Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-02-05
BRIER- ROSE.
CAJridged and dddpted.)

Heaven only knows!
You will not scrub the kettles, and you will
not touch the broom;
You never sit IA minute still at spinning wheel
or loom"
Thus grumbled in the morning and grumbed
late ut eve,
The good wife as she hustled with pot and
tray and sieve;
For girls were made for housewives, for spin
ning-wheel and loom,
And not to drink the sunshine, and the wild
flowers sweet perfume.
Roses head,
Till She was twenty summers old, and yet re
manned unwcd.
And all the parish wondered "IIeaven only
knows
Whatever will become of that naughty Brier
Rose"
And while they wondered came the spring
a-dancing DER the hills,
Her breath was warmer than of yorc, and all
the mountain rills
With their tinkling and their ripping and
their rushing filled the air
With the misty sounds of water, forth yelling
everywhere.
1t was Il merry sight to see the lumber as it
whrled
Adown the tawny cddics, that Kissed and
secthcd and swired,
Now shooting through the rapids, ana, with a
recling swing,
Into the foam crests diving like an animated
thing.
But in the narrows of the rocks, where DER II
steep incline
The waters plunged, and wrcathed in foam
the dark boughs of the pine,
The lads kept watch with shout and song, and
sent each struggling beam
A.spinning down the rapids, lest it should lock
the stream.
And yet, methnks hear it now, wild voices
in the night,
A rush of feet, dogs harsh bark, torch's
tarng light
And wandering gusts OF dampness, and round
us far and nigh,
A throbbing boom of water like pulse.beat
in the sky.
The dawn just pierced the pallid east with
spears of gold and red,
As we, with boathooks in our hands, toward
the narrows sped,
And terror smote us; for we heard the mighty
tree-tops sway,
And thunder, as of chariots, and kissing show
ers of spray.
"Now lads" the sheriff shouted, you are
strong, like Norway's rock,
\ hundred crowns give to him who breaks
the Undertook!
For if another hour 90 by the angry waters
spoil
Our homes will be, and fields, and our weary
years of toll"
We looked each at the other; each hoped his
neighbor.woud
Brave death and danger for his home, as vail
ant NOrsemen should;
But not man came forward, ana no one
spoke or stirred
And nothing save the thunder of the cataract
was heard.
And as with trembling hands and with faint
ing hearts we stood,
We spied II little curly head emerging from
the wood,
We heard II little snatch of "A merry little song,
And saw the dainty Brierltose come dancing
through the throng.
An angry mumur rose from the people round
about.
Filing her into the river" we heard the mat
rons shout;
"Chasc her away, the silly thing, for God him
self scarce knows
Why ever lie created that worthless Brier
Rose"
sweet Brier-Rosc, She heard their cries; lit
tie pcnsivc smile
Acros, her far face fitted that might "A stone
bcguilc;
And then she gave her pretty head a roguiNh
little cock:
Gland me IA boat.hook lads" she said 81
think III break the lock"
Derisive shouts of laughter broke from throats
ofyoung and old;
clio good-fornothing Bricr,Ro-e, yourtongue
was ever bold"
And mockingly, II boat-hook into her hand
flung,
when, 10, into the rivers midst, with daring
leaps she sprung
We saw her dimly through mist of dense and
binding spray;
From beam to beam she skipped, like a water
sprite ut play.
Hark! bark! from out the rapids came "A
strange and creaking sound,
And then II crash of thunder, that shook the
very ground.
The waters hurled the lumber mass down DER
the rocky steep;
We heard IA mufiled rumbling and rolling in
the deep.
We saw tiny form which the torrent swiftly
bore
And flung into the wild abyss, where it was
seen no more.
All! little naughty Brier-Rose, thou couldst
not weave nor spin,
Yet thou couldst do nobler deed than all
thy hooking kin:
For thou hadst courage cen TO die, and by
thy death to save
\ thousand farms and lives from the fury OF
the waVel