Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-05-07

Shius anu luc lochuIJ plin' lO0etnef; Ill
heroic spirits dropped, and quiet settled i |
on the school loom for the next two week. |
The holidays were coming so near III, |
perhaps it WAS as well To let them com
peaceful y after all. Thanksgiving da
tsionshed every one with an unprrrt
denied tnlw. AMI II rain that turned til |
>now-coverrd pond into an oozy sufnc,
black as ink; and though Miss Pophur, |
had chicken and Il little ball of plum |
pudding for dinner there was no geitin
"ut, and still less of the merry MAXIM |
and gay company GallowseS had heard ~ |
the boys promise themselves; and he hi |
iwly in bed ut last, thankful that the d., |
WAS done; how should he ever live thruug |
whole week like that when Christina |
came?
But before Christmas came the worl |
seemed To be in altogether dfferen |
mOod. The sunset skies turned yellow
gold, and the purple hills stood sharp un'
Ilmost black against them in frosty air |
the nights grew singing and clear, and
last, us Christmas eve itself set in. mort |
wind whrled down on the glowing pond |
and when morning dawned. as Deacon
Biyberrv assured The boys, " Pharaoh an |
"ii Ills HOStS inlSht lcei Ilcc W inaiCi |
across"
Whittier had our sorrowful memories |
fed away that wild, jyful Christina,
afternoonP Faster and faster flowed lht |
warm, eager blood through his veins haI |
he ever been miserable? had he ever sob |
bed himself to sleep in world wher,
skates and skating grounds were found?
On flew the hours; what did make cut. |
ting letters SO very hard? Over and ovei
the P" he was determined to cut Gal
luwses went too busy to notice that one by
one the boys had slipped away, toward The /
cove above, for fresh ice; for the black |
face of the pond WAS scared and white III
last. Another fifteen minutes, and sudden
ly there was II wild cry behind him ''Sam
llabberton and Hal are in the water! am
going for help!' and with marble face
Bob Alymer plunged off the ice. Were
those Squire Philips gray sleigh robes
and motLled gray horse ,lashing past?
You get OUT" thundrred the squire,
and snachlng Bob into the sleigh. he shot
the gray horse down the mill road by the
pond, and then with swoop, round to II
molion' SIS black group, huddled on the ice
And what did the squire do then? Wha,
had any of them done all this time stand
ing motionless, in IL dumb fre,z ng terror.
rs the ice crumbling fom the hands thai
clutrhed il. brought the black, opening
circle nearer to tlIelr feet.
But hark! There was another skate
ring A little figure in wide trousers was
coming up! llelp, G.llowses" gaspeu
Sam. The brown eyes ,ook one sweep
over the black, widening gulf, and then.
jacket in hind, GallowseS crept toward il.
One long, vicious crack ran across The ice
Miss Juiy's boy stopped, and holding the
',cket by one wrist, flung out The other
toward Sam. But an arms length still lay
between!
Then something else came fl l>hiDg of
GaIlowseS' shoulders-long, red, white
and dangling.
"llls ga.lowses! His gallowses! He's
lS ing them to his sleeve," and the hud.
dlcu figures held their BREATH but at last Il
Shout rose up,
Coming! Coming! He'll fetch him!
Hurrah! and half frozen, trembling and
livd with fright, Sam came crawling on
firm ice!
But another piercing cry broke in, and
Halls eyes met the shoulers in an agony
of appeal.
" He's losing hold! Save my boy. tool"
grcaned the squire; and Gallowses took
one more sweeping look at Halls corner of
the hungry looking hole. How the cur.
rent underneath dragged at anything ii
carried through. But once more he crawled
toward its treacherous edge. He was near
enough TO throw to Hal. but the thin ice
snapped and bent. 1t would never hold
| Them both.
" Throw me line from the sleigh"
Tying one end TO what he held, he flung
back the other towards thicker ice.
Catch il, some of YOU" and then he
threw IL jacket sleeve 10 Hal. lie grasped
stif1ly ut IL; could he hold it9 Yes; and
with one desperate struggle for life he
gained The ice. II bent aud snapped, but
they were dragging at the Other end
dragging bravely now. He was Safe but
that broke us Hal climbed up was AL that
had held Gallows,s from the hungry rush
ing stream, and Miss Judy's boy was out
OF sight.
Why, what upon airth?" said Deacon
Bayberry. peepng through the mill win
dow as the cry lose. Ono! Mischief,
and the squire after 'em!" and The deacon
laughed softly to himself, and set up
another psalm tune, aud then peeped
| through the window again. What was
that yellow, cleaning thing just taking
the smooth leap downward over the dam?
Miss PophursL had thought about short
hair of late, and Galluwses' hat had been
fitting tight over crispy. golden curls.
Ginger!' exclaimed the deacon, and
in one instant he was in the water ready
o meet wnat lie had seen shining rs 1t
came.
When Squire Philips saw it few min.
utes later lying before Deacon Bayberrys
- sltn'- room ire" his start would have
electrified the deacon if Thoughts, hands
and hot blankets had not been busy " it'll
GaIlowses. 1t seemed the very same del
icate clear-cut face, the same golden head
ne used to stand worshipfuly over when
he came home from sea twenty years ago.
Who is the child?' he asked almost
| tercely.
Gallowses," answered Bob Aylmer.
| YOU" began the squire, but the
deacon interrupted; q" Here tale take that
gewgaw off; it henderS.' and the squire
drew blue ribbon from Galowses' neck
"ihtt WIS tlllI oIlSu lDlnH hanging from
ii? A lockel? Had not the squire seen
that locket before? He had it open at last,
fair face looked yearning forth and the
squire gave great cry th 1t made the dea
con drop everything this time. Nelly!
my own lost Nelly. knew had lost her,
but have killed her too?" The deacon
turned to the bed again. The Lord wa,
working Oh the e-IIalleluith-but
his business was WI h G,lluwses; and in
another hour the brown eyes were peace
fully following him rs he went in and out
finishing the psalm tune begun in the mill.
Sud lenly the deacon shot look buck into
them again.
Did you think that there corn husk
thickness of ice was going TO hold you and
Hal at the same mortar minute of timep"
Ee asked.
A faint smile passed over Gallowses'
face.
" That was nothing; and l was to he
good and brave for her sake."
- For whose sake! Whose child are
you! What's your namep" broke in the