The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-06-13
" Old Mrs. Saysafras,"
A STORY FOR BOYS.

The air was very sweet in the WOODS.
A warm spring wind was blowing, and IL
seemed to bring the sunshine with 1t
from the bald, shining hillside without,
into the damp, snow-spotted dusk OF the
forest within. As she felt it, smile broke
over the swarthy, toil-hardened tace OF an
old woman sitting on a log under the
trees.
Summer is coming" she seid aloud,
and as though she were quite in the habit
of talking 10 herself IS Summer, when
for while there won't be wood to chop
and lug, and it won't be so hard to get
something to eat. I've earned enough
to-day" she continued, looking down
fondly into her apron and an old basket
which were filled with roots aud blossoms,
d" to keep me month in sunymer"
She poked the things in tbte basket, and
a pleasant smell of fresh hrth and pun
gent roots rose from them.
But l must Co." she continued, rising
from the damp log on which she had been
sitting. "Not that any body cares whether
old Mrs. Sassafras comes Tor whether she
goes-oh, no They're ill dead long ago
but the boy-and maybe he is dead, too,
by this time. Oh, what life it isp'
She sank down AGAIN. and covered her
face with her hands but the sound of
fresh young voices which Just then
sounded through the stiffness, reused her
from her painful reveFie.
What luck |" cried one merry voice.
"Only few hverw ort blossoms, and
half-dozen sickly Mab-fowers Beautiful
May-baskets we shall have But perhaps
we can buy some artificial ones at the
milliner's."
"The girls will glt plenty, I'll wager |"
said another. Z" Bht we've been every
where that can think of, and nothing
decent is 10 be found"
just til hen they spied the old woman
sitting on the moss-covered log, and made
simulta neous rush for her.
Hullb, Mrs. Sassafras T. they cried,
with go6d-natured familiarity. SCOT a
lot Of sAssafras, haven't you? Give us
some, DIP And where can We fnd some
May-fowers Do hurry mp and tell us I"
u" Mrs. Sassafras gave them an indul-
gent smile. She loved every one of them
for the sake of her own dear boy, for
when she had shaved and denied herself,
only, alas to see him growing into wild,
bad, ungrateful youth, who had finally
rewarded her love and patience by run
ming away TO sea when he was seventeen.
1t had been five years since then, and she
had begun to despair of ever seeing him
again but out of humble and honest
heart she lived her daily life, working
hard, and helping others whenever she
had chance; tor the soul of old Mrs.
Sassafras, though it was in a rough and
homely body, was pure gold. The boys
never set their dogs on her, nor snowballed
her. If one of them had dared to try such
thing it would have gone hard with
him, for the person of old Mrs. Sassafras
was sacred. And, as she not only sold
her roots and herbs for price to the rich,
and to the doctors aud apothecaries in the
large village some five miles distant, but
Kept stock constantly on hand for those
who were poor and needy like herself,
whom she was always willing to help, it
was no wonder all her neighbors liked
her, and that the boys frightened up the
moment they spied her through the
"chlnks between the trees.
Old Margaret Shehan, as cold Mrs.
Sassafras really ought to have been
called, pulled out from her basket with
kindly promptness fresh-dug stick of
sassa1ras and one of fag-root for each
wy ohN ChCbJ ohdhluS nOI blQ6S Will
suppressed laughter, she opened her apron,
and showed them Mayfiowers-pink, aud
dewy, and fragrant, till the boys shouted
with delight.
Whered you get 'em ?"
"Oh, my amt they splendid 7"
IS You bet the girls won't get any like
them"
ooh. hurry upl Where'd you find
'em 7"
"Well," said the kind old creature, re.
covering herself, "it's good ways, and
you IL have to cross swamp to get to
Them but they're there--plenty of them.
Dye see that hill 2 Well, Just ON the
other side Of that hill Is Benefits sugar.
house, and beyond the maple-trees, in
among the pines, about halfway down
the hill, you'll find some, you see u
Margaret Shenan nodded with smiling
ass urance to the eager little group, who
turned DANGEROUSLY in the direction that
she indicated, and, forgetting to thank
her In their excitement, made off with a
rush and a scramble for the chill =" and
Benefits sugar house -; and there, to
be sure, where the pines were yielding uI
sweet incense to the spring sun, and sing
ing solemnly their everlasting chant, they
found even finer and DENVER blossoms
than those which they had seen in old
Mrs. Sassafras's apron.
AS they picked eagerly, gathering in
long, wandering sprays of the shy, preciou,
blossoms, they talked about old Margaret
What's her name, anyway 2" sale
Tom Merrill.
Harold Temple, who had happened tc
hear ana remember it, told him.
But" he added, "They got to calling
her old Mrs. Sassafras because she went
out so much for roots and herbs and she
didn't mind it, so they kept it up. Myp
continued Harold, with true boyish en-
thusiasm, 81 suppose she knows better
where to dig for snakeroot and orris and
ginseng and sassafras, and such, than any
man III town" y