Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-02-13

teen years OF age. Her motherly heart was
touched for him. "Art hungry?' she asked
turning to the table thou art wet to the
skin What hast been doing?"
shooting wild ducks said the boy.
ooh, said his hostess, "thou art one of
! the keepers boys, | reckonp
He followed the direction Of her eyes and
saw two portions of bread set upon the table,
with a small piece of bacon upon each
"My master be very late" she observed,
for charity did not make her use elegant Ian
| guage and by her master she meant her hus
band 'but thou art welcome to my bit and
sup for I was waiting for him maybe it will
| put little warAth in thee to eat and drink -
| so saying, she took up mug Of beer from
the hearth, and pushed it towards him, with
her share of the supper.
"Thauk you" said the boy, "but 1 am SO
wet l am making quite pool before your fire
with the drppings from my clothes"
"Ay, thou art wet, indeed" said the wo-
man, and rising again. she went to nm old
| box, in which she began to search, and pres
emily came to the fire with n perfectly clean
checked shirt in her hand aud q toerably
good suit Of clothes
"There," said she, showing them with no
small pride, "these be my masters Sunday
| clothes, and if thou wilt be Uery cdrefW IF
| MeB} I'll let thee wear them till thine be dry
She then explained that she was going to put
her "bnirn" to bed, and proceeded up a lad
der into the room above, leaving the boy TO
array himself in these respectable and desira-
| Die garments.
When she came down her guest had dress
| cd himself in the laborer's clothes he had
had time to warm himself, and he was eating
and drinking with hungry relish. He had
thrown his muddy clothes in heap upon the
| floor, and, as she proceeded to lift them up,
she said, "Ah lad, lad, doubt thy head has
been under water; thy poor mother would
have been sorely frightened if she could have
seen thee awhile ago"
Yes, said the boy and, in imagination,
the cottage dame saw this said mother, care
worn, hard working creature like herself
while the youthful guest saw, in imagination,
a beautiful and courtly lady and both saw
the same love, the same anxiety, the same
terror at sight Of lonely boy struggling in
| the moonlight through breaking ice with no
one to help him, catching at the frozen reeds,
and then creeping up, shivering and benumb-
| ed, to a cottage door
But oven as she stopped the woman forgot
her Imagination, for she had taken q waist
| coat into her hands, such as had never pass
ed between them before a gold pencil-case
! dropped from the pocket, and, on the floor,
among heap Of mud that covered the outer
| garments, lay n white shirt-seeve, so white,
! indeed, that she thought it could hardly be
worn but by a squire
! She glanced from the clothes to the owner.
| He had thrown down his cap, and his fair,
curly hair, and broad forehead, convinced
| her that he was Of gentle birth but while
She hesiated to sit down he set chair for
her and said, with boyish frankness, II say,
what lonely place this is If you had not let
me in the water would have frozen on me be-
fore I reached home. Catch me duck-shoot-
| ing again 10y myself ="
ITS very cold sport that, sir said the wo-
| man.
The young gentleman asscnted most readi-
/ ly, and asked if he might stir the fire.
"And welcome, sir said the woman. She
felt curiosity to know who he was. and he
! partly satisfied her by romarking that he was
staying at Deem Hall house about five miles
| on, nddiug that, in the morning. be had brok-
| en- q hole in the ice very near the decOy, but
| it had iced over so fast, that in the dusk he
had missed it and fallen in, for it would not
! bear him. He had made some landmarks,
and taken every proper precautiou, but he
supposed the sport had excited him so much
that in the moonlight, he had passed them
! by.
He then told her of his attempt to get shell
ter in the other cottage.
Sir" said the woman, III you had said
| you were a gentlemau"-
The boy laughed Il don't think knew it,
my good woman he replied, my senses
were so benumbed for l was some timo
struggling at the waters edge among the
broken ice, and then believe | was nearly
an hour creeping up to your cottage door l
/ rem, mber it all rather indisunctly, but as
soon as had felt the fire, and drank the
warm beer | was different creature"
While they still talked the husband came in,
and, while he was eating his supper, they
agreed that he should walk to Deem Hail. and
let its inmates know Of the gentlemans safe
| ty and when he was gone they made up the
fire with all the coal that remained to that
poor household, and the woman crept up to
bed and left her guest to lie down and rest be-
fore it.
In the gray Of dawn the laborer returned
with a servant leading Il horse, and bringinga
fresh suit Of clothes.
The young gentleman took his leave with
many thanks, slipping three half-crowns into
the woman's hand, probably all the money he
had about him Aud | must not forget to
mention that he kissed the baby, for when
she tells the story, the mother always adverts
to that circumstance with great pride, adding
that her child being as ''cleau as wax, was
quite fit TO be kissed by anybody! :"
"Missis," said her husband as they stood
together in the doorway, looking after their
guest, 'who dost think that be :"
~ don't know, answered the mssis.
Then I'll just tell thee, that be young
| Lord W; so thou mayst be a proud wo-
man; thou sits and talks with lords, and asks
them in to supper-ha, A." So saying, her
master shouldered his spade and went his
way, leaving her clinking the three half
crowns in her hand and considering what she
should do with them. Her neighbor from the
other cottage presently stepped in, and when
she heard the tale and saw the money, her
heart was ready to break with envy and jeal-
Ousy. 80 TO think that good luck should
have come to her door, and she should have
been so foolish as to turn it away. Seven
shillngs and sixpence for a morsel of food
and a nights shelter; why, it was nearly
weeks wages :"
So there, as they both supposed, the mat
ter ended, aud the next week the frost was
sharper than ever. Sheep were frozen in the
fenny fields, and poultry on their perches,
but the good woman had walked to the near
est town and bought a blanket. It was a
welcome addition to their bed covering, and
ii was many long year since they had been
so comfortable.
But it chanced one day at noon, that, look
ing out of her easement, she spied three young
gentlemen skating along the ice towards her
cottage. They spraug on to the bank, took
off their skates, and made for her door. The
young noblemau informed her that he had
had such a severe cold he could not come and
| see her before. "He spoke as free and pleas
antly,' sue observed in telling the story, ''as
| if had been a lady and no less and then
he brought parcel out of his pocket, and
| I've been over to b he says, and
bought you a book for a keepsake, and hope
you will accept it, And then they all talked
as pretty as could be for n matter of ten min
utss, and went away. So l waited till my
master came home, and we opened the parcel
and there was fine Bible inside, all over
! gold and red morocco, and my name and his
name written inside and, bless him ten
pound note doubled down over the names
Pm sure, when I thought he was poor for
lorn creature, he was kindly welcome. So