St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-02-24
Can We Not Help 1t!

In poor little cottage, which look
ed like an exaggerated bird cage, in IA
remote Morse hamlet, lived Enkan Nee
ia Krulsgar with her three children.
Theirs was poverty such as the vir-
tuOus poor know nothing of in Ameri-
ca. Life was one long, hard fight for
black bread, smoked herring, little
fuel and a very limited supply of coarse
clothing.
Through all the working hours of
the long Morse day, Enkan (widow)
Neeta sat i'll her doorway spinning,
and thanking God more for plenty OF
work than most people do for plenty OF
money.
Her eldest daughter, Marie, good
natured, stubbed, and homely, worked
looked like great mud pies, to dry for
fuel in winter. Nicotine, the Joy and
pride of them all, was in place i'll the
adjacent town, whence she returned
once week to Tighten the house with
her smile and. with such bits of news
as she had picked up among her
friends. Little Eda, though but nine
years old at the time of which we write,
tended farmers sheep i'll neighbOr-
ing pasture, and always came home at
night, her back laden with twigs,
bound with cord, for fuel.
Nicotine had little of the peasants
face or bearing She looked more like
IA saint, with earnest gray eyes-fring-
ed with long dark lashes-looking al
ways far off, as if into the unknown
future of life.
"God make me holy I" often ejacu-
lated the widow. "Few have such
cause to love him as | to whom he has
given such lovely children, and hun
dred pounds of wool in the house at
one time to spin !"
How the rays of the "midnight sun"
shone in and danced Oh the snow white
floor, the sky-blue sashes, and the
scarlet, up-turned bedstead
How ecstatic Luther looked in his
narrow black frame over the little
stone stove, with hands outspread up
on his breast, and his eyes uplifted to
their utmost capacity.
How the wOOd-rOse smiled and sent
forth its fragrance from the little clay
cup that held it. And how Marie chat
tered and laughed with the two young
neighbors who had come in to enjoy
the visit of Nicoline
"Why do you not ask me for the
news | come laden with it tonight, >
said Nicotine.
what ? What ? Who is dead Who
is married ?" cried three or four at
once.
"Ah, there are more things come to
us than death and marriage. Mother
knows how | long to go to America
where | can earn as much for her i'll Il
month as can here in "a year. said
Nicoline, gazing tenderly at the win
dow.
''Thank God for the poverty that
forbids it," said Enkan Neeta.
81 need no money to go with now
Two dear, kind fathers have come tC
take all the poor to a gold land, flow
ing with milk and honey; to Gods
country over the sea :" was the young
girls reply.
"Who are these men ?" asked the
widow, anXiously.
'They call themselves MoOr-mons
They are very rich and very holy ; the,
have many sons and no daughters
They can fight the devil OFF, lik,
Father Luther. | have written dow
my name and Marie's to go with then
and vessel full of our people il
twenty days.
"Then will take Eda and go will
you or you will carry my heart ava,
and leave me stone woman" said til,
widow.
"But they only ask the young ant
strong. But we will get gold wages
and will send for you very soon, dear.
"First ask advice of the prast (th
minister)," said the mother.
NO" cried Marie, che is cross! ! HI
pulled my ears when | was confirmed
because | did not stand in line"
Enkan Neeta was silent for a mo
ment. Then she rose and went int
her little inner-rOOm to look this grea
sorrow full in the face.
The twenty days had flown like 5
many hours. Enkan Neeta and littl
Eda, having taken the "wOOl money
for the journey, stood on the wharf a
Christiana, watching, as long as the
could see, the speck on the Ocea
which was bearing away so much q
their help and their happiness.
When it had vanished they returne
to their cottage, now shOrn of its glory
But toll, which has changed sine
Eden's day from curse into a blessin
for the sOrrowful, kept their heart
from breaking.
The wool was brought from town, a
before, on the back of Enkan Neeta
and returned in the same way, in twist
ed, creamy skeins. The lambs wer
tended, and the fagOts were brough
home again on the shoulders of littl
Eda.
Instead of thanking God for povert
= now, the widow prayed to him fc
money to cross the sea ''but," sh
would ask herself, "where should
J find them, America is so large 7"
Oh, the wild, restless, hungry sea
Who that has ever been long on ii
{ bosom has not sighed and prayed fC
T land and rest ? 1t was a strange lOok
ing company few deluded men an
many deluded women-that landed {
7 Castle Garden. They had not been a
q hour on the train for the far We
;. when our poor, ignorant children b,
7 gan to look from the car windows fo
n the golden towers of the celestial cit.
and for the rose-cOvered hills and IL
flying deer of which theV had heard.