Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1886-07-02

W. railway. VII '''' ~
noticed an old lady who had rot ON
BOARD at MenaSha. | believe. GRAY and
pcllt WITH age. she had sat abaShej and
W ltl eyes closed. seemed asleep most of
Ile tllhe TIL the train. stopping at Osh-
hosll, took on board conuanv of Law
Ners. Her manner then changed and She
became greatly Interested i'm the com
pahy, looking often from one TO the 9TH
er a. II she recognized them all. or was
trying to recall their faces. When tho
game OF cards was started she became
very restless; she hitched uneasily about
Ill iler seat took up the hem of her faded
apron ana nerNously bit the threads. She
got up after time and tottered forward.
nolulhg on the seats a she passed.
Reaching the players, she paused direct
y III front or them. and looked around
ilie company. Her action at once arrest
ed their attention. and they all looked nm
inquiringlv. w
Gazing directly into the face of JUDGE
--, she said. in tremulous voice ..io
you know me. Judge -"
NO, mother. don't remember vo,,"
we metz" ''''0
"My name i Smith. said She: ~ was
with my poor boy three DAYS. off and ON.
Ill tie courtroom in Oshkosh. when he
was trleu tor-for-for rObbnr some
ooiE, ana you are the same man that
sent nm to prison for ten wears. and he
died there last June"
All faces were now .oberpd and +bo
passengers began to gather around and
stand up all over the car to listen and 500
what was going on. ''He was Good how
II You did send him to Jail. He 6elned ~
to clear the farm. and when father was
SICK ana died he done all the work. and
was gettin along right smart till he took
TO golh to town, and keards and drinkiu'
ana then. somehow. he didn't like to wort
after that. but used to stay our often till
mos lnornln, and then he'd sleep late.
Ana then the farm kinder run down. and
tileh we lost the team: one of EN- cot
killed When he'd been to town late at
hlght. And so after while he coaXed
me To let him sell the farm and buy
mouse ana lot in the village. and he'd
"orh III carpenter work. And 50 did.
a, we c"uldht do nothin' on the farm.
bu. ne grew worse than ever. and after a
VINE ne couldn't git any work and
wouldn't ito anythin' but gamble and
drink all the time used TO do rvnrv-
thin ! could to get him to quit and he -
good industrious boy agin. bur he used tn
get mad after while. and once he struck
me, and then in the mornin' found he
had got what little money there wa. lrft
OF the farm. and had run of After that
! GOT along II well a. could. clcallin'
mouse Tor folks and waShin'. but didn't
near hothln of him for four or five wears.
men ne got arrested and took IN To
OSHKOSH for trial he writ to me-"
by thi> time there was nor a dry ov. iu
the car, and the cards had di>al,peared.
ne "ld lady herself was weeping silent
y amt speaking in >natche,. But. re-
covering herself, she went on:
But what could do: | sold the
mousse ami lot To get money to hire a law
yer, and believe he i here somewhere"
looking around. "Oh. yes. there he j..
Mr, -, pointing to Lawyer -. who
had NOT taken part in the play. And
TINS i the man who argued agin him
pointing to Mr.. --. the district attor-
h"E' And you, Judge --. sent him to
prison Tor ten years. >'po>e it wa,
right for the poor boy told me that he
really did rob the bank, bur he said he
must have been drunk, for they had all
oeen piaNln keards most all night and
arihklh But. oh, dear, it seems to me
kliluer rs though if he hand't got to play
''i'- iit might d-INtll awe now.
But when | used to tell him it was wrong
ana pad To play, he would say. why
mother. everybody PLAYS now. | never
bet only for candy or the cigars. or some
thin like that And when we heard that
the young folks played keards down to
Mr.. tulver'S donation party. and that
Squire Ring was going to get a billiard
table for his young folks to play on at
home, couldn't do nothin at all with
him. We used to think it was awful to
do that way, when was young, but it
list seems 10 me as if everybody nova
days was goin wrong into somethin' or
other, But maybe it isn't right for me
to talk To YOU, Judge. in this way. but it
PSI seemed aS if the very sight of them
keardS would kill me. and | thought if
YOU only knew how | felt. YOU wouldn't
play ON 50. and then to think right here
iiort all these young folks. MAY be. Judge,
Won don't know how young folks especial
~ boys, look up To such as YOU. and then
can't help thinkn' that maybe if them a.
ought 10 know better than to do So. and
them a. are higher larnt. and all that.
wouldn't set Sich examples. my poor
Tom would be alive and carin' for his
poor old mother; but now there amt any
If my family left, only me and my poor
lItlr gran -Cllllt, my dear udrter little
gal, and We are going down To stop with
my brother in Illinois"
Tongue of man or angel never preached
4 more eloquent sermon than did the
gray, withered old lady, trembling with
age. excitement, and fear thar she was
ioing wrong. | can't recall the half she
said a she, poor, lone, beggared widow.
stood before those noble-loOking men.
md pleaded the cause of the rising gen
ration. To say they looked like crimil-
lis al the bar would be a faint deScrip-
ion. ! can imagine how they felt. The
I'D lady tottered To her seat, and taking
Ter little grandchild in her lap. hid her
ace on her neck. The little one stroked
Ter gray hair with one hand, and said.
Don't cry, gamma, don't cry, gamma"
Eyes unused to weeping were red for
many mile on that journey. And can
hardly believe that any one who witness
ii that scene ever touched "A card again.
I is bur Just 10 say that the passengers
responded TO the Judge. when
le, hat in hand, silently passed through
he little audience and made collection
or the poor widow.