Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-07-02

ars and how to lift all together when he
give the word, one two, three But just ~
he got 70 three" there was pin pointing
towards the calf Of his leg, and 1 braoed my
self against that pin aud II naturally sent me
of down the knoll, quiet-like aud out Of the
way, and it left him hollering and kicking.
Then everybody dropped fat till they see
whether anyone in the village heard the
noise. When they went to work again Phil
said he'd been taken with oramp and couldn't
lift. But they got the gun onto the wagon
and started for home. Pull drove cause his
leg was lame and they we're his fathers
horses. The other FIVE boys had gone on
ahead.
"Well, when l see that gun moving of,
and thought how that was ours for sure,
and we'd got it from the English aud how
we'd got ourselves from the English Fourth
Of July and all, so they couldn't even boss ny
again, and 80 that every body was his own
boss in this country-why something ris up
in my throat aud choked me. Then thought
about Eth, cause he'd had charge of the
gun, and he'd been awful good and let me
help clean her up, and how we'd dug the
rust out Of her and creased her aud polished
her, and he'd showed me the powder and
things for tomorrow and said l might touch
her of the first bsng-then 1 nearly busted,
only l see it wasn't no time for busting. l
just got myself together pretty quick and
jumped for the tail-bOard of that wagon, l
hung on thought I'd stick to that gun,
and il died a.sticking there, well then I'd
die
"The boys had told Phil to take the new
road to Tsdmsn's ferry, cause the hills was
30 steep on the old one, and the fellows was
to 90 cross lots and meet him on the other
side, aud then they was a-going to set the
gun up az high as they could get it in on
Horneliffe. But Phil said he reckoned he
knew what them horses could haul, and as
soon as he was left to himself he struck of
onto the old road. He was up high on the
seat and I'd crawled in aud was lying on the
bottom, fatter than fit-froze on to the gun.
We buzzed along lively at first The down
hills was rather shsky work, you guess but
the up-hills was worse, and they kept getting
more 30 till we got to that awful steep pitch
near the top Of Smiths hill You know
where that is p
"Oh yes" said Martin. "There is where
you have to lean backward to keep from
humping your forehead when you go up.
suppose you rose to the occasion, Eph-it
must have stood you and the gun right up
on end"
~ got out" Eph went on, 'for them horses
stood stock-still and couldn't go an inch fur
Their and the wagon began to slip back, and
Phil put stones back of the wheels. Then
he went at his horses again, whipping and
coaxing them. But it wasn't no use. The
road is slaty along there and them horses
hadn't no grip for their feet He had to
give it up at last and he left everything stand
ing and went for the boys to get them to
boost. As soon az knew l was alone l hid
them crowbars in hollow tree, and l cut
the traces and let the horses loose, and took
thelicnhpin out of one of the wheels itlwasnt
in very tight, and took the ramrod of the
gun, aud l wrapped them traces around it
and dropped them into the brook at Ithe foot
of the hill. Then l put for home, and l
walked up Ethan Allen and went to bed my
self"
II reckon you WAS in bed all the time and
saw all this with your eyes shut in the dark"
said derisive voice.
Sure you didn't dream it, Eph ?" ask, d
Seneca kindly.
ut is good yarn, anyway" said Martin,
who had taste for fancy sketches And
it hangs together good as most. | believe it
is as true as any of US could make up unless
we had facts or some little conveniences Of
that kind to go upon"
The little boy Strengthened up and leveled
look Of indignant protest at the scofers
Then, turning to Ethan Allen, he said you
go on-you know about the rest of it"
mo chatting about this not being true"
said Ethan, I'VE haven't the time for il. Eph
wakened me up at two O'Clock this morning
with a handful of gravel on my window, and
| was over to Smiths hill before daylight,
and found the crow bar rammed up a hollow
tree just as be told me, aud the gun is there
by the roadside, tipped over in kind of
gully and there is some gravel over it, and
pile of dry brush wood, so that any one driv-
ing along the road would not notice it, and
l fished the ramrod and old BAssett's traces
out Of the brook. reckon the Ogden boys
are coming over for the gun to night, and we
want to get in ahead of them. l can go, for
one Who else 2"
me, too, piped in little Epb.
ooh, of course, said Ethan.
me, three-that makes SIX" said Martin
II will CO." said Seneca Goodyear in his
slow heavy way, and l reckon that father
will let me have a teRm-our horses won't
have to work tomorrow"
"Wll your father make you tell what you
are going to do with it ?" asked the conserva.
tive boy.
"Well, no-not il had rather not" said
Seneca. HELL trust me-and that is the
tightest tether l want TO be fastened With
Sometimes l wish he didn't. l wouldn't like
to get home minus the traces and linchpin
and croWbArs as Phil BAssett did.
"Wel if Seneca goes that takes me, -" said
Mark Hemingway the tall door keeper. my
folks said might stay all night with Seneca
| ana snail SUCK ike LICK.
I'm go, and l, and l, ;" chorused the rest
conservative boy and all
Then Seneca Goodyear moved that Ethan
Allen be captain of the expedition. This was
carried by acclaim.
Gan right" said Ethan in terse acceptance
of the appointment. Now we've got to be
quicker than lightning and darker than
thunder. We don't want the Ogden boys to
| get there ahead of us, and have to fight them.
No more we don't want our folks stopping US
nor helping US out as if we were babies. We
want the glory of this ourselves. Quick and
| quiet is the word. All scatter and get ready,
and wen meet at the cross. roads and start
when the town clock strikes nine"
The company at the cross. roads organized
as follows
Ethan Allen, captain.
| Eph Stesrns, with the courthouse mule,
| mounted scout.
Martin Fox, with dark lantern spy and
| light skirmisher.
Mark Hemingway with an old triggerless
| fnt-lock of 1872, high privat,.
The rank and file consisted of two boys
with pistols aud no cartridges, and three boys
| with doughnuts and sweet apples, while the
conservative boy with a pocket-compass, a
lead pencil, some string and a chunk of shoe
makers wax, put In a bid as topographer,
correspondent and surgeon. But Seneca
| Goodyear, Win MS htOuL team anu wagon,
we'll equipped with ropes, crOwbars, skids,
and other lifting apparatus, was the main
stay of the expedition.
Little Eph Stearns was, for the nonce, a
gorihed being. Hitherto the heroisms of
his life had been of the obscure and pathetic
kind. Angels had inspired them, and a
cloud of witnesses beheld them, but here the
chance had come for heroism brilliant and
iubliant. Ethan Allen had told him to go
ahead and the big boys would see him do it,
No wonder that he wrought marves. Be-
sides lassoing the mule, he bad got a bag of
shavings larger than himself, and a stout
clothes line the last two were for some Sc
crst service of his own suggestion, though
approved by the captain. But the mule
seemed to be purely ornamental feature of
the occasion. He had been half shoVed, half
carried to the place of rendezvous; here he
seemed unwilling to go any further. He was
hitched ignomniously to the tail-board of
the wagon, and being pulled in front, and
poked in the rear by his doughty rider who
walked behind for this purpose, he moved
of in spite of himself.
Away into the darkness of that quiet sum
mer night the expedition passed on. The