Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-07-19
How Sylvia Saved Her
Grandfather.

"Grampa p Sylvia began, bending
over to comb his hair with her fin
gers.
His head rested-where old heads
had been pillowed hundred years
before-on the high back of the old,
slender, green armchair.
It was a weather-worn old head.
The storms had swept the thatch
from its roof, except two tangled
wisps that hung over the caves, one
above each ear. These the brushy
locks, of course, and not the ears
Sylvia was industriously trying to
curl
They wouldn't curl, and Sylvia
didn't care; but she did care very
much, as we shall see, about some
thing else.
She lived in Cornwall, among the
gray old Litchfield Hills, that stood
and / think still stand-in the
northwestermost Granny of Connecti-
| cut.
The folk of Cornwall are no better
than they ought to be, of course;
but where-except among the read
er's own kith and kin-will you find
sturder, kindlier hearts? And who of
them harder, sweeter than Sylvia !?
What a little pine knot, she was !!
Tough as one, and, am sure, could
flare up like one if she got fire.
Just now, however, her eyes were
full TO their brims with happy tears.
Grandpa usually kept her laughing,
although the men in the woods tho't
him rather sober.
"Well," he asked, pinchlng her
arm, "what does missy want out'n
Grampa now?''
"Why, who said l wanted any
thing?" Sylvia answered, an eager
quaver in her voice. "But | do.
Mrs. Cotter was talkin' to-day"
"Most ginelally kinder always is, "
he interrupted.
"Was talkin'," continued Sylvia,
"bout a family in P'keepsie that
want cottage for the summer. Now
there's that hut up on Scatikoke, very
near where you are chopin wood"
Sch want to fix that up for 'em p
grandpa exclaimed. ''Cool n airy
like, n no malary, N as quiet as
the desert O Sahary, n
"No, Grampa." Sylvia slipped
her arms around his neck and tied
her fingers in chubby knot under
his chin. mo, want you to rent
our house to them, and let US camp
out in that hut"
Il want t. know" Grandpa ex-
claimed, so much astonished that he
nodded right off to sleep.
When he awoke, the warm, soft
knot of fingers was still under his
chin, and the warm pressure of lips
on his forehead.
81 knew you would Bless me
Who said | would ?" he asked.
But it came to pass. Grandps
told her to "get that notion out'n heI
head" but notions, when they go
into her head, seemed, like mice
caught in a trap, to forget the way
out.
The next Tuesday morning, Mr.
Marsh drove up, with Jennie anG
Whitefoot hltched to the big wagon
aud into it went boxes and bundles
and chairs, and Grandpa, and Tow
ser, the dog, and Sylvia, and Nous
er, the kitten, and on to the noun
tains they went for the summer.
They were poor and lived alone
she was housekeeper and maido all
work, sometimes making baskets tt
sell. He, an oaken-limbed mai
of nearly sixty, earned their livins
by chopping wood for charcoal.
What ride that was The bough
that bent to touch them, and all tn
waving trees on the mountain seem
ed to give them welcome. The las
late leaves had broken out, and lay
paler threads, on the rich woof of fo
liage, rent here and there far up b.
jagged crags, to whose dizzy edge
shreds of clouds still clung. Thro
other riffs in the leafy woof wer
seen piles of pink-white laurel bios
SONS, drifted among the rocks.
e Squirrels chattered, birds-noy
dipping restless wings in the SHIN
!, mering sunlight, now diving in tn
cool depths of the foliage-chirpe
and trilled; other mysterious wood
voices came cheerily from under tn
shady boughs, and the very horse
! snorted as in hearty good humor.
AS for Sylvia, her heart ran owe
d again and again in joyous tears tha
$ the wind tried to dry with her loos
. tresses.
e At last they came to the old collie
hut, standing on "pit"-a wide
round shelf on the mountain side
where charcoal had once been burn
ed.
e When Mr.. Marsh had driven of
Sylvia and her grandfather hustle
r about like two squirrels fitting u
= their home.
: Grandpa had re-roofed the hut wit
fragrant hemlock boughs and earth
e He now fashioned two rude beds ou
of poles stuck in crotches, and re
placed the fireplace, hanging an oil
crane in it.
Sylvia made the beds, swept an
q hru obod onJ +;d;od oil dav on,