The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-07-02
e9or the Ghildrer.
Dick Cundy's Chance.

| OedcOn I1OlDrOOR relneu up MS nOr5e6,
and the clicking mowing-machine came
to stop close by where Jonas traitor,
first selectman of Lebanon, stood knee
deep in the herdsgrsss and clover.
"Good-mornin', deacon" said the first
selectman.
Good.mornin'."
"Kinder ketohin' weather fur haydn"
eyes"
"Ole Jim Cundy hez cleered out |"
"Psbaw !" said the deacon, in mild as
constituent. "No great loss," he added,
after moments reflection.
oval, no." assented MIR. Traitor, d" Jim
wasn't a very valooble citizen, that's
fack. He he'd some good pints, tho"
Shiftless," said the deacon.
"Dreffle."
"W'at's goin' to become O. Dick ?"
"Tbat's jest wat l came over to see
you about, deacon. Dick appears like q
smart boy, considerin' his bringing up.
He might make quite man eff he only
he'd chance. We want to bind him out
with some good farmer until he is twenty.
one. The boy hates mortally to 60 to the
poor.house, an dunno ez l blame him.
'Tain't no place fur boy of his years."
How old is Dick?"
"Fourteen."
"You can't make much out of a boy
unless you've got somethin' to start WITH"
said the deacon. al hev known them
Cundys fur nigh on to fifty year, an l
never knew anythin' good O. them. They're
poor lot"
"Wal, admit they amt the tsllest
kind O. fodder" said Traitor. "But l
never heard anythin' very bad about
Dick"
"Ken the Ethiopian change his skin,
or the leopard his spots 2" quoted the
: deacon, solemnly.
"P'r'aps some folks amt 80 spotted ez
they git credit for" retorted the first
!, selectmsn, little nettled. GEE 1 said
before, it seems shame to send the boy
to the poor-farm. Even eff he wasn't
ruined morally, 'twould kind O. blight his
whole life-sort O. stunt him an take the
ambition out of him eff he hez any. hev
talked the matter over with the other
selectmen, an we hev conclooded that the
best thing we can do is to bind the boy
out. hev left my haydn on purpose to
come over to see if you won't take him
You are used to managin' boys, an hev
he'd such good luck with your own tina,
we thought you could make man out O
Dick eff enybody could"
: The good deacon's heart swelled a little
;, with honest pride as he thought of his
4 sons, all in honorable positions, and for a
!; moment he half resolved to try his powers
i on poor, forsaken Dick. But he was
y growing old, and did not have much faith
z that the experiment would be successful.
/, "No, cannot take him." he said.
e Mr.. traitor looked disappointed. "Nc
. use talkin' longer" he said. az dom
i see but that the boy will hev to 60 to the
poor-house"
: The first selectman started across the
e fields towards home. Deacon Holbrooh
5 CLICKED to his horses and the moving
: machine went clicking through the clover
It ton was sitting on an inverted half bar
shanty where he had always lived, max
ing his breakfast off raw turnip. H,
was freckled face, bsrefooted boy
rather slight, with tangled chestnut hal
and gray eyes. His clothing was soilet
and tattered, and he looked as if he sadl..
needed mothers kind care.
AS Deacon Holbrook said, Dick Cund.
came from shiftless family. They alst
had bad reputation for petty pilfering
and were regarded as outcasts by thei
thrifty neighbors. There was dash o
better blood in Dick. His mother (whon
he could just remember) came from a re
spectacle family and it was matter o
great surprise to every one that she shout,
marry Cundy. Poor girl, she soon dis
covered her mistake She died when Die
was little boy, leaving him to the car
of his father. The boy grew up in tn
footsteps of his vsgabond ancestors, al
tending school few weeks in the winte
and spending the remainder of his tim
in play or in profitless employment.
Dick awoke one morning in early Jul
to find his father gone. He felt no alarm
thinking that he would soon return. Blu
- he did not come back that day or tn
next; and after week of waiting Die
II. notified the selectmen that his father ha
disappeared, and the men laid their head
together to see what they should do wit
the boy. No one wanted to take hin
Il People around Lebanon had no faith in
h p, Cundy, and all efforts to find the boy
home proved unavailing. 1t looked as
We We Dick would have to 60 to the poor-hous
he after all.
Is The days dragged slowly by. 1t wa
IL now the last of July, and farmers wer
of finishing haying. Deacon Holbrook an
Ill his two hired men were at work in tn
,r back field. They hoped to get in the las
ns load of hay that afternoon. At her ow
=. request the deacon had taken along hi
little granddaughter, lilly, to pick fey
n raspberries for tea in the cutdown inca
at the bayfield,.
y lilly had traversed about half the shol
E distance between the "cutdown and tn
4 moving field, when, hearing low below
~ she looked up and saw sight whic
ee might we'll strike terror into stoute
Is heart than little girl could be expecte
d. to possess. Coming toward her at rapi
trot, with head lowered, was white-face
- steer. lilly knew him in an instant.
H was Captain Jack" steer which ha
\ exhibited vicious propensities before bu
4 lilly had forgotten all about his being /
\ the pasture.
4 The little girl started to run. Sh
dropped her pail, and the berries wer
HI chasing one another over the groun,
e Her grandfather and the men in the ha
= field saw her peril and started to the re
cue, armed with pitchforks and rakes
? but they could not reach her in time
save her from being gored or trample