Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-01-21
THE THREE YES.


The day was bitterly cold in Virginia City,
as winter days most generally are in that Al
pine town, and though the sun was bright,
II was as cheerless and chill almost as
moonbeams. Wild gusts whistled through
the streets, breathing icicles and frost in
their furious course and driving every living
thing away to seek shelter from It's biting,
penetrating breath. And yet not every one
was housed from the pitiless gale, for he who
had work TO do or business TO transact was
summoned by inexorable duty TO come forth
to his post, or, else, when the day of reckon
ing came abide by the consequences but,
with such exceptions as these, the male pop
ulation generally sought the warm and friend.
ly atmosphere of the drinking saloons, where,
with 'hot Scotch" and q glowing furnace,
they managed to keep themselves from
freezing. OF these luckless exceptions, Abe
Denuing, the baker, was one. In sunshine
OF storm, hail, rain OF snow, people must eat
eat, in fact, all the more voraciously be-
cause it does hail or snow, as If to perpetrate
an unreasonable joke upon the baker, who,
especially in appetizing weather, must see to
it that his customers larders be properly
stored with the rarest and best productions of
his oven.
Even such cold weather as this did not de-
ter Mr.. Denuing from attending to the wan Is
tention characteristic of his class. While
disappearing into a customers house with an
armful Of bread, girl of some fifteen years of
age emerged from a miners cabin close by
and, first casting wild and hurried glances
around her rushed to the bakers cart, and
Just abstracted therefrom three loaves of
bread, and was carrying them of, when the
baker returned and caught her in the act.
Unfortunately, an officer was passing just
Al. a. III. Al
moment, and without giving the case the
consideration which he otherwise might, gave
her in custody on a charge of theft. The
girl, without any attempt at expostuation or
explanation, burst into an agony Of tears, a
sufficient evidence perhaps, that she was but
a novice, after all, in the art of stealing
"Oh :" she exclaimed, don't take me in
this way. Let me wrap a shawl around my
head, or the people will know me-"
The officer, consenting, accompanied her
into the cabin, the baker having driven away,
telling the policeman he would be in court
next day to prefer the charge before the DO
lice Judge.
The officer, on re-entering found no one
in the cabin but three children-the young.
est about three years old, and the eldest six.
The hut was cold aud cheerless there was
no fire. The two elder children alarmed at
the presence of the officer, exhibited discol-
ored eyes and faces, which bore evidence of
suffering and recent tears while little VIII
lie, the youngest, was crying and inappeasa-
BILE, mOping aimlessly around the cabin,
looking into the empty closet, and putting
his little hands mechanically into the empty
dishes on the table
"What made you steal the bread my girl 2"
asked the officer.
At mention of the word bread " little Will
lie looked tearfully and piteously in the mans
face. The girl hugged the little fellow fran
tically in her arms, covering him with tears
and kisses.
"oh, my poor little brother!" she cried,
bitterly. "What will become of you nov?
This man is going to take your Lena away
with him."
Here the child threw his arms around her
neck, as il to detain her by force while the
other two children screamed fit to break their
hearts.
The officer, suspecting the actual state of
affairs, began to cough convulsively; but in
stead of applying his hand to his chest or
throat, as people do on such occasions, he
applied his handkerchief to his eyes.
SIS there no coal, or nothing at all to eat
in the house ?" said he, in gurgling sort of
voice.
mo coal, no bread, nothing to eat," re-
piled the girl wringing her hands, land
ing to eat since yesterday morning"
Here the officer had another hard fit of
coughing, and went away, saying that he
would be back again in a short time.
HAS the man gone for bread 7" asked the
Oldest of the children.
"Hush, Mollie dear !" said Lena. II don't
know what he is gone for. He's not a bad
man, anyhow, for he hasn't arrested me, as 1
thought he would"
T., 10 Al
with his arms full of bread and groceries, not
forgetting some cakes and condiments for
the smallest children while another man at
his heels carried u big sack of coal on his
back
At the sight of the bread the children
screamed with delight, while the officer now
laughed, now coughed, and frequently ap-
piled his handkerchief to his face TO wipe off
the perspiration, as it were.
While Lena cut up large slices of bread,
and helped the children and herself, the two
men set to work and made large FIRE in the
stove, the glow of which soon difused warmth
and comfort through the cabin. Then they
cooked the meat, and made tea, and spread a
steaming meal on the table for the four Or
phans, while they carved and attended TO
their wants until they were fully satisfied.
Happy, happy childhood, whose preroga-
tives are innocence, mirth and joy The
children, after their dinner, didn't look like the
same children at all. Their faces were bright
and joyous, happy and handsome, and in a
few minutes they were playing and laughing
and romping, as happy as if they had never
felt the pangs of hunger.
"And now" said the officer, delighted at
seeing the children SO happy, "sit down, Le-
ma, and answer me few questions. Have
you no father or mother"
"We have no mother" was Lena's reply,
'She died about year ago, and father went
away TO Eureka to work about eight months
ago, and we hain't seen him ever since"
!'What is your fathers name~
"Dawson-Jim Dawson"
"And he has sent you no money-noth-
ing?"
Nothing. Never heard of him since he
went away. But when he was going he left
us bag of -four, and lots of groceries and
things-as much as would last US for six
months, and he'd be sure and be back before
the proVisiOnB were all out