St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-12-22

said Aunt Sue.
"Them big -pIoughs they have
now will clear it out before noon if
it's"
Uncle Tom and Aunt Sue were the
last brother and sister left of a large
family. Every one of those who had
made the old farmhouse merry on
Christmas days long past were sleep
ing in the graveyard by the village
church, and the only one these two
kind-hearted people had left to love
was Madge, their niece, whom they
had tenderly brought home to the old
farm years before, when her parents
had died and left her an orphan. Now
she was married. and her holiday visits
with her husband and four rollicking
boys were the bright days i'll the old
farm house.
"Iave yOu been to see that woman
vet that moved into the house down
beyond the pasture ~ asked Uncle
Tom, as he finished his cup of smoking
coffee.
"No, | haven't been yet" said Aunt
Sue. 81 was going to send L4ucindy
over to-day with some pies and things,
but she says there hasn't been mite
of smoke coming out of the chimney
this morning, and | thought maybe
she'd gone off to spend Christmas with
her folks somewhere"
"Give me the things and I'll drive
round and leave 'em when | go to the
station. | saw light in the house last
night. guess she's home" said Uncle
Tom. "She must he awful poor" he
added "that shanty amt actually fit
for a wOodshed. You ought to go and
see her, Susan. She may he suffering,
when here we are with more'n we know
how to eat up"
"Well, did mean to, right off; but
she's kept herself SO close that
thought maybe she didn't care to see
folks. She amt been nowhere except
to Marin Davis'S to ask for some sew
ing-wOrk. She told Marin Davis that
her husband was a sea-captain, and
| that he died ashore last summer with
! fever. She came here to live because
it wouldn't cost her so much as in the
city, and she thought she could get
| plenty of sewing to do in the village.
Marin Davis gave her some, but she
said yesterday she hadn't brought it
| back vet, and she thought likely as not
she'd gone off with it, same as that
woman did who settled down to the
lower parish two years ago"
81 don't care ii straw what Marin Da-
Wis thinks said Uncle Tom "she's al
ways ready to throw stones when there
amt nothing to hit. Why didn't she
go round to see if the woman wasn't
sick -
"She was going, she said, but Mary
James home for Christmas with all her
children, and she's been awful busy"
"IIasn't the woman got ii child with
here" asked Uncle Tom.
eyes, she has" said Aunt Sue. 81
don't know whether it's boy or girl
Mr.. Pinchem he gave her the house
rent free, heard"
''Rent free ~ said Uncle Tom, indig-
nantly. "Why, he wouldn't house his
own hogs in that rickety old place"
At that moment there was knock
at the door.
"Shouldn't wonder if that was Sam
EmmOns come to get help in breaking
out the roads, said Uncle Tom.
"IIullor' he said, in astonishment, as
he opened the door, for instead of the
portly form of Sam EmmOns, the vii
lage stage-driver, there stood on the
doorstep Il very small boy with IA fur
cap pushed down over his golden
curls.
"Please, sir" said the small boy,
timidly, could have Il job to shovel
paths ?"
Aunt Sue and Lucindy were both at
the door in twinkling, and before
! Uncle Tom could say word, Aunt
] Gr,. bnI s.iyaI I. Il
ed him in big chair close to the
stove.
"Well, | never ~ she said, as she
brushed the snow from the boys
clothes. "How that mite found his
way here through the drifts is mOre'n
can tell
Aunt Sue was sure that it was the
poor stranger woman's boy from the
little house beyond the pasture, for she
knew every child in town, and this one
she had never seen before.
"Did your mother send you out ia
get job this dreadful snowy morn
ing ?" she asked.
"No, ma'am," said Willie, as well as
he could, for he was still si,ivering 81
he could scarcely speak. Then he told
his sad little story, and how anxiOu.
he was to earn some pennies to give
the doctor.
1t was strange how violently Uncle
Tom began to cough just ut this tim,
behind his red silk handkerchief, anC
Aunt Sues eyes grew as red all of /
sudden as if she had been peeling on
ions. As for Lucindy, her face twitchet
so that you would have thought sh,
was trying to swallow some bad-tast
, ing medicine.
Aunt Sue was a very kind hearted
woman, there was not the least dOub
f about that, but sometimes she was 5,
busy with her own affairs that she for
got to look about and see what goo,
was waiting for her to do, Just as
great many of us neglect kindnesse
which we ought to think Of But one,
get Aunt Sue started, and it was won
drrful how much she could accom-
plish.
"ThOmas," she said to her brother
''the horse and sleigh must be har
messed up right off"
Uncle Tom evidently had though
+ the very same thing, for he was al
ready pulling on his great overcoat ant
strapping his fur cap down over hi
ears.
. "Guess I'll put an armful of DIR,
wood in the bottom of the sleigh" sal,
= he you'll know what else to take, Su
san"
Aunt Sue hustled about in hurry
. She did not fill basket with tea an,
r sugar and oranges, as people often d.
, when they go on such an errand, fo
| she had another plan i'll her head, an,
she meant to carry it out if possible
But she took from the great chest q
drawers upstairs a great fur cloak, an,
whole armful of shawls and blankets
Then she got bottle of her best cur