Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-12-24
Max.

work or a bit of land which might he
bought with the few pieces of foreign gold
coin that he carried in small leather bag
in bis bosom.
Gottlieb knew little English. He
sought out the owner of the large tract
where this little valley lay. The man was
glad enough 10 sell part of it, and soon
the young and sturdy emigrant was the
owner of the emerald-tufted meadow,
md the overshadowing belt of woodland.
| The very day the conveyance was made
and the purchase money paid, Gottlieb
started letter across the sea, with in
sructOns for his young wife to come to
his Ohio home
1t was long while that he had 10 wait
for her, but the time was occupied by get
ting part Of the land under cultivation,
and building a comfortable log-house in
which TO receive the little frau when she
should arrive
In two years from the time they were
married, in the gray old church on the
banks Of the far-away Moselle, they were
working away as happy as pair of young
blackbirds. on their Ohio clearing.
| When Maurice, their first baby, was u
bright little child OF ten months. Il party
of men with chains and surveying instru-
ments and little red hags came through
the woods near Gottliebs dwelling. laying
out the line for new railroad.
Bv the time the twins. Frances and
Frederick, were old enough 10 clap their
hands at the unusual hustle, there was q
great steam. shovel Gathering away in the
! hillside back of the house, and pile.
driver pounding down long pointed logs
for the foundation of the piers of a bridge.
which WAS to span Clear river.
And LONG before the black haired joseph
was Old enough to creep about tn, green
turf in front of the house. the railroad
trains were running regularly every few
hours. pleasantly relieving the monotonous
life of the Lechlers, old and Young. The
passenger trains were real panoramas
with real, living people from the great
towns over the hills and plains, which the
| deliohted children had never seen.
Ii was not long before the train hands
began to take an interest in this isolated
| little c.house, with its bright flowers in
| the dooryard and garden, where four clean,
! fresh, handsome children seldom failed to
salute them with swinging hats, handker.
chiefs and hands as they passed.
In that lonely region, the train was al
most the only thing that gave any variety
to the life of the cottagers, and its arrival,
although it never stopped, was eagerly
awaited.
Sometimes, indeed, the engineer or one
of the passengers would throw something
out to the chiIdren-an apple, cake, a
package of candy, or a newsp spaper-which
was always received with great delight.
And it seemed to afford the train hands
almost equal pleasure, as every face was
lighted up with smiles as the cars went
rafting past.
There was only one thing that gave
Frau Gottlieb any anxiety, and that was
the fear that the children might be run
over; but after year or two lhls appre-
hension almost entirely passed away, as
she saw that the children were extremely
careful, and the whistle gave warning
even before the engine was in sight.
One day the moon freight, which al
ways went slowly up the grade from the
bridge, moved slower than usual. think
the engineer, John Chamberlain, was in
the secret.
When the long heavy tram was Just
against the house, Frank Caldwell. the
jolly tail brakeman, swung oil handled
half-hushel basket, in which was a fat,
round. black ana white, slx-Weeks-old,
Newfoundland puppy.
The basket went rolling oil down the
sandy slope, and the pup, recovering his
equilibrium, waddled, full of delight, to
the open-mouthed, wondering children,
who had never seen i dog before.
The train men all laughed and gesticu-
/ lated until the great pulling locomotive
/ had drawn them around the curve and out
of sight Of the surprised little ones.
Alter that, the puppy, which the chill
dren had named " Max always made
one Of the pleasant group that greeted the
train hands.
Sometimes his shaggy, curly coat was
stuck so full of flowers that lie looked like
an animated boquet. Sometimes there
| would be a wreath about his neck, Often
the children would make him walk on his
/ hind LEGS, make bows. roll over. tnrn
somersaults, dance, and 90 through a va.
rie,y of antics which Gottlieb. the father
/ had taken mains TO teach him
! After a while the INTELLIGENT doc wben
he heard a train rounding the cnrve mr.
crossing the bridge. would rush ONT. catch
upa sick, and run about the meadow
with il. dive eff the bluff into the river
and swim to the opposite bank.
| Or, standing upright, he would dance
and bow like performing bear, while the
engineer. fireman, conductor train hands,
and often the passengers, bowed and
laughed in genuine enjoyment OF the whole
pretty performance.
BY the time Max was full grown,a baby
called Theresa had been born in the little
white cottage, which had taken the place
of the log-house, and when the warm,
sunny days came again, it was this plump,
yellow haired midget that was rolling
about on the green turf, where all The
other children had rolllcked in turn.
Little blue-eyed Tissy happened TO lie a
wonderful creeper. She was strong and
nimble, and would creep on her small
| hands and feet quite as last as the other
children could walk.
One day, news came from over the sea
| from the little old village on the Moselle
that very soon the Mother Lechler
would come to live with her children in
! their Ohio home.