Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-05-04

written for the Free Press by V. Sanchez
The author of the following ry of blood
! shed, suffering, wrong and Drivation, il known
| to us and to some of our read, rs. rs an INTEL
| igent ana worthy young Bulgarian. VIII o is
| now pursuing his studies in thu y iversity of
| Vermont with view to returning to his own
| country rs miSsiOnary.-ED FREE PRESS.
(COntinUcd)
We made happy home again, although,
now we were not as large n family AS be-
fore. We were only four persons, father,
mother, brother and I. | had two sisters
and grandmother, but they were not
with us. My youngest sister was in
school about 200 miles from home, my
older sister had been made slave by the
Turks, and my grandmother, as | said
before, had persisted in the flames.
| Now, we were very poor. Father had
nothing in his pocket to buy bread.
recollect. one evening, we had nothing to
eat aud there was nothing to do to help
| ourselves, and we were ashamed to beg,
so that We went to bed in the open air with
out supper aud had no bed. clothes on US.
Ny parents were very sorry seeing my
brother and CT yiug for bread while they
could not give us any. Once they had
plenty for their children and the poor
around them, but, now, they had nothing.
Father knelt down and prayed, "God pro-
vide for US" In the morning we moved
to a place where we found some bread
Then we were able to 20 to another city
several miles further where we found
work to earn our daily provision. And
we were willing to do anything thai would
pay us II few cents. The first day a man
hlred us to roll up stones from the bank
of a river for fence. We worked there
all day long with wet feet the whole
time. The man who hired us sat down
on the bank and observed how we We're
working. We labored too hard. In the
evening he gave us our pay which was 20
cents for the three of us, and told us that
we could not work rs hard rs the com
mon lahoreTs, and the retOre we did not
deserve the pay. And, think, he was
right for we, never before, had such an
occupation and we could not do il well.
We went home and were weary and dis
cOuraged. We pa, Sed the night in "A cot
tage without fire or liGntS and on the
next morning we felt letreshe and able
TO do something again to help ourselves.
We went to an employment Office, and
were engaged to shovel sand on a RAILROAD
This business was easier Tor us, because
we were not required to overwOrk, and
our feet We're dry. And our pay was bet
ter, a dollar for father, 80 cents for broth
with these wages. We resolved to con
tiuue in this job until we should return to
our blessed home and farm where we eX
pected to find our property safe aud to
cultivate our land and so get our living
from it.
We had to walk three miles and work
10 hours every day. All, er a week passed |
in this way, our father became sick. He |
was 50 i'll that we were afraid he would |
die He ate nothing for several days and |
he began to look like a ghost. Now we
were very unfortunate. Brother ard | had |
to provide for everything, but we were |
small boys and unable to work very hard. |
We went every day TO our task and we |
told the man who employed us what was |
our condition. He was very good man, |
and he sympathized with us But we
were afraid that he would cast Us off if |
we were not INDUSTRIOUS SO that we tried |
to work faithfully until we became very |
moor and weak. We were 30 exhausted |
that we could hardly walk Nevertheless,
we loved and comfOrted each other, and |
often thought of the things we had left at
home.
well remember, one night was very
dark and stormy and the road was very
muddy when we were going home, my |
brother sank in the mud and could rot |
get out. He cried, "Oh, my dear brother"
he said 81 am going to perish here There
is no hope for me | have no strength TO
get out of this dangerous place Come,
shake ands, bid me good bye, and then
90 home to tell our mother and father
that am dead here in the mud" i'm
mediately went to assist him, but havl ng
no strength, sank in the mud likewise
We grasped each other, and expected
death every moment There was no one
to see us and drag us out of that dreadful
place near the waters of the Danube. We
were all alone in the mud.
The weather was slightly cool, and 1t
mi, aud tlp md hu hon
the noise OF wagon and horses, ana after
waiting a while we saw heavy cart with
two pairs OF horses approaching US. We
understood the danger, and called rs loud
as we cou d, but the horses aud wheels of
the cart made more noise than our cry.
My brother shook hands with me again.
and said; There Is no hope for us, my
beloved brother, we soon Will be run over
by the cart" And so we kept still wait
ing for the horses and heavy vehicle to be
upon us and beat out our life.
The team came very close 10 us, and the
man saw us in the mud. Hold back" he
said to his holsss: His 10 ses stopped
"Who are there p he asked. 1--WE are"
we replied. why dou't you get out of
my way before drive my horses upon
YOU ?" 1--WE would like, sir, but we can
not" "You cannot - Get out of there ?"
We tried to do So but we were not ahle,
we were pretty we'll glued by the mud on
the grOulM.
Seeing that he could not expect MS TO
get out of his way, he drove his horses
around US, whipped us several times with
his rough whip, Il say rough whip, be
cause | felt rs though 1t wasl, called us
drunkards and passed us by. We were
saved again.
The rain stopped but the weather grew
colder and colder until the mud was freez-
ing. We managed, someway, TO drag our
selves out and started to 20 home. The dis
lance WAS about II mile from the spot where
we were to the poor cottage where our pa
rents lived. We could not walk fast, bat we
supported and comforted each other and
persevered till we saw the light burning
in the window aud our father and mother
anXiously waiting for MS AT last we
reached home. Mother opened the door,
and we entered covered with mud, ms we
were. And after telling her the sad story,
we ate, took courage aud strength.
Ga the next morning, we could not go ,
to work, but we went, took our pay and
Quit the business. However, we could
not 1.-Two N nd ha idIp We tried TO sell wafer |