Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-02-12
Old GalliSOn'S Frank.

ers. ssAll we, like sheep, have gone.
astray," he mumbled, and then stop
ped. The wind seemed to be making
an unusual clatter that night about
the house. 1t cried at the windows,
it went moaning down the entries, it
stormed at the doors. ssIt seems
like a knock. The wind won't let
me Think said the old man, and he
rose from his keees. He went to the
window and looked out. 1t was a
stormy night. The wind, however,
seemed to be abashed by the sight OF
that haggard face and retreated
across the bare, wild marshes to
rage and roar elsewhere.
:. 'Tis bad night. l wonder
where Frank then old Gallison
stopped. Frank was a forbidden
subject in the old mans thoughts.
Think, though, he would, and he had
began to wonder where Frank might
be that night, on the wild land or
wilder sea. He shut the door upon
all further thought as soon as he was
aware of the subject that had come
to be a guest of his meditations.
Frank Gallison was the last of the
old fathers children. All the rest
had died. The mother, too, was
dead. The farmhouse was an am
pie one, enlarged from time to time
as the family might demand. But as
/ death came in, and one after another
| of those occupants had been borne
out, the farmer had closed the rooms
they occupied. He shut each door
and then secured it by stout black
hook. ''Mother's room" was first
vacated, and then the funeral hook
was dropped into its staple. The old
est daughter Jane and the Oldest son
Samuel both died one winter, and
there were three doors closed and
hooked. AT last, only Frank and
his father, besides a housekeeper,
lived in this old house of shadows.
| Frank was lad whose character was
utterly at variance with that of the
house. He was as sunny as it was
! gloomy, and he went about whistling
and singing, as if unaccountably a
bob-o-link had strayed in the house
and cut up some very odd, abrupt,
musical capers. Old Gallison loved
Frank. He said that "a piece of all
the rest could be found in Franks
looks. He told his only neighbor,
Joel Berry, that Frank was ''com-
pound"
"Neighbor," said the farmer, "my
Frank. has piece of all the rest in
him. He has his mothers big, snap
pin brown eyes, Sans curly hair,
James pink-and-white shin, WHY'S
broad shoulders, Jim's way of jokin'
and Tilda's way of smilin'. You re-
MEMBER
80 yes, you are right. 1t was
jest so.'
"A compound, Joel, a compound
is my Frank
This compound took an inter-
esting step one day.
Farmer Gallison dearly loved an
old cider barrel down in his dusky
cellar, especially when the barrel
was full. He had taken an extra
mug one day, tart and strong. The
stuff was stirring up his brain into a
sensitive, combative state, when
Frank entered the house. His father
asked where he had been. Frank
gave careless reply which nettled
the cider drinker. Repeating his in
quiry to Frank, he used language
which maddened the boy and he be-
came saucy in turn. The quarrel
went so far that there was a separa-
ton. Out of the house in the scowl-
ing twilight Frank rushed, his fathers
angry wishes flying after him like a
farewell discharge of fire-headed
arrows.
II won go back p shouted Frank.
'Who wants you'll" said the
farmer.
Half an hour after, looking out of
the windows that fronted the sea,
hearing the wind and the breakers,
old Gallison's heart softened and he
heartily wished he had never said
some things. He took the light and
went through the entries to see il
everything might be right through
the night. With his hand he shielded
the candle from the strong, chilly
drafts, and tramped heavily over the
) floor. He passed one of the hooked
door. The little black badge of sor-
row seemed more funereal than ever
The thought of his sorrows, his lone
f illness, and then of bis boys disre
< spect and desertion stirred a deer
f displeasure within him. He went tt
the shed, still carefully protecting
the light against the now stronge
drafts, and carried back the nail boy
and few pieces of wood. Then h,
n nailed the boards right across th'
: closed door of Franks room.
e Cheerful sight, was it not, tha
: series of black hooks, and the doc
;. that was boarded up?
. Old Gallison could not say hi
;, prayers that night, and he could no
d sleep.
r, Frank had been absent three year
L now, and the farmer could not ye
lf IL Il l., I<~x