Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-09-28
Severe Obedience.

haven't been able TO write anything for
some time. | don't mean that there has
been anything the matter with my fingers
so that couldn't hold pen, but haven't
had the heart TO write Of my troubles. Be-
sides, have been locked up for whole
week in the spare bedroom on bread and
water, and Just little hash or something
like that, except when Sue used 10 SNUG
gle in cake and pie and such things, and
haven't had any penanink. ] was going TO
write novel while / was locked up by
pricking my finger and writing in blood
with pin on my shirt; but you can't write
hardly anything that way, and | don't be-
lieve all those stories of conspirators who
wrote dreadful promises to do all sorts of
things in their blood. Before could write
two little words my finger stopped bleeding,
aud / wasn't going to keep on prickiug my
self every few minutes besides, it won't do
to use all your blood up that way. There
was once boy who cut himself awful in
the leg with knife, and he bled to death
for FIVE or six hours, and when he got
through he wasn't any thicker than news
paper, and ratified when his friends picked
him up just like the morning paper
does when father turns it inside out. Mr..
Travers told me about him, and said this
was warning against bleeding to death.
"Of course you'll say must have been
doing something dreadfully wrong, but /
don't think | have; and even if had, I'll
enough to provoke whole company of
saints. The truth is got into trouble this
time Just through obeying promptly as soon
as l was spoken to. I'd like to know if
that was anything wrong. Oh, I'm not
bit sulky, aud / am always ready to admit
I've done wrong when | really have; but
this time | tried to do my very best and
obey my dear mother promptly, and the con-
sequence was that ] was shut up for week,
besides other things too painful too mention.
This world is a fleeing show, as our minis
ter says, and sometimes feel that it isn't
worth the price OF admission.
Aunt Eliza is one of those women that
always know everything, and know that no.
body else knows anything, particularly us
men. She was visiting US, and finding
fault with everybody, and constantly saying
that men are a nuisance i'll house, and why
didn't mother make father mend chairs and
whitewash the ceiling, and what do you let
that great lazy boy waste all his time for
There was little spot in the roof where it
leaked when it rained, and Aunt Elz, said
to father, why don't you have energy
enough to get up on the roof and see where
that leak is would if was a man thank
goodness amt" So father said, You'd
better do it yourself, Eliza And she said,
al will this very day."
So after breakfast Aunt Eliza asked me
| to show her where the scuttle was. We
| always kept it open for fresh air, except
when it rained, aud she crawled up through
it and got Oh the roof. Just then mother
called me, and said it was going to rain, and
| must close the scuttle. began to tell her
that Aunt Eliza was ON the roof, but she
wouldn't listen, and said, :" DO as tell you
| this instant without any words why can't
you obey promptly ?" So | obeyed as
prompt as | could and shut the scuttle and
fastened it, and then went down stairs, and
looked out to see the shower come up.
1t was a tremendous shower, aud it struck
us in about ten minutes and didn't it
pour The wind blew, and it lghtened
and Numbered every minute, and the street
| looked Just like river. | got tired of look
ing at it after while, and sat down to read,
and in about an hour, when it was begin
| ming to rain little easier, mother came
where | was, and said, 81 wonder where
sister EIiz, is, do you know, Jimmy 2"
And | said supposed she was on the roof,
| for ! left her there when | fastened the
scuttle just before it began to rain
Nothing was done to me until after they
had got two men to bring Aunt Eliza down
and wiring the water out of her, and the
doctor had come, and she had been put to
bed, and the house was quiet again. By
that time father had come home, and when
he heard what had happened-but, there !
it is over now, and let us say no more about
it. Aunt Eliza is as well as ever, but no.
body has said word to me about prompt
obedience since the er-shower.-Jimmy
BroUn, IN Hdrper's Young People.