Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-08-29
The North Farm Now.

Now: for It does not do 10 think of it az
then.
Then it was quite It different place
| albeit not one inch Of ground has altered
| and but few trees have fallen since those
days, fifteen long years ago since we saw
| 1t first. \ ct perhaps it is rs well, ere
| printing the picture as it is to day, tC
pause tor moment, and raise the soft
grey veil that hides the sembance of hose
dead hours, when all seemed Joyous
enough, and we were all too obivious OF
The presence of the tiny rift within the
luto, that, like that in the poem, has
wldencd until the music is indeed mute
and mute forever.
How could we perceive it when from
every window streameI the ospitable
geam of light that Frightened the warm
crimson blind through J2hich it came,
seemed TO say to us: hurry, hurry out of
the wild January storm into the quiet
haven Of rest and peace on which | am
now shining!
And what II night it was The tiny sta
tion where we got ou /, sltfened and wea
ried with our five hours Journey from
town, seemed 10 shake and shive rs the
great north wind tore up the valley and
threw itself in all its fury on the building
that is but an atom of a wooden structure.
Great swishes of rain swept past US, and
we were in despair, until CHEEKY voice
called 10 US through the darkness and
revealed the whereabouts of our host,
who was buried out Of the storm in surely
the qucerest vehicle ever invented by
man, ana that seemed Ike a cart with II
head on, III which we sat sideways, and
Whlch was driven through the window at
lhc extreme emu.
INTO this we got and then plunged
down mead iirst, as II seemed INTO the
black night. The wind howled and raved,
and the rain peiled down on our carriage
root, sounding like u perpetual shower OF
peas ldlllhS irom the loose grasp OF Il
child we bumped over stones and rat
tIed round corners, ana seemed TO under
90 various anu many imminent escapes of
sudden deathi and all this time our host
talked gaiIy, eXpoundlnS TO us his plans
Tor our amusement, and conllding to Us
with Jolly chuckle, ms vile mental
aSonles and ptrpcXtles rs TO what she
should possibly do with company from
London, ana the sqllro coming the very
next day, deary, dear. to shoot the home
coverts.
We drew ourselves up (and then we
were not very high) and thought ours Ives
equal to any amount OF squres, pensivcly
wondering, toe, what the squire would
say to our gun, tue first we had been trus-
ted with, by the way, and which we had
carefully carried with the tenderest care
ION Waterloo station until the present
moment, and which was pronounced by
all WHO had seen it the very best specimen
OF Il weapon hat surely was ever possessed
by youth. Ana that drew forth from our
uncle long account, given TO us as he
held the gun ana 2azed at it, spectacles on
nose, and head on one side, of how he
used to 20 shooting, making his prepara-
tons hllA.elf, punching out wads out of
old has, and getting gunpowder and shot.
belt ready, ana starting as soon as the sun
was up, with his dogs and one man;
walking miles Though dank turnlps, and
then Though the blazing hot stubble fields, |
returning 10 eat his brace of birds at six
o o'clock dinner and then sleeping like Il
top in his armchair. only reused to read |
prayers and tumble into bed, rising again |
ht early dawn, TO carry on the same pro. |
SSSS
That was sport said he; NOW It's |
very dlilere Mt, but the world goes too fast
nowadays, and there is no time for any
thing. Even when you youngsters 20
shooting you are all too lazy to find your
olrds, but req Ire them brought to you;
We no patience with such ways; not H.
AS we heard what the squire generally
lid for our hostess, we felt constrained to
believe that for once old folks knew more
han we young ones, and that our uncle
Was right. Yet we looked forward to the
morrow, and, ere we went to rest, tiattened
'ur faces against the many paned window,
md wondered what we should set outside
when the dawn came and the darkness
led away.
Surely never was there such Il room, or
uch heavenly place for perfect slumber: