Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-06-15
4 NruuER.S ENpERIENCE

\ few days ago Mrs Randolph of flights
town, and Mrs. Levi, of Cranberry, met at
/ the Rocky hill harvest home picnic and af
/ ter the neighbor,, the dresses and the
/ preacher had been discussed, the conycrsu
tion drfted to fresh air children a. the lit
tie ones are called who are sent 10y charita-
ble New York societies to spend a week or
two of the hot summer weather at farm
/ houses along the line Of the railroads
Did You have any 'freshies, this sum
| mer, Mrs Lewis - inquired her friend
There now ! know it, ! shall hear
Of those fresh air children everywhere
/ 20 till my dying day, and then | shall hear
/ them cantering over my coffin.
II feel like Staying the person who men
/ tions fresh air children 10 me, myself
/ We're yours very bad -
Bad No, indeed They we're Just the
sweetest tempered and best behaved little
/ thing, ever saw. But they were just
dreadful
That was just the case with mine Five
little angels couldn't have behaved better
and yet five little demons couldn't have
kicked up more disturbance.
Why, said Mrs. Randolph. when John
came home with our five in the carriage
from the train. and they all stool up in a
row and took of their hats to me so old
fashioned like, felt like picking them up
and kissing them. Instead of that ] took
them into the kitchen and gave them all
the bread and butter and preserves and
dried beef aud pie and milk they could
. bold. They we're all little boys and after
they could eat no more / told them they
/ could play anywhere they pleased Half
an hour after one of the farm hand, came
up To- the house with one Of my durlm1s
0.
his heel,
Missu-. said the man, 4 guess this
one, gone outen the fresh air business, IL.
/ went down and hid himself under the wa
ter iu the dam yunder, aud | CUES, he stand
little too long
with the help of the girls | rolled aud
worked at the poor little fellow, and pump
ed his arm, and did every thing else the
cook book recipe for curing drowned pco.
pie told me, but 1t was mo- use. and ! gave
him up and wa, just ready for cry over
him, hen heard another unrarthly howl
aud saw John coming across the lawn with
a fresh air boy apparently at the last gasp.
and with face as white as sheet
"'Oh what is the matter. John
screamed
I'm never tell YOU just heard "a yell
over there in the sheep lot, and when ran
10 the fence thi, little fellow was lying
there. Gimme the whiskey.
John poured some whiSkey down the
child's throat, nearly stranglmg out Of it
what little life wa, left but it gasped and
,tru- ylrl until it finally got its breath.
when it suddenly sat up and remarked
'B'Geurge that was close call
'INant haif as close as mine nuther.
II turned with start, and there was my
drowned boy without anything ON him, hut
strong smell Of camphor and an air of
great superiority as he continued
81 was drowned. was. What was
You
Little COW took er header at me, an
knocked me ont
1T afterward turned out that he had got
over in the sheep pasture and tried to make
friends with the old gentleman Cotswod
The boys both apologizei for the trouble
they had male, and We put them h. bed,
but about . o'clock John had to ride into
Hight,town and bring the doctor, and Ne
thought two of the boys would surely die
before he got back The doctor said that
a boy who would eat ripe apples along with
green ginger and rotten plums and refuse
Ia die was a curiosity. He pulled them
both through. however, and they each ate
a mans breakfast, and then followed the
men OH to the raising of George Sneleker,
carriage house. After supper they were
all sitting along on the edge Of the porch
when one grave and quite intelligent little
fellow opened a conversation with John
say, mister, that was a bully raisin to-
day, weren't it I.
Yes, it went off very fine. I'm glad
You enjoyed it,
Say, when are you goin' to have
y,ur t.ui-iu' .
My raising What should l have
raising for"
To raise your mortgage
Whats that You young rascal. who
put that into your head /. shouted my hus
band, in a fury.
say, mister, doncher jump on me. 1t
was his little nibs with the goggles over to
the raisin as sed John Randolph was talk
in about a raisin' a new barn, but he'd
have to call in the neighborhoud to help To-
raise his mortgage first
MY husband looked over at me with a
glare like a mad cat.
That's that contemplate Bill House
man. just wait till catch him in flights
town.
1t took me all the rest of the evening
to keep John from starting oil tn hunt up
Bill and pound him
The next day the whole five little tots
the oldest was only seven -todded oil to
the fields with the men. Two Of them We're
put ON the horses that were pulling the hig
hayrake, while the other three went prowl
Ing about the field and fence corners. At
f 10 O'Clock the girls and | went out to the
field with lunch for the men, and We We're
Just in time for the grand row. The three
boys hunted around until they saw hor
along the fence. They didn't know what
it was but they took the best possible
means 10 find out. They got a long mark
ing pole and tried to punch it down. \
moment after they were running scream
ing toward their companions on the horses,
but the hornets got there first, and before
you could do any thing, the horses had
lerked away from the driver, and with the
bows on them and the machine digging up
the stuhhle and dust behind them, they tore
across the field. Down the hill they came
and without the least hesitation jumped the
tail race of the mill, stripping harnesses,
boys aud hornets oil themselves all AT one
fell swo0p as the heavy rake fell back in
the race. | was sure We were good for
two funerals this time, as the girls and
ran to pick the boys out of the debris
When We reached the bank We found
two very much astonished little boys wad
ing about IN the race looking for place to
climb out
What made the horses in such hur
ry = grayely inquired one Of the tots, aS he
rubbed a lump ON his knee reilectivey.
The other three boys had their eyes
completely closed 10y the hornets and had
the pleasure of ducturing them all the at
teruoon and answering their absurd ques
. H. Il H.. H..
children were on the place that | did not
look for some of them to be brought in
dead, the buildings 10 b, burned down, or
some other dreadful thing 10 happen Even
the last night they were with us, John came
near shooting for a burglar one of them
who had gone down stairs for drink, aud
/ who, ! believe, conscientously fell over
every chair, table and stool in the kitchen.
and ended by falling down the cellar stair,
only last week, long since those children
have been gone, they cropped up again.
John went to Cranberry, and happening 10
meet that Bill lousemau there, called him
To account about that mortgage story and
they had IA tight aud were both up before
the squire and now the whole neighb1r
hood Is full of IT,, and half the people in the
ueighhnrhood believe that my husband is
heels over head in debit and that Bill
Iousemun holds the mortgage, all from
the duings of those poor hlunlrriug, in
nocent little fresh air children. If anybudy
ever offers me fresh air child again lll
just offer 10 pay it, board somewhere else "
well, said Mrs Lewis, indeed Mrs
Randolph, | can sympathle with you. The
five they sent me we're all nice little girls,
aud though they didn't do anything for
which one could hlame them much, don't
want any more Of them and my daughter
Annie declares she never wants 10 see an