Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-11-14

planned heap more'n men do" And the
Squire essayed to move on.
But Preston did not move, aud replied "I
suppose IL Sam gets his pension, Experience
will be paying up bis mortgsge?"
"Wa'al," don know" said Sprague, with
well managed surprise. "'Sper'ence nd Ju-
lany have been powerful good to Sam, nd ef
the intrest draws hard on 'em, very likely he
might help little. 'Twouldnt be no moren
his boards ben wuth."
"And before he gets II" continued the doc
tor, there's lot Of work to be done. You
must have the certificate of physician, and
that's got TO be strong enough 10 hold water.
Then there's the affilavits of the boys in the
company who know about his ilcurring dis
ease in the service"
at managed the case," interrupted
Sprague, ~ should count on you to do that
work. You know the boys"
But I'm pretty busy this fall Fact is,
he added, laughing, "Tm putting in just as
many visits as my patients will stand to take
care of that note Of yours. meant to be
ready for it when snow flies, but il go into
this thing shall have to neglect my work and
let the note 60 till the pension comes"
| II do know" and the Squire whistled re-
Aectively. 81 guess you'd better look Sam
over, anyway. II the chances are pr'tty good
we'll go on with it, There'll be fever in the
spring to pay the note from, anyway, likely"
The Squire kept away from the Oanarys for
a fortnight, when he was called to a council
Of ways and means aud prospects He found
| that his suggestion had sprung into purpose
that hourishsd like a bsy-tree.
The only opposition came from Juliana,
aud was impalpable, manifested chiefly by ST.
lence, and difficult to cope with on that ac-
count. At last she spoke:
"Well, If it's right for Sam to have pen.
sion, want him to have it, of course. l
don't see myself why II aiu't just as right for
us as for the Gaylords and I'm williu' to
leave the whole thing just as it stands to the
government and let them settle it. They'd
ought to know. Aud il it amt right, don't
want nothin' more to do with 1t. l don't
want folks sayin' the Canarys was snoopin
around after money 'twau't rightfully theirn.'
''ThAts jest it, Julany," put In the Squire.
The ain't nobody in Clark Township don't
know that you an 'Sper'ence never wanted
nothin' that want rightfully yourn, an' no.
body would lay it TO you. II guv'ment was
in Clark Township. you would a had the pen
sion years ago. But it amt. Guv'ment don't
know nothin' about ye, except what's in your
papers" ~
'Thats It; the papers tell the story, broke
in Sam, who had lurking suspicion that if
his pension were to be voted on in town
meeting his chances would be very small.
"Au' that" added the Squire, "is why you
need to have the papers look right Ye must
MT put in bout you an 'Sperence, an the
Gaylords, or guv'ment would think ye tryn'
to create sympathy, an was frauds. The pa
pers must be short an sharp an business like,
an it takes Judgment to make EN-. Jedg
ments what ye want in a pension case.
The Squires Judgment" carried the day,
and when the papers we're finished, they pre-
sented as clear a case Of a constitution broken
| by mslaria and incipient consumption as the
most critical pension lawyer could require.
| The soldiers we're collected in the Squire'5 sit
ting room to talk over Sans three years SER
vice and It's incidental hardships. They re-
called their glores and sufferings through the
msts Of fifteen years. None of them lied, Of
course but what with the doctors skill ia re-
freshing their me mories as to the physical ef
fects Of their privations, and the S4uire's
Judgment IN selecting portions suitable for
affidAvits, the case made up was strongly ef
fective one As the months rolled into year
favorable reports began TO reach Clark Town
ship. As the prospects frightened, Sans
need Of pension became more apparent. He
was wont to celebrate the favorable bulletins
with DR.. Preston and other boon companions
for weeks after the news came.
Bad whiskey and exposure made more rap.
id inroads upon his strength than the ague
had ever DONE aud it became clear that il the
pension reached him it must come q1ickly.
|
probably be made in about two mouths.
"Pm fearful, said Experience, shaking his
head slowly, that Sam won't last so long
It's too bad oonsid' rim the time an' money
we've put into it, sayin' nothin' o havin'
| counted on the money, an got our plans made
up sccordin'. That's the hardest part ont"
II s'pose," commented Juliane, that if
his wife had only lived, she could have had
the money, anyway. 1t would a done her
some good, poor creatur!"
The Squire, who had brought the news
from Washington, rose soon after this speech,
accompanied to the wagon, OF course, by ET-
perience. Outside he said, decsively, Sam
ought to get married"
Land sakes, Squire! Hs's Jest s-goin' in
consumption, an he want never no great
ketch Sam want"
"Thets Jest the trouble don't ye see.
S'posin' he goes fore the pension comes, then
where be we?"
While this view was taking lodgment in
Experiences mind, the Squire united his
horse and climbed into the buggy. He lean
ed over the wheels before starting and clnch-
ed his argument: "Of course it kin't right
for him to go of without pervdin' no way
for you, after all you've done for him. An
I've spent consid'able money on the case l
should like to get out. You speak to Sam
bout it, an I'll look up q woman for him,
|
known the right one. Ephraim Gates's wild
der wouldn't mind gittin eight dollars a
month to help her along. She's . sharp bus.
iness woman, Sersph is; an she wouldn't be
none afraid to talk back to folks if they said
the marriage didn't look we'll. She's got
tongue of her own. As the Squire drove of
he added II wouldn't say nothin bout it to
Julany till ye get it all settled with Sam, an
let him tell her She might think we was
| nd ~ in Wnpnap 10 Rnc
bout sech thinks, an it don't do no hurt to
manage 'em q little now an then"
The Squire's diplomacy was severely tried
in his interview with Mrs. Gates. She was
an open faced, brisk woman, pleasant to look
upon or to speak WITH having a strong Yam
kee shrewdness which enabled her to keep
even" with the world. Left five years before
with her boy to care for and her husband's
funeral expenses to pay, she had done these
things, and had acquired a small bank ac-
count, as we'll as q reputation among her
neighbors for being "a trihe near" in her
dealings. The Squire revolved many times
the terms in which he should introduce the
subject he had in hand, aud be finally deoid.
ed to take his wife with him, in order to
throw a candid, straight forward air over the
interview, Mrs Sprague being a pillar of
good works in the church, whose passive in
dorsement of a transaction would do much to
restrain any suspicion of its honesty
The interview was a long one, and the
Squire's arguments we're many, but the result
was that Mrs. Gates agreed to appear at the
Canary homestead in two weeks, and to mar.
ry Sam and there was an understanding that
when she received her pension she was to re-
tain only the future quarterly payments, all of
the two thousand dollars of back pay going
to Experience, except couple of hundred to
the Squire. Before the two weeks passed
however, she was summoned in haste one
night to Sans bedside.
Sprague met her at the outer door, "Come
right up, Seraph you're jest in time. Pm
watchn' tonight; 'Sperence and Julany's all
tired out. Come up still, an we'll have the
job right over"
At day break Sam Canary was dead, and
Seraph held Squire Sprague's certificate that
she was his lawful widow
The Squire appeared at the Oanary's early
on the day Of the funeral in order to be sure
that Seraph was duly recognized among the
mourners and in the minister's prayer As he
sat in the front room alone he was surprised
by the entrance of q woman ia heavy black
Not until the veil was lifted did he recognizes
! Seraph.
ivy, how dye do, Mis- Canary ?" he STAN