Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1884-02-13
After Many days.
W. NJ F. ROUND

w NJ +. HOUND
lie was German boy-you would
have known that in minute. You had
only to look at his round. rnddy face, hi-
big, frank. blue eyes. his yellow hair
to know that he belonged to the Teu,onc
type. ms you'd say that he WAS IL goo d
specimen. you had any doubt as to his
nationality you'd have it removed in an
instant if he spoke, for when he spoke
German he spoke the intensest kind OF
German, and when he spoke English he
broke the language INTO fragments, and
mixed 1t up with bits of German idom
| and accent.
His name was Johann, and they called
| him Hans, for short. lie had always been
called Hans. so that it might better be
said his name Was Hans, and they called
him Johann for long.
Hans came over here with his mother, a
widow, who had heard great stories about
America; how n woman need only wol
half tho time TO get good living.an that
even boy might earn what would be :;
mans income in Germany. She came,
and was disappointed. She W s al! alone,
except that she had Hans, and she and
the lad had at first very hard time 10 get
along at all. They had nobody 10 help
them to employment, and they found that
if wages were little higher than they
were in Germany, it cost Il great deal
more TO live. Indeed, more than at once,
after they spent the little hoard they had
brought with them, they had heard the
xuplf IF hupnar urp,y1inr nt tboir 1oDr .
and though they managed somehow to
keep him outside. they often felt that they
would have been better of in the father
land
But they were brave hearted. and trust.
ed in God, 50 that in few months both
were at work, Hans mother making men s
caps at forty cents dozen, and Hans
in grocery store, where. if the man was
hard and cruel, a grasping, gripping Hol
lander. he at least paid Hans promptly his
two dollars week, which rather more
than paid for the two rooms that be and
his mother occupied.
There is no doubt about it; Hans work
ed for hard master. He was one of
those fretful men that go nagging every
body from morning to night. Nothing
that Hans could do would suit him; and
one day when Hans accidentally broke
cracked egg, you'd have thought, to have
heard the talk about it, that it was the
last and only egg in the world.
And now, having introduced Hans,-I'n
90 on with the story. 1t was day of
binding, driving, fine rain, with high
wind that made umbrellas impossible.
Hans came in from a long errand, pretty
wet and very cold, for it was January, and
he oped to have few minutes to warm
and dry himself But he was hardly
inside the shop door when Mr.. Dumbkopf
that was the grocer's name-said to
him:
"Hans, you are strong boy; here is
fifteen pounds of coffee; you must carry it
to Mrs. Bildad's boarding house. 1t is
only little way off-anout half mile.
No matter for the rain; you amt sugar
nor salt, and you woA't melt, You do too
much loafing round the store. Come
don't stand there like a post. there's the
coffee; don't you get it wet.
Hans wondered how he could help
getting the ceffee wet, but he knew
he would have to cary it, wet or
dry. 1t was done ur in paper bag. and
was pretty heavy bundle. lie tried to
stretch his jacket around it, but that
didn't do much good. So he took the bag
by its strong. twisted up mani la paper
neck, and started off, Juggling it along,
and feeling after the first hundred yards
AS if it would pull his arms out of their
sock cts.
Fifteen pounds at the end Of your arm
weighs about fifty pounds after carrying
it FIVE miputes; but Hans was brave
boy, and though his joo was hard one.
he hummed "Die WacAt am die Rtein," TO
keep his courage up, and struggled on
through the rain.
The paper was now gettiug damp.
Now MANILA paper is strong as long as it
is dry, but wet takes all the strength out
of it. Hans didn't remember that, and
was just singing out,
THE German youth devoted stand"
when the paper bag parted in twain, and
the twisted up neck was in his hand, and
the body of the bag, with the coffee in it,
was standing upright on the wet sidewalk.
Hans looked at it in hopeless amaze.
ment. Now the bottom of the bag was
wet, and if he tried to pick it up, out
would 90 the coffse, which he felt would
be equivalent to his going out of Herr
Dumbkopfs shop for good and all. He
might 60 to a neighboring grocer's and
get bag, but it wouldn't do to leave
fifteen pounds of ground coffee in the
middle of the sidewalk. 1t surely would
not be there when he came back. Hans
was fifteen years old, bat he had good
mind to cry. Tears came into his eyes
but he dashed them away. saying TO
himself:
"Don't be baby, Hans You can't
help it,"
But what should he dop He did not
know what way to turn, so he simply
stood and looked at the bag at his feet.
He was Just making up his mind TO leave
the coffee, go back to Dumbkopf's, tell
him all, let him take the coffee out of his
wages, and then leave him, when he
heard voice say:
"You are in trouble. my boy"
Eyes, l vas in trouble; l have de coffee
split, and could not got him up again, he
vas SO vet.'
That's bad. but guess can help you
out of your difficulty. You stand here by
he coffee, and I'll go to the grocer,s and
get you -four bag"
So saying, the speaker walked away.
He was man rather under the middle
lge, with frank, open face, and brown
eyes, with the kindest expression in them.
Presently he came back, bringing a
arge paper flour bag with him, and in
they had the coffee in a dry
parcel, and Hans felt as if a ton weight
had been lifted off his heart.
Tank you, tank you tousand time!"
exclaimed the boy. "If dere vas some.
hing could do for you"
There's nothing my boy" said The
stranger, Except when you see anybody
in trouble remember to give them a help
ino hand out of it."