The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1878-05-02

aerry eyeuing 81 b. hnuse bad taken
themselves swsy With l5u / laughter and
Invitations to come over soon, shouted
out of ibc darkness As the wagon rolled
away-kiief The children bad been scui
20 bed IN high glte 81 The uuwonled in.
fraction ou early honrsf s0d while BIZ
wsfe was sslli palliug away the silver aud
lne table HneB--thal Farmer Fielding
went out alone with laniern swinging
In Bis hand, 10 take lssi look ST The
stable and COW bouse and make sure that
The great baTa door w4s properly fasten.
cd.
He should have returned 10 ten min.
utes, but twenty bad passed, when Mrs
Fielding looked at the clock, and asked
berself in some surprise, what Hiram
could have found to do! Aud when ten
more followed without bringing him, and
ten more wsntsAftFs tilem, she grew /
little alarmed, and tossing slhwf over
her head, went down the path that led
IRON the kitchen to the barn, calling
lliraml Hiraml
IllrGmi she called again, her voie'
taking on that shrill, aud unmusical ton,
which fright brings With 1t. Hiram
speak where are your
she stood by the barn door now, and j
was wide open, swinging in The wind OF
It's grea! dark hinges and within II wa
all silent aud dark There was not
sound--not aglimmer OF light from th,
lantern. Surely II be were there, sb'
could see him, or bear him at least, ever
If the lantern had gone out.
Oh, Ilraml she cried, don't scare me
don'I try 10 scare me; for indeed In
turning faint. Pm So
There she paused, struck with duml
terror. She had taken step forward
aud her foot had struck something sof
and heavy that lay on the barn floor
something that did not move, but ii fel
as though it ought to have done so. Tht
fainlness bad gone; in its place was tina
horror which we all know, aud which i
different from any personal terror ant
far worse. She Guessed whatig was be
foot had touched.
She did not utter his name now. Sh,
knelt down and stretched out her hant
and felt about. The first thing that sht
touched was cold limp hand, that fel
inertly over hers as she lifted 1t. Thel
abe felt upward from il, and touched 1
face, also cold. She gathered it up Il
her breast. Dark as it was she knew
well enough that II was the head that haC
rested there SO often; her hand wen
through bis curls and little moan es
capped her. Dead, she sobbed, dead
dead, dead. And then her voice cam,
back in a wall that rang out upon tn
night air aud brought from the kitchen
Madge, the help, aud her beau, Ben, whit
had been lingering over parting there.
Ben, great stalwart fellow, lifted th
master in bis arms, and carried him int
the Kitchen. How Sara Fielding go
there she never knew, but as ske knel
by the long settee and wondered whethe
with all those babies up stairs it wa
right tor her to pray to die, too, hop
came back to her in word from Ben.
Missus, he said, boss ain't dead-h
amt no such thing; he's stunned like
No doubt he's hurt mighty bad, but Lor'
no-not dead. / wouldn't say SO if
warn't true. I'll fetch him into bed
missus, and 20 for the doctor. He'l
come to--he'll come to; tell you he'l
come TO.
Then it seemed to the poor woman a
if heaven had opened its gates and givel
her glimpse Of glory.
She bent over him as be lay on his pill
low, aud heard the clatter OF the horses
hoofs over the stony road, dulled by th
planks Of The wooden bridge, for while
and then sharper, though fainter, on th'
ulSnhay lcauIbB tVhhna aui
How long 1t would be before the doc
tor came she did not know. II be wer
at home, why, soon. II some one els
had called him, who could tell? Mean
while she bathed the poor, bleeding head
while Nadge chafed the cold hands, an
with her white lips whispered fond, CON
forllng words a. to baby. And at las
she saw, indeed, that be lived. Nor
color came TO his cheek. His eyes open
ed; but when she spoke TO him be ans
wered her only with grosns.
One Of the children had been awaken
ed by the noise, aud crept down stairs
liule white ghost, with a scared face
and seeing what had happened, ha
awakened the rest by her cries.
And In the midst Of this the door oper
ed, and, thank heayenY-thc doctorl br
worse than that Ben, with horror 10 bl
eyes, and hand pointed over bis shou
der toward the red glare that flashed u
toward tse sky.
Madge saw and comprehended, an
quietly slipped out after him. The bar
was on FIRE; and while the poor vii
within The shattered room had on
thought only. VIII be love better tha
the world beside live or diei Despite II
fruilless aid that cametoo late, though
was freely offered, barn and stsbe, ha
and cattle, were licked up by the devon
Ing flames. Aud All the efforts OF the b
wildered to cave the little homestead ss
one poor cow, dragged by Madge's faiil
fal hands into place OF safety.
a poor Thanksgiving for Mrs. Fiel'
Ing, said many kindly mAtron as 81
heard the news next morning. Yet ssI
Fielding was ST that very hour thankin
I'D. g. - So da0fnr xs-art auau