle
boat dun shove off an leab him dar
De goOdniss gurracious knows, Miss
) jimmy, de Cap'n dun pestered ole Gabe
mOre'n heap o. times bout dat al
) gittin' up in de mawnin'; an dis vel
wat come of it. Ole Gabe t'ink he
, gwine long one dem mawnin' walks wild
de Cap'n, am shO huff he git ter de
rlbber nigh bout quick as Marse Cap'n.
an he 'vltes him on bod, an den, de
berry mlnnlt dat boat tech de sho', way
go DAT ar onregenrit ole hat, an Gabe
arter 1T; an fus' ting he know, he fine
nesef bout seven r 'leven miles out in
de kentry fo' he kotch dat mizzable hat,
an de boat plum gone. An dar de hat
dat staht all dat mizzable trouble,n add
Tn ooy, with tragic air, as he held out
the culpable object.
"A nice, pretty story, indeed !' said
Miss Jenny, in decidedly incredulous
voice. $50 you'd like to pretend that
you didn't run away, and have only
come back because you have had your
dose of free soil %
"Good gur-racious, Miss jimmy, YOU
is dat onreasonin'! Oar de Cap'n, ak
him If dat ar amt de sollum fac, began
the boy, dOlefully.
"But why didn't you come home on
the next boat Y" asked Mrs. Chamber
lame you've been gone long time.n
'Conshinse sake ! Mis- Chaimlin, Use
fNnf 1E.,1 Il