Litchfield enquirer., 1880-06-17
|. JERRY's GRANDMOTHER.

1T cOuiQ eaten some or these snlugglln' tel- lows that are runnin' brandy into Buffalo Barracks, right under the noses of the officers, there'd be some sense in your talkin' about goin' off to school. But it isn't my luck. Peggy, to be lucky. It never was and since she died, don't see why Grand Island isn't just as good as any other place for you and me-"
 Father swung his axe on his shoulder as if it was heavier than usual that morning, and | walked slowly away to his work. I tried to say goodbye or something, but l felt just as 1 would, had 1 known the island was slipping down the river right to the falls, nothing on earth to stop it, and talking wouldn't help. No, 1 wasn't filling up to cry. I was thinking l would never cry again for anything l would give up everything mother taught me to hope and work for; l would just fold my hands and sit down and be contented to live on as l was living. l would never expect ! anything better every day in the year might be like every other day. I would feed the pigs and the chickens; get the breakfast. dinner | and supper of pork, potatoes and bread for | only father and me- wash and iron and patch; never have anything pretty and nice never know any young people, nor have books and newspapers, and pretty worsteds for fancy work, nor even shoes in the summer time, un- | til our debts were paid. Just lve-that was all, and was only seventeen years old. 1 | stamped my bare foot at the thought of it, and it was well did, for the hens were on the breakfast table and making pretty mess of things.
 That was in July. Mother died in the spring But can't tell you about mother. If begin all that the rest of my story will go down stream, just as the arrows did used to shoot far out into the Niagara River and then guess how long they would be in reach ! Ing the falls. We lived on the west side of Grand Island, not more than half mile north ! of the Falconwood grounds. The club gave great deal of work to father; about all we had to live on. They were clearing their grounds, you see, and it was wonderful how | they changed swamp lands into Eden. But it didn't help me to be centented when the handsomely dressed young ladies would come right up to the door of our shanty, like the butterflies s-only the butterflies didn't make me so uncomfortable One day, when was wedding the onion bed, a party from the club house came up to the we'll for water, and l never looked out from under my sun- bonnet, | nor pretended to know they were there.
 q should think she would be afraid it would make her feet big to go barefoo,ed," one of the girls said, not meaning that 1 should hear her. They all laughed. l don't know what made ms think of mother just then, but thinking of her saved me from speaking my mind. Perhaps it was the sweet voice of that pretty girl. looked after them as they went away. She had blue ribbons at her throat and on her hair, and the prettiest boots on her little feet. A young gentleman carried her!paraso. He cut bouquet of my cinnamon roses without asking and she trim med her hat with them. It was hard weed ing the onions that morning. l could hear them laughing and singing as they rambled in the woods. The wish that might not always be shut out from everything got the upper hand Of me. Father saw something was wrong after had moped for three or four days, and on the morning I am telling you of he asked me what was the matter. told him what was wishing for; and that was his an- swer-he didn't know where the money was coming from.
 | There was nothing like good row on .he river when was down-hearted. Ishoved the hens out into the garden, and fed them twice as much as usual. That was like moth- CT not bit like me- Then l made the shanty as neat as 1 could. 1 fixed things every morning just as if mother might come in and | look round, the dirt was sln in mothers eyes. Father never cared, nor knew how things looked. It was all the same to him whether the stove was polished or not. He thought | tableclOths all nonsense, and 1t was hard to keep him from using the curtain for a hand towel. But for all that, if had ever spread | fathers meals on bare table, or soiled cloth; or let the curtains hang crooked; or swept the dust into the grass or-but there is no use talking about it. 1 never could have l done anything mother would have called poor housekeeping. Keeping things nice and tidy was a little like keeping mother with me.
 was great overgrown girl, with anything but small hands and feet. That came, per haps of my hard work and going barefooted | My face was brown from being out-of -duors and on the river all sorts of weather, for my one pleasure was rowing, and I could manage a boat as we'll as anybody had skiff of my own. Mother named it 'Dancing Polly" and she used to sit in the stern and knit and sew--but can't talk about that Fathers s boat was larger than mine. He used to help the revenue officers sometimes. That was in the time of war, and there was a great deal of smuggling going on between the Canada shore and the States, and Navy and Wolf Islands, just below us, was resort Of inc smugglers. They were so near the falls, you see, that it was no laughing matter going there 1 with skif. Grand Island was good hiding place before the forests were cut down 80 much, and father bought our little place think ing he could earn something catching snug glers. giving information to the revenue off, ceers, etc. But father never succeeded at it. The smugglers caught hitn once or ceand fright ened him most to death Once they set him adrift on the river without oars, but rescued him up- on his saying he would help them hide their booty, which he did. Again they threw sus- picion on him, reported him as smuggler l and he had hard work to clear himself. They l We're too sirewd for a man like father and there we were with that lonesome place on our hands Mother begged him before she died to give up meddllng with the outlaws and 10 get off the island as soon as he could for my sake. But father was not born to do 50 much alone, and was tired trying to think how could help hlm to make the move. 1 | am not blaming him, not bit, but perhaps you know what it is to be longing to do some thing in the world, something you know yon | could do, only for the very one you love best who just stands Ill your way without meaning | to.
 Well, that morning I went down to my boat and pushed of without knowing or caring where went. 1 foated awhile with tue stream, hardly lifting my oars. 1 remember sitting motionless out there on the river and looking back to our cabin-you could hardly see it for the trees-and wondering why, when the world was so big, must live just there and die there and never wear blue rib bons nor have cinnamon roses stuck in my hat. All at once was aware of the sound of | the falls. had never heard it so plain, save in that hush after mother died. was afraid to look over my shoulder just for one minute. But there was really no danger after all for a good oarsman like me, although such silly boating had best be ended at once. I was close to Navy Island, the resort of the snug glers.
 After little hard rowing I had fastened my boat and had climbed up the bank into the thick wood. It was little harbor, very bower of trees and vines The birds were singing as if Peggy Herrick was the happiest girl in the world and they must tell it to all creation. I sat down on shelving rock and threw fathers old straw hat over my bare feet. Would always have to go batefooted The birds sang as if going barefooted was nothing to fret about; that was their fashion old as the hills. What hot, sleepy day it must be over in Buffalo, I thought. What would the poor people in boots give to lie