St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-07-19
hings that reused his choler and made

take MS DOY Tor rev months; his VIE
was so feeble that she was going home
to her fathers with the baby and a
young child, and Jenison could not go
with her for want of room. Mr.. Wires
did not want him in the city with him,
at bOarding-honse, hut was willing to
pay his board at Noppit (; so he came.
Jenison Wires was sharp city-bred
boy, with little faith in anybOdy's good
hess. His father was pushing, money
making, profane man, and his mother a
meek cipher; he himself, at the mature
age of fourteen, could smoke, and
swear, and talk sailor slang glibly, for
he had run abOut the wharves ever
since he could run anywhere. Mrs.
Carter was troubled and disgusted to
| find such IA boy on her hands Jason
considered that providence had sent the
lad there for his good, and resolved to
pray for him as for his own bows, to
set him as good an example as he tried
to set Jack and Dan, and to "deal with
him." as he expressed it, s'with view
to his eternal salvation." The bows
thought JenisOn was wonderful he
knew so much he had seen so many
things; he had such pocket knife,
such marbles, such swaggerl But
when his first round oath came out,
Jack and Dan were startled.
''Look a here" !" said Jack "don't
you let Daddy hear no such talk as
that; he'll tune ye, eff he does, and no
mistake"
"Whe-e-ew !" responded Jenison 81
amt baby | guess III swear if
want to, for all of him he amt so piOus
himself, | bet, bur what he rips out
sometimes !"
''He don't he don't never ~ the boys
exclaimed in unison.
''H'm | guess you don't hear him
the old fellow keeps shady before folks,
but he used to swear like Botany Bay
piIate. I've heerd pa say som
The boys were shocked into mOmen-
tay silence; but recovered themselves
soon.
Il don't believe il !" said positive
Dan.
''And if he ever did, he don't now,"
good he's Il professor he prays in
meetln' and to home too, and he don't
never scold, nor swear. nor nothin'.
Source ever he licks feller he did
give Dan and me one whalin', but he'd
Oughter hev, that's fact. Dan he told
Il thunderin' lie and backed him up.
| tell ye! we was sore for one spell,
after he found il out.n
'Weil, know he used to swear aboard
ship, I've heard pa tell more stories
about him They called him Still
Jase,' to he sure, but when he got riled,
the fur flew ! Fll bet my jack knife |
can make him swear inside of next
week ~
''Fll het my head you can't !" retorted
Dan.
81 don't know as l want your head
for anything, but Pll bet my knife
against that cake q maple sugar you've
got i'll the closet, that rll set Uncle Jase
swearin' before next weeks ovel."
| The boys were sure that nothing could
make Daddy swear, and SO pleased with
their first bet of any Importance that
they accepted the terms at once and
Jenison began to cudgel his brain for
means of tripping up Jason Carriers
tongue.
One day he slyly let down the bars
into field of clover, getting up before
| light tn do ii !; the two cows, turned out
of the barnyard to nip at the roadside
until Dan or Jack could drive them to
pasture, accepted the bait, entered the
clover, and riOted in its fragrant crimson
spheres, half killing themselves with
greedy feeding. Jack found them half
an hour after chores were done, in the
condition that results to cows from eat
ing green clover, and Uncle Jason
worked over the poor creatures without
word of impatience, though he said
more than once 81 wish | knew who
let down them bars; I'd kinder like to
say Il word in season to him."
The pins were taken out OF the OK
yoke, and never found; egg shell strew-
ed the NOW while the family never
could have any for their own use, the
nests being emptied the great gray
eats tail was singed to baroness, and
her ears nipped, but Uncle Jase never
swOre or lost his temper his scythe
snath disappeared, but he borrowed an
other; the grindstOne was sOaped, the
hay cutter broken, hoes and rakes dis
| appeared when wanted, and re-appear-
ed when useless his razor was mislaid
and hOpelessly dulled when he found it,
and thousand petty annOyances heap
ed on him in vain he only said to his
wife: at does beat all, Phoebe, what's
got inter things this week seems as if
| never was so pestered. 1t amt in
human natm for things to happen so ;
somebody's a doin' ont, | feel to be-
lieve; but ! declare fort / can't see
intO't a mite"
Jack and Dan began to triumph on
ly one day more of the week was avail
able, and JenisOn was put Oh his mettle,
and laid plans accordingly. They had
prayers always before breakfast, and
the weather was so warm and the kitch-
en- so hot that JenisOn set the outer
door open wide this MOI ming, and step
ping out, just as his uncle laid down
the Bible, under pretext of soaring in
old hen away, the boy opened a little
side gate into the lot where he had
previously driven the old ram, and lay-
ing a train of salt to a big lump on the
doorstep, retreated speedily to the
kitchen and knelt down next Mr.. Car
ter, where he had left his chair. Billy
bad seen the tin pan in JenisOn's hand,
and knew it meant salt; he followed
the trail surely to the door, and having
begun to nibble the lump head an
earnest and accustomed voice near by
and looked up into the kitchen door.
Jason was praying earnestly, and the
rest had their eyes closed and heads
bent; all but JenisOn, who was watch
ing Billy from under his arm. AS he
saw the ram look in, he picked up a
short switch from under his chair, and
held it threateningly over his uncle's
back: Billy gave one great leap across
the floor, charged Uncle Jase in the
rear, and sent him sprawling.
''Damn that ramp he rOared in a
voice of thunder.
Jack and Dan sprung up at once
drove RIllv nnf apd el,,t t1o