St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-12-20

year ago, and that were too large for
any of our boys or Nathan, and so just
bestowed them along with the clothes,
and that man was just delighted. He
looked like another being, too, when he
came out of that wash-house about an
hour later, with his fresh costume, and
his mop of hair brushed into some shape.
Actually, he seemed to be quite respect
able. The effects of the bath were very
perceptible, and it is wonderful how a
clean shirt collar and a pair of we'll
irOned cuffs will set man off, even if
he is blind of an eye, and has shocky
head of hair.
Mandy had kindled up the kitchen
fire and was flying around at great
rate, getting the table ready for dinner,
aud | was telling my tramp who had
spied some palings loose Oh the garden
fence, and wanted to nail them on,
where to find the hammer, when l was
startled again by the dog growing in
the way he does when folks he doesn't
approve come along.
81 wonder who that is," said l turn
ing quickly about.
81 think It must be Vag,n said Mr..
Tramp, quite composedly. "Vag and |
have kept together for the last week or
so. He can see, and so he's help to me.
| left him asleep under Il straw-stack
back in the country"
"And who on earth is he," | asked.
"A vagrind, ma'am. He's been in the
wOrk-hOuse, Vag has. You see he staid
about the city too long. A man don't
need to be scamp in order to get into
the wOrkhouse. All he's got to do to
get there is to hang round the city after
he's got no friends, OF no means of liv-
ing. The city amt il good place for men
that ha'n'I got work. He's got no
friends, and he's been out of work IL
good while. Him and me is pretty
much in the same fix, only Vag can see,
and is younger and spryer."
"Does he drink ?" | asked, never sup
posing my tramp would tell the truth,
you know, but | thought I'd ask the
question.
'Sometimes he does" says Tramp, as
frank It's il child. 81 reckon most any
body would, under some circumstances.
1t amt in nature to go cold and hungry
and dirty and sensible of it all, all the
time. Them that thinks they'd he tee
totars under such circumstances, may
be hasn't tried it. | wouldn't drink, il
| could get Il plenty to eat. can't get
that, so now and then drink dram
SO does Vag. 1t warns you up like
and makes you forget the misery bit. >
| don't know but the poor fellow was
right, and that most of us in the same
distress would do the same. didn't
think should, and yet, as he said,
hadn't tried it. Anyway | was so pleas
ed to have him speak the truth so hon.
est that didn't lecture him on TEN,
perance, as maybe | ought to have done
but just turned around and gave my at,
tention to Vag, who stood pale and pa
tient and forlorn at the porch door, Will
Il look on his face that went to my heart
for whoever or whatever he was or haC
been, he had fine look about him, ant
was as pretty. as il picture in spite o
his misfoIt tunes. He wasn't nythins
so dirty as Tramp that was be
cause he could see and tramp cOuldn'
and he looked faint and tired.
"Can get bite to eat here, maam p
in detected fashion, as if he more
than half expected he couldn't, and i
didn't make much difference whethel
he could or no.
"You can," says |, ''seeing you seen
to be one of the Lud's poor, and it il
Thanksgiving day" Then l told Tram
to take him to the washh house and SHOW
promised to find IL clean shirt and hand
kerchief for him, which | did, and sen
them to him by Tramp when he',
mended the palings.
Then | went into the kitchen to tel
Mandy. "Well, Mandy, said |, ''theIe'
another one. | reckon the good Lore
sent him. 'The poor We have alway
with you,' you know. He shall hav
one good dinner, at least" for was be
ginning to feel like Il Christian again.
"Mercy upon us Look ut the pro
cession !" exclaimed Mandy, throw in!
up her hands, and pointing toward tn
, lane that led to our back lot from tn
!, distant timber. 'Lettin' down the bar
and parading straight in here, as sur
, as Pun sinner! Why, Miss Alberta
it's them Crippses, every one of tn
J whole kit and crew, yallar dog and all
The land alive! Well, who sent then
here do ye s'pose ?"
} had some difficulty in thinking 'twa
! the Lord, just at that moment, for @
all people on the earth, the last persO
| wanted to see or to speak to, was tina
= Bijah Cripps that headed the procession
} 1t was this Bijah that set going al
that string of falsehoods that ended i
the trouble between our folks and tn
? Alden's, and was the cause of Phil Al
!, denis breaking with our Neppy. Yo
5 see Bijah took offense because forbad
7 our boys keeping company with hi
| Al nt.I
, who spent his whole time trying to COZ
rupt the village boys, enticing them t
play cards and smoke and chew. use
my influence with the boys that visite
4 here, to persuade them to give IL
f JOnas's company. Well, Bijah, hi
father, took great offense at this, an
z vowed he'd be revenged, and sur
d enough, he never rested until ha ha
Y worked mischief. 1t did seem a sham
{ that such low, ill-natured creatures a
+ those Crippses should have the pOwe
1 to make trouble between families lik
! the Aldens and ours that have lived a
l. friends and neighbors all our days. Bu
q so it was. They screwed and twiste
y and cOlored the truth until there WASH
4 the slightest resemblance of itself left t
d, it, and on that bit of distorted frag
;. ment of truth, they built IA pyramid {
Il lies. Well, the end was, first there wa
t a GOODNESS, and then there were thing
d said and hard feelings aroused, an
e finally Neppy offered Phil his ring an
l his letters, and he took them, and NeI
i py never seemed like the same gi
u from that day for many month; AN
n all on account of the unjust spite of tn
S mine enemy. Well, here he was, an
his wife and Jonas, and all the rest ,
It the eight children, parading straight t
: the house. Pm ashamed to say it, br