The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1886-06-30
Selected Storp.
The Waif.

"There, take thatl you careless,
azy mink" and several heavy blows,
aid on with an unsparing hand, re-
ounded through the room.
The recipient of this punishment
vas little pinched-faced girl of per-
maps eight years of age. The author
bf the castigation was an irate woman
Of middle age, no less person, in fact,
han Mrs. Polly jenkins, wife OF Dea.
Seth jenkins, a well-to-do farmer and
pillar of the church in the neighboring
Village. Farmer jenkins was an easy
going man, but was kept pretty well in
leading strings" by his strong-willed
and somewhat shrewish wife.
" Now go long, you huzzy, an drive
them cows to pastur'-I'll larn you to
lrap bowls an stave plates to pieces!
why, you break more dishes than you're
wu'th!n And the thoroughly angry
Mrs. Polly jenkins, wife of Dea.
jenkins, proceeded to sweep up the
broken remnants of a previously cracked
yellow bowl.
The child bore the severe punish
ment with stoicism born of habit and
previous scenes of this kind, although
one little thin hand was raised me-
chemically, as if to ward off the blows;
no tears came TO the dry eyes, but
slowly leaving the room, without other
sign than the tightening of the thin
lips and an added CLEAN to the baby
blue eyes, she wendell her way to the
coward and let down the bars.
"'Pears if / was borned to be
whipped" she slowly murmured;
"'pears if she was allus a whippin'
mel" and the little bare, brown toes
commenced to dig up the sand, as the
cows passed out of the yard.
L" Since my own mamma died I've
had to k-work-work, all the time |!
But fore she died l had my big dolly
at my own papa brought when his ship
bed, s. clean an white, to sleep in, an
this old dress!" she added, with a rue
full gaze at the frayed linsey-woolsey
garment she wore, which was out at the
| elbows and ragged in the skirt.
"It doesn't pear to be right" she
continued, sadly. "They said at the
poor-house at my papa's ship was lost,
and he was drownded! An when Mrs.
jenkins come to git little girl to bring
up by hand they jest picked me out for
her, an told her l was respectable, an
at my papa had been a sea captain an
owned his ship, an that my mamma
had been lady, but they was both
dead. 1 don't believe papa's dead,
cause mamma said he'd come some
time an take us away with him.
Then she coughed an coughed, an got
sicker N sicker, It'll one mornin' she
was all white an cold and wouldn' It
speak to me nor open her eyes. Then
l run acrost to Miss Jones, an she come
runnin' back with me, an after lookin'
at mamma, said: You pore little hor-
phan, don't you know 'at yer mothers
dead!' Oh dear pears like wish't l
was dead tool" walled the little mite,
as she raised the heavy bars. "They
come an put mamma in great box,
an said they'd bury her, and throw me
on to the town. Then they took me to
the poor-house; and then Miss jenkins
she come and took me, an oh. I've had
to work so hard ever since"
Lucy-L-u-c-y King! air y goin'
to drive them cows to tn pastur, or
shell 1 come after you with stick?"
came a shrill voice from the house.
that caused little Lucy to tremble and
hasten down the long lane towards the
river after the COWS.
She soon had them fastened securely
in the river PASTURE" as Deacon
jenkins called it, from its being located
along the banks of majestic river that
swept onward to the sea twenty miles
below, and then little Lucy walked
down to the shore and gazed wistfully
ont over the broad stream
Papa's ship used to come up this
very river" unused the forlorn little
girl, "an' oh! the presents he used to
bring me! When | think of it peers IS
if 1 should die. But 1 don't believe
he's drownded, an never will. OH
what a pretty little boat" suddenly eX-
claimed the child, as her eyes caught
sight of small skiff that lay sideways
to the shore, caught in bunch of drift
wood only few rods further down
Why, it is empty, an no oars or seats
or anything in it!'' she exclaimed, as
running down to the place where il
was lodged, she climbed over its side.
1t must have got away from some
body and fioated down here" COM
mented the girl, as she leaned from
side to side in the frail craft, to cause
it to rock. I" 1t don't b'long to nobody
now," she said, and seating herself il
the bottom of the boat, let her thin
brown little hands trail in the stream
while she leaned over the side an(
watched the pebbles through the shall
low water.
e" / wish twas mine, then I'd jest sal
away from that jenkins woman, ant
she wouldn't get chance to whip mi
no moreW
Poor little waif! She did not know
that her efforts in rocking the boat ha
removed the slight twig that had he'll
it stationary, and that, even as sh
spoke, the boat was moving down tn
stream, several feet away from tb
shore.
=" Why, the water is getting deeper,
m.drmured Lucy, as with bent hea
she continued to trail her hand in tn
stream. " How funnyit isl Just no'
/ could touch the pebbles on the bot
tom, and now they are out of sightl'
Then for the first time raising he
head, she uttered a, cry of dismay.
'Oh, the boat is gone! No, tn
boat is here, but 4 am gone ~ erie
Lucy, almost on the point of crying
As the set of the current drifted TIL