Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1880-02-04
Written for the Vermont Waterman.
Aunt Nabby's Story.
Mt LOT LAUREL.

| MT Lou LAUREL.
GLOW dark It's, an how it docs rain,' -
said Aunt Nabby to herself. al shall have
to hitch up leetle higher to the winder, SOS
| can see to bind off this heel" at Jest
pours," she continued, after counting off
fourteen stitches and narrowing, can l de-
clare, do know but we're goin' to have a
| freshet.'
1t did in very truth seem like it. The
southeast wind moaned dismally through
the old elm tree which stood shelteringly
near the little, low, northumberland house
of Aunt Nabby, and the long, pendulous
branches swung to and fro, while from every
leaf and twig the rain was constantly drip,
drip, dripping. Millions of drops of water
fell unsteady on the messy roof and ran
gurgling into the eave-spout, whence it
rushed with such force as to go quite
beyond the hogshead, and ran down the gar
den path, where it settled in little pools be
tween the flower beds, wherein the geese
waded and tapped their wings and quacked,
as if in the highest state of enjoyment.
"Nothin' can venter out in this rain but
geese" said Aunt Nabby looking up the de-
serted street.
But Aunt Nabby was wrong; for in the
smart new home of her brother David, Just
across the way, there were preparations go
ing on which presently dsproved her words.
And the next time she looked up from her
knitting, it was to see huge umbrella COM
ing up the walk and all that could be seen
under it were three pairs of rubber boots
"If there amt them boys !" exclaimed
| Aunt Nabby. "Wel, | will say Davids got
some smart gran children to come out in
this rain and she hastened to the door,
giving them a hearty welcome and declaring
they must be "wet as drownded rats"
"We're neither sugar nor salt, so rain
don't hurt us" answered one of the twins !;
Aunt Nabby couldn't tell whether it was
Jim or Jack, as they looked very much alike
| With their caps on.
"An' then we weared our ulthters an
| wubber boots an umbellas," lisped Charlie
"We've had letter from papa" said
Jack, hanging up his cap and ulster on
nail in the shed, and he says we must go
home next Monday"
"And Just think we've only three more
days to stay to grandpa'sl do just wish we
lived here, boys don't have half so good
times in the city as they do in the country"
aud Jim looked as if some great misfortune
had befalen him.
81 don't skurcely know how / can get
Nabby when they were all seated around
her. "You've helped sight in tendin' the
yoslins an CHICKENS this summer
can then coined over to see you in this
dufM bad wain," said Charlie, who consid-
cred himself quite hero in Drawing the
storm and was evidently afraid the fact
wasn't sufficiently recognized. "You never
walked out afoot in such adpfh AWFUL vain
,tawm, did you Aunt Nabby ?" he added.
eyes, come to think ont, do recolleck O.
bein' out once when it rained harder n dooz
now | guess, but twas thunder-shower
tho"
"Tell us about it, do !" exclaimed all three
| Of the boys together.
"Well, faint much of story" began
Aunt Nabby, who usually prepared her
stories with this remark, "but when was
twelve or fourteen years old, gran'sir Storrs
lied, an father an mother went to the
funeral leavin' me an David, that's your
yran'pa over here you know, an the baby
ut home. We thought twas proper smart
thing to keep house all alone, an we didn't
have no trouble till long towards night, when
it begun to cloud up, an now an then we
heerd little rumble O. thunder, an so we
thought we'd better git the COW afore it
rained. David, he was timersome pin
Him sort O. boy, an S the baby was sound
asleep in the trundle bed, thought I'd go
With him. Twas pretty thundery by this
lime, but we took hold O. hands an started
off expectin' TO find the COW in the edge O.
he woods as usual. We hadn't got but a
little ways when we found Dick, our cosset
lamb, was follerin' us. We set great
store by that lamb; twas one gran'sir
Storrs brought us on horseback, an twas a
NAT an had do
great celebrations on the wool when Dick
got old enough to be sheared, which she was
4 goin' to card an spin an weave an then
make into close for us all. So you see 5
now we had reason to think master sight
o. Dick. Wall, we run on S fast 8 we could
an We found we had to go good piece into
the woods afore we found the COW, an by
that time it had begun to sprinkle, an
thunder an tighten considerable sharp, an
once we thought we heerd bear growlin'."
"Did you truly Aunt Nabby ?" eagerly
inquired Jim.
"Law no, child, don't spose we did,
but we was awful scat an excited like, an |
'spose that's why we didn't miss Dick till we
got a most home, an then we called an
called, but couldn't find nothin' Of him. The
rain was Jest a-pourin' an while we stood a
wonderin' whether we'd better go back an
find him or not, there come blindin' flash
O. lightnin' which struck tall tree down by
the woods an tore it all to splinters, an
then there was such crash O. thunder right
over our heads as most stunned us for a
mint; when we kinder come to our senses,
8 twer, we scampered into the house 8 scarf
pair o. children s you ever did see, guess.
The baby was sittin' up an cryin', an
took him out O. the trundle bed, an we all
H.. Ls..I.l III.
the bed close an then we stayed with our
ears stopped up, till the heft O the shower
was over, an all the time when want
comfortin the baby, | was askin' the Lord
to take care on us all, an didn't forget
Dick neither Byme-by, when we ventured
to uncover our heads, the first thing we
heard was a kinder weak an feeble bleat
which seemed to come from the trundle
bed. crawled up an peeked over an there
was Jest the least grain O. Dicks tail stickin'
out from under the bed quilt jumped up
amazn' quick, and pulled off the quilt an
there Dick lay 8 snug 5 could be, an he
want hardly mite wet. ] 'spose he was
a feared O. the thunder an run home afore
it rained much, an so crawled into the bed
With the baby"
"Did you have to stay alone all night ?"
asked Jack
"No, father an mother come at last,
though twas pretty late. They stopped at
Cap'n Starkweather's durin' the shower, an
the lightnn' struck a tree near his house,
too, an killed their only COW that was a
standin' near it. | sh'll never forgit to my
dyin' day the prayer that father made that
night. 1t set afore me, 5 'twer the great
might an power O. the Lord, an then his
goodness an mercy in protectin us all
through that dretful shower. I'd alwus
meant to be Christian afore | died. but |
made up my mind that I'd begin that night
to serve the Lord, an I've been a tryin' to,
in my poor way, ever sence"
"Well," remarked Jack, al guess you've
made out first rate, for heard my mamma
tell gran'ma that Aunt Nabby was a saint
If ever there was one and we all think you