Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-12-04

which was swept into graceful curves, like
prettily marked out pattern. Thankful al
ways took her finest birch broom for this
sweeping, and prided herself upon her kitch.
On floor ss much as Minnie and Alice do now
upon their piano playing and embroidery.
The kitchen fire was a pleasant sight. II
not only roasted the meat and boiled the
kettle and pots that hung from the hooks of
the crane but it also filled the kitchen with
glow of light and heat, and shono upon the
pewter plates and dishes on the dresser, and
the polished brssses OF the great chest Of
drawers that stood opposite the fireplace
Under the doors and around the windows
winter winds blew in, and snow drifted into
little piles ON the stills, and grandfather had
to sit in the warmest corner, where the high
back of the settle protected him from
draughts.
Over the fireplace we're curious little cup.
boards in the wall, so high up that the chill
dren could not reach them but perhaps the
treasures they contained were all the safer
for that.
Sometimes after supper, sitting there by
the light, the children asked their grandfath
or for story, and he answers "Well, hand
me down the old cup, and will tell"
And Jonathan climbs on one of the rush
bottomed chairs, opens the little cupboard
door, that is fastened by wooden button,
and from shelf inside takes out a curously
shaped little wooden cup. 1t is made Of
wood, and is already turning dark with age.
Putting it into the old mans hand, he
stands beside him to listen TO the strange and
terrible story he has already heard many q
time before, Of the sudden night attack upon
the settlement by the French and Indians
when his grandfather was young man how
be walked only to find the house in flames
and surrounded by whooping savsges, toma-
hawk in hand and how he was marched
away captive through the forest, with many
other men, women and children, who, as 1t
happened to please their captoTs, we're held
for ransom instead OF being tortured and
killed.
1t was during this strange captivity that be
had made this little wooden cup to drink
from, and brought it away with him when at
last the end of the war brought an exchange
OF prisoners. "You mind Neighbor Church
ills wife, my boy" the old man would say.
"Well, she was one of the babies that was
taken through the woods with us-s baby in
her mothers arms. The hope of saving her
baby was all that kept her poor mother alive
through that terrible march Not until we
reached the Indian village, near the Canada
line, did she give up, and then she just drop
ped down and died.
THE Indians would have made short work.
with the baby il the mother had dropped on
the road, but IN the village a childess squsw
claimed it for her own, and good foster
mother she made, too. 1t was pitIful to hear
her plead to keep it when the news came that
the chief had given his word that all prison
ers should be sent down to the nearest fort
for exchange.
1.-The little one has no other mother but
me-, she said.
at was true, and the child was 10th to
leave her but it's own father was at the fort
to claim his wife and baby, and he went
home with the poor little thing sobbing in
his arms, as sorry TO leave her Indian NAM
my as if she had never known any other.
You'll keep this cup, boy" he said, as he
handed it back to be returned to its place in
the little chimney cupboard.
'That will, grandfather it is as good as
a story itself, answered Jonathan.
1--WE are safe enough here now from the
redskins" continued the old man, "but there
are plenty of them still in the wilderness OF
the Ohio and in Kentuck, and you may have
TO meet them in battle yet, Jonathan"
You will see that the old grandfather was
not the only one who thought it likely that
the boys would need to fight some day. Mas
ter Wadsworth, the schoolmaster, had also
the same idea perhaps not with regard to
| fighting Indians only, but possibly British
troops, for, il you will go to school with JON
| sthan, you will see that there was something
besides reading, writing and ciphering taught
| in that school, On the schoolroom walls
| hung q row of wooden muskets, with tin bay
| onets, and, as the clock struck IL, Master
Wadsworth took up his cooked hat, aud,
| shouting ITO arms!" led his little regiment
of boys out to drill. He taught them the
proper handling of their arms, marched
| them and wheeled and countermarched,
through sunshine and through rain, over
| hills and through woods. For the need
( will surely come, said the master, land you
must be ready"
And the need did come. In less than ten
years Master Wadsworth was General Wads-
| worth, and some of his old schooboys were
serving under him in the revolutionary war.
| On Friday afternoon there was catechsine
in school. On Monday morning the texts oi
yesterdays sermons must be repeated.
The most common reading book was the
Bible and many worn out copy that had
been used in school showed how the children
had toiled over the hard words and unpro
nouncesble names So poor was the print oi
some of these old Bibles that there we're Of
ten blotted words which could not be deci-
phered, and the reader would supply their
places by saying scratched out"
THE oity that the Lord hath scratched
out" read Jonathan in a loud, sing. SOM
voice one morning.
''Stop, STOP" cried Master wadsworth
'et me see, you young rascal, what city tina
is"
Saturday was a holiday, and of course yol
want to know what Jonathan did then.
1t wasn't all play, for Yankee boys, II
whatever station in life, used to work il
those days
So the first thing in the morning was Il
bring in the oven wood. II you don't know
what that means, must tell you that besid
the fireplace was a great brick oven like
bakers oven. 1t was heated by building
fire in it, which, when it had burned dow
left the bricks 80 hot that the heat woul
serve for hours TO bake bread and cake an
pies, and finish by cooking a great pot o
beans and a loaf of brown bread, which wer
left in all night and taken out still warm TO
breakfast on Sunday morning. The ovei
wood was always brought in early on SatuI
day morning.
Then there was the lck to be wound up
that was another thing for Jonathan to do.
don't believe any of you know what the jac
was to explain 1t must tell you that, whe
meat was to be roasted it had long iron spi
run through it, and was placed before th
6re, where the ends Of the spit rested in
frame. Now, OF course, the spit must b
turned round aud round, or the meat woul
roast only on one side.
have heard Of dogs being employed I
turn a spit, by means of a little tresdmil
but think the jlck which used to be in m
grandfather's old kitchen was better turI
spit. 1t had weights like tall clock, an
was wound up aud attached to the spit
which 1t would turn steadily round an
round, until it ran down, when, of course,
could easily be wound up again,
After the jack was wound up, Goodwill
Dawson would perhaps say that she needle
new brooms aud Jonathan would go to th
edge of the woods for suitable birch stick
3 and then, sitting on the kitchen doorstep,
stripped them down nearly to the end, turn
ed the strips over, and tied them frml
, round, thus making very useful broom
, Gould you do that, do you think
A Or, II she did not need brooms, she migl
want ribwort, or sage, or raspberry leav,
! gathered TO dry for tea for air eady the cd
Gus tea tax had reused the Yankees TO resis
i ance, and only "liberty" was used in this p
trIotic family. Sometimes Jonathan brougl
Z home from the fields or pastures the swee
! smelling bay yberres, that his mother migl
have bayberry tallow for her candle-makin
:. The freight, as We have already seen, WI
often bright enough to read by at night, b
a there was always also good supply of hon
| A,t - h. O.,